Get to Know Farmers Union Insurance Kay Koch Agency, Salem

When it comes to insurance, Kay Koch has experience in all sides of the business.

“Before becoming a Farmers Union Insurance Agent, I oversaw all the financial and insurance aspects of nine dental clinics. So, I have a really strong grasp on filing insurance claims – upside down and backwards,” Koch explained.

Koch was 12 years into her career when COVID-19 changed her focus. Mom to Charlotte (Charlee), 12; Cash, 10; and Levi, 7; she needed a career that worked with her family’s new schedule.

“Like all parents I needed to homeschool my kids, and about that time I had the opportunity to work for a financial adviser, who asked me to become licensed in life and health insurance and it snowballed from there,” Koch said.

With a strong understanding of insurance and now licensed, Koch first signed on with a different insurance agency. But then, the insurance agency she worked for did not work for her clients.

“This carrier had a very small box and everybody had to fit into that box. And in this world, especially, it is not feasible for everyone to fit in one box,” she said.

When she could not provide her clients with the coverage they needed, she reached out to her cousin who happened to be a Farmers Union Insurance Agent to see if he could help her client.

“It wasn’t two days later and Farmers Union came knocking on my door.”

Because Farmers Union works with a variety of different insurance carriers, Koch is now able to provide coverage for all her clients’ insurance needs – including crop insurance – thanks to her husband, Doug, who has been a licensed crop insurance agent since 2005.

“It is nice to be able to sit down with a customer and look at their unique situation and figure out which carrier or carriers would best meet their needs,” Koch said.

Koch’s office is inside Doug’s seed and chemical business.

“I like to say it’s a one-stop shop. Farmers can come in and get farm insurance, family health insurance, Medicare, crop insurance, seed and chemical.”

And today, Koch says her family appreciates the flexibility her new career provides.

“I am a mom, and that has to come first,” Koch said. “Our kids are very active and involved in, it seems like everything – sports, 4-H – so I need flexibility that an 8-to-5 job does not provide. I am willing to work hard and put in long hours. As a business owner I’m often working 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or 10 p.m., but I can take a break in the afternoon to be there for my kids.”