Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan (FBI) has named Kevin Robson as the company’s new crop insurance department manager to oversee recruitment and training of the department’s crop insurance specialists and agent sales force, as well as crop insurance product development and servicing.
Robson will also continue in his current role as marketing agribusiness specialist for FBI, supporting our network of trusted agent advisors who specialize in the farm space, according to Mary Yang, FBI’s marketing director of innovation and client solutions.
In addition to his insurance-related duties, Robson also serves as the executive director of the Michigan Blueberry Commission, the industry’s checkoff program. Working with a board of directors, made up of full-time Michigan blueberry growers, Robson helps research, promotion, and marketing programs for the commission.
The additional crop insurance duties, said Yang, will consolidate and create a stronger focus on ag-specific insurance products and services to continue growing the insurance company’s market presence in Michigan agriculture.
“It is because of Kevin’s agriculture roots and how crop insurance blends so well into his current role as a marketing agribusiness specialist that he was asked to manage the day-to-day operations of our crop insurance team,” Yang added.
Those agricultural roots are near and dear to Robson who, along with brother Nick, represents the fourth generation to operate Robsons Greenhouse, located near Bellville, in Wayne County.
When not in the Farm Bureau office, Robson is working with his brother and parents, Lynn and Arleen, at the family’s greenhouse operation, specializing in hanging baskets, annual flowers and vegetable production.
A 2009 University of Michigan graduate with a degree in public relations and corporate communications, Robson served as Michigan Farm Bureau’s (MFB) horticulture and industry relations specialist in the Commodity Department from 2014 to 2018, before accepting the agribusiness specialist position with FBI.
That MFB experience, Robson said, has already provided valuable insight and direct networking with Michigan farmers to build upon the FBI’s company’s connectivity and relevance in production agriculture.
“Michigan Farm Bureau and Farm Bureau Insurance continue to be leaders in representing the best interests of our members, whether it’s representing Farm Bureau policy or providing services and insurance products that are specifically tailored to our farmers,” Robson said.
Robson is a member of an internal Farm Task Force within the Farm Bureau Family of companies, tasked with providing guidance, and common-sense, relevant solutions for Michigan farmers and an improved customer experience.
“We’re extremely proud of the fact that Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan introduced the nation’s first farmowners policy in 1960 and currently insure one out of every two farms in Michigan,” Robson said. “But we also know that in an ever-changing, competitive marketplace, we must continue to evolve our product lines and adapt to industry norms of modern production agriculture to remain relevant to our members.”
In addition to his insurance-related duties, Robson also serves as the executive director of the Michigan Blueberry Commission, the industry’s checkoff program. Working with a board of directors, made up of full-time Michigan blueberry growers, Robson helps research, promotion, and marketing programs for the commission.
