From the sprawling grasslands of Texas and Brazil to South Africa and the Australian outback, regions around the world with big agriculture and ranching activity present a landscape that's vast, unpopulated, and priceless to those who work and govern it. In a recent whitepaper by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, insurance experts write about one of the biggest risks unique to big-sky country around the world: fire.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, on average, 20,000 agricultural-related fires cause $102 million in direct property losses and result in 25 fatalities each year. These types of fires typically are slightly more expensive than all other industrial fires—on average 9 percent higher—because the commercial value of crops is affected along with the property. Two-thirds of agricultural fires occur in fields or orchards, with the other one-third occurring in livestock or poultry operations. More than half of agricultural fires involve brush or grass, while about one-third are equipment fires that involve vehicles, processing equipment, fixed wiring, heaters and torches.

This combination of increased risk and high-value assets makes fire protection at farms and ranches a high priority. The first step in minimizing the fire risk is increased knowledge and awareness...