Latest Agribusiness Headlines
All the headlines from our Agribusiness Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Indiana Farm Deaths Fell to 16 in ’11, None with Kids
Nov 9 2012 // A new Purdue University report says farm-related deaths in Indiana fell to 16 last year and none involved children for the first time in 13 years. The Indiana Farm fatality Summary says the 2011 deaths compared with 23 the...
Post-Election Congress Expected to Target Crop Insurance
Nov 8 2012 // Federally subsidized crop insurance will be a big target for lawmakers looking to cut the budget deficit in the lame-duck session of Congress opening next week, agricultural policy experts agreed the morning after a...
University to Study Safety Practices at Kentucky Horse Farms
Nov 6 2012 // A University of Kentucky professor has received a $1.4 million grant to conduct a multiyear study of health and safety practices of the Thoroughbred industry, which employs more than 10,000 people across Kentucky. Jennifer...
Corn Crop Insurance Payout up to $7.50 Per Bushel
Nov 5 2012 // Corn farmers who chose to pay more to insure their crops at harvest prices have gotten some welcome news from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Farmers who bought the more expensive crop insurance option last spring will...
Coverage Analysis: Sandy and Contingent Business Income Losses
Nov 2 2012 // Insureds joined in a mutually beneficial (or even exclusively beneficial) relationship with another business entity rely on the continued operational viability of that “non-related” entity. Their dependence on...
Ohio Farming’s New Cash Crop: Agritourism
Oct 29 2012 // If you’ve ever picked your own apples or bumped along on a hayride, you’ve taken part in agritourism. But the concept has grown up as more people want to learn about their food. That’s led to local-food...
Drought Not Over, Arkansas Ranchers Cautioned
Oct 29 2012 // Arkansas agriculture officials say recent rains and the greening of pastures aren’t true indications that the drought is over. The drought was particularly hard on cattle producers, many of whom sold more head than...
Willis Expands Acquaculture Division, Hires New Underwriter to Lead
Oct 23 2012 // Recent studies show that wild fish stocks around the world are declining faster than feared – with more than half of fisheries worldwide facing shrinking stocks. As a result the demand for farmed fish is intensifying and...
Midwest Farmers Planted Most of Land Flooded in 2011
Oct 22 2012 // Farmers this spring were able to plant all but a few thousand acres of the land deluged by last year’s flooding along on the Missouri River and the intentional breaching of a Mississippi River levee in southeast...
Texas Landowners Take a Rare Stand Against Big Oil
Oct 18 2012 // Oil has long lived in harmony with farmland and cattle across the Texas landscape, a symbiosis nurtured by generations and built on an unspoken honor code that allowed agriculture to thrive while oil was extracted. Proud...
Fire Damage at Wisconsin’s Largest Dairy Farm Costly
Oct 18 2012 // A fire has damaged Wisconsin’s largest dairy farm. WLUK-TV reports the fire tore through one of the barns at Rosendale Dairy near the Fond du Lac-Winnebago County line around 2:20 p.m. on Oct. 16. Bill Harke is a...
A.M. Best Downgrades Oklahoma’s Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance
Oct 17 2012 // A.M. Best Co. announced it has downgraded the financial strength rating to B+ (Good) from B++ (Good) and issuer credit rating to “bbb-” from “bbb” of Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Co. (Farmers) in...
California Labor Commissioner Files $1.6 Million Suit Seeking Wages for Ag Workers
Oct 16 2012 // California Labor Commissioner Julie A. Su filed a $1.6 million lawsuit in Monterey County Superior Court on Tuesday against a Greenfield farm labor contractor, Salvador Zavala Chavez, dba Zavala Farms, for multiple...
Drought Holds Steady in Midwest, Clouding Winter Crop Outlook
Oct 12 2012 // The nation’s worst drought in decades showed no signs of improvement last week in parts of the Midwest and Plains where the corn harvest is about two-thirds complete, clouding the prospects for the winter wheat crop,...
Top US Ag Negotiator: Farm Exports Likely Down $1B
Oct 11 2012 // America’s top agricultural negotiator, speaking in Stuttgart, Akr., said that he expects farm exports to be down between $1 billion and $2 billion this year because of the drought. The tighter supply of grains, and...
Hastings Mutual Insurance Partners with National Farmers Union
Oct 11 2012 // Hastings Mutual Insurance Co., a regional property/casualty insurance carrier headquartered in Hastings, Mich., announced a new marketing partnership with National Farmers Union. Through this new partnership, Hastings...
FDA: Indiana Farm Tied to Salmonella Outbreak Unclean
Oct 8 2012 // A federal inspector found two strains of salmonella and unclean conditions at an Indiana cantaloupe farm’s fruit-packing plant during inspections prompted by a deadly outbreak linked to the farm’s melons. The...
Report Points to Insurance Industry’s Vulnerability to Climate Change
Oct 8 2012 // A report out late last month urges the insurance industry to act to protect itself and the community against the increasing frequency of extreme weather due to climate change. In short, the report, its authors and those...
Best Agency to Work For: West
Oct 4 2012 // This year six agencies in all received top honors as a Best Agency to Work For. The Best Agencies to Work For in 2012 include: Bryan Insurance Agency, Graham, Texas; Meyer & Cook Insurance, Walnut Grove, California;...
Agriculture Pest Targeted In Southern California
Oct 3 2012 // Agriculture officials are targeting crop-destroying Oriental fruit flies in Southern California’s Santa Clarita Valley. Mature Oriental fruit flies were discovered on Sept. 18 and Sept. 19 in various valley locations...
