Latest Agribusiness Headlines
All the headlines from our Agribusiness Topic Page, ordered by recency.
People
Jan 10 2011 // Incumbent Alabama Commissioner of Insurance Jim L. Ridling will continue in that role in the new administration of Gov. Robert Bentley. Ridling has served as commissioner since 2008. “Jim Ridling is a respected...
Countryway Acquired by Virginia Farm Bureau
Jan 10 2011 // Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co., is acquiring New York-based Countryway Insurance. Countryway, with headquarters in Syracuse, sells farm and personal lines coverage in 10 states through 380 agencies —...
Personal Crusade for Tractor Safety in Pennsylvania
Jan 10 2011 // Though it’s been nearly five years since her grandfather died, Alyssa Fodor still remembers the suffering her family experienced when he never returned home from his daily farm chores. And that’s why the...
Brooks Named Eastern Zone Vice President for Farmer’s
Jan 7 2011 // Farmer’s Insurance Group has named Todd Brooks senior vice president of its eastern zone, which comprises the states of Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin. He most recently...
Midwest Insurers Austin Mutual and Cooperative Mutual Complete Merger
Jan 7 2011 // Minnesota-based Austin Mutual Insurance Company, a regional property and casualty insurer, announced it has completed its merger with Cooperative Mutual Insurance Co. located in Omaha, Neb. The previously announced merger...
Neace Lukens Acquires Equine Insurance Agency in Kentucky
Jan 4 2011 // Lousiville, Kentucky-based Neace Lukens has acquired the Plamp-Keen Agency Inc., an insurance agency also in Louisville that specializes in horse-related coverages. The merger adds 10 employees from Plamp-Keen, including...
Everest Re Group Finalizes Acquisition of Heartland Crop Insurance
Jan 4 2011 // The Bermuda-based Everest Re Group has acquired the business and operations of Heartland Crop Insurance, Inc., a managing general agent, for $55 million plus the agreed upon value of the net assets of the agency, with an...
Inspectors Find 2 Tennessee Dams in Need of Repair
Dec 31 2010 // State inspectors have found two privately owned hazardous dams in Tennessee that are in need of immediate repair, including one that the property owner seems unwilling to fix. An investigation by The Jackson Sun in May...
President Obama Expected to Sign Food Safety Overhaul Bill
Dec 22 2010 // The ailing U.S. food safety system moved closer Tuesday toward its biggest overhaul in more than 70 years after the House passed legislation that would increase inspections and give regulators the power to recall tainted...
Farmers Group Names Dailey President, COO; CEO Woudstra Retiring in 2011
Dec 20 2010 // Farmers Group Inc., the Los Angeles-based company and unit of Zurich Financial Services Group, has appointed Jeff Dailey president and chief operating officer, effective Jan. 1, 2011. Dailey also will become Farmers’...
Everest Re in Negotiations to Acquire Heartland Crop Insurance
Dec 17 2010 // The Bermuda-based Everest Re Group announced that it has entered into discussions with Heartland Crop Insurance, Inc. regarding a potential acquisition of the Kansas-based company by Everest Reinsurance Holdings, Inc. or...
Florida Growers Reporting Ice Damage to Orange Crop
Dec 15 2010 // Citrus growers in central Florida reported ice damage to their orange fruit and groves Wednesday after overnight temperatures dropped to bone-chilling lows in some areas of the citrus belt. “There was definitely some...
Swiss Re’s New sigma Study Highlights ‘Relevance of Microinsurance’
Dec 15 2010 // Swiss Re’s latest sigma study – “Microinsurance – risk protection for 4 billion people” – emphasizes the relevance of microinsurance as an effective and viable risk management solution...
WTO’s Lamy Tells Negotiators to Push for Doha Deal
Dec 15 2010 // Members of the World Trade Organization are showing new energy and determination to reach a global trade deal but must now abandon fixed positions to clinch the agreement, the head of the WTO said on Tuesday. WTO...
Droughts, Floods, Snow and Cold Hit Global Commodities
Dec 15 2010 // Droughts and deluges in Australia, snow in Europe and cold snaps in the United States are pushing up prices of a range of commodities from sugar to heating oil and soybeans. Australia typically ranks as second in the...
Aon Benfield Cat Report for November Highlights Cold and Floods
Dec 6 2010 // In its latest monthly assessment of the world’s catastrophes for November Aon Benfield highlights the first winter weather event of the season across Europe with “notable affects.” the report, published...
Farmers Insurance Files for Homeowners Rate Hike in Texas
Dec 5 2010 // Farmers Insurance has filed for a 3.9 percent rate increase for homeowners insurance coverage in Texas. The Dallas Morning News reports that Farmers’ filing with the Texas Department of Insurance will affect about...
Employers With Foreign Labor Face Increased Liability
Dec 5 2010 // Insurance Considerations for Agents Insuring Agricultural Employer Every state has been impacted by Arizona’s immigration law, as there is now a cry for immigration reform. Employers who hire a questionable workforce...
Crop Bounty Spurs Construction Boom at Midwest Grain Elevators
Dec 3 2010 // A construction boom has been under way at grain elevators across the Great Plains, where farmers have grown more corn and opted to keep more of the grain to meet the demand from ethanol plants. Storage capacity at the...
Farmers Insurance Files for Homeowners Rate Hike in Texas
Nov 29 2010 // Farmers Insurance has filed for a 3.9 percent rate increase for homeowners policies in Texas. The Dallas Morning News reports that Farmers’ filing with the Texas Department of Insurance will affect about half the...
