Latest Agribusiness Headlines
All the headlines from our Agribusiness Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Consumer Group Challenges Farmers Insurance’s California Homeowners Rate Increase
Dec 7 2007 // A California consumer group is challenging Farmers Insurance Co.’s request for a rate increase of 6.9 percent. The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR), in a petition filed Monday with the state...
BMS Group Acquires Property/Casualty Team in Minn.
Dec 6 2007 // Global reinsurer BMS announced today that it has acquired a P/C brokerage team based in Minneapolis. The nine member team is led by senior brokers Jim Brost and Mike Joyce. “The acquisition of this team boosts our...
Best Affirms and Withdraws Farmers Mutual Ratings
Dec 5 2007 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘B’ (Fair) and the issuer credit rating of “bb” of Farmers Mutual Insurance Company (PA) of Elizabethtown, Penna. with a negative...
Study: Safety Belt Use Still Important
Nov 19 2007 // Using the 2006 fatal crash data released by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Los Angeles-based Farmers Insurance has completed a study to determine the most influential factors in drivers’ mortality rate in...
Zurich 9 Month Net Jumps 25% to $4.157 Billion; Farmers up 6%
Nov 15 2007 // Zurich Financial Services Group is having a good year with nine month net profits increasing by 25 percent to $4.157 billion, compared to $3.326 billion for the same period in 2006. Other earnings highlights included the...
Ga. Tree Farmers Worry about Drought, Bugs in Aftermath of Wildfires
Nov 13 2007 // The wildfires that burned almost a half-million acres in south Georgia were snuffed out months ago, but tree farmers now face prolonged drought and insect infestations as they prepare to replant the vast...
Okla.’s Anti-Illegal Immigration Law Affecting Agriculture Sector
Nov 6 2007 // Oklahoma’s new anti-illegal immigration law has some farmers and agricultural businesses scrambling for laborers as Hispanic workers fearful of being deported stay away from work. House Bill 1804, which went into...
Cargill Recalls 1 Million Pounds of Beef Possibly Tainted by E coli
Nov 5 2007 // Wayzata, Minn.-based Cargill Inc. says it is recalling more than 1 million pounds of ground beef that may be contaminated with E. coli bacteria, the second time in less than a month it has voluntarily recalled beef that...
Nevada Seeks Federal Disaster Declaration
Nov 4 2007 // In a move to help ranchers and farmers get low-interest loans and other assistance, Gov. Jim Gibbons has asked for a federal disaster declaration because of drought conditions and a bad fire season in Nevada. “The...
Gov. Wants More Help for N.C. Farmers Suffering from Drought
Oct 31 2007 // North Carolina field crops are predicted to suffer great losses as a result of the state’s drought conditions. Soybean yields are projected to be at 20 bushels per acre, which will be the lowest yield since 1983....
Avocado Crops Hard Hit by Wildfires
Oct 30 2007 // Wind-driven wildfires that torched Southern California have charred fruit orchards, wilted flowers and littered the ground with avocados, delivering a devastating blow to area farmers already reeling from a deep winter...
Feds Considering Imposing Safety Rules for Leafy Greens
Oct 26 2007 // The U.S. Department of Agriculture is considering imposing a new set of national regulations to lower the risk of foodborne illness in salad greens. The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service says its new proposal for...
After Crop Damage, Drought-parched North Carolina Sees Rain
Oct 25 2007 // A drought report released Tuesday says 17 North Carolina water systems serving hundreds of thousands of residents are near a crisis-level shortage. The lengthy drought has strained North Carolina’s water systems and...
Max Capital Names Dicker to Dublin Agriculture Post
Oct 22 2007 // Max Bermuda, the operating company of the Max Capital Group, announced an expansion of its Dublin unit with the appointment of Michael W. Dicker as Senior Vice President – Agriculture at Max Re Europe Limited, Max...
S.C. Clam Farmers Settle for $1.8 Million Following Oil Spill
Oct 22 2007 // More than a dozen South Carolina clam farmers who claimed most of their crop was spoiled by an oil spill five years ago have settled a lawsuit with a shipping line and a dredging firm for nearly $1.8 million. Under the...
Colo. Farms Ordered to Surrender Records in Insurance Investigation
Oct 17 2007 // Three San Luis Valley, Colo., farms have been ordered to turn over records to a federal investigator looking into whether they illegally sold potatoes after collecting up to $1.3 million in federal insurance payments on...
Wash.’s Gregoire Seeks Disaster Declaration for Crop Damage
Oct 12 2007 // Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire has asked that 10 counties be declared federal disaster areas because of crop damage from drought and wildfires started by lightning. Low-interest federal loans to hard-hit farmers under a...
Farmers Names Ingersoll VP of Marketing
Oct 9 2007 // Los Angeles-based Farmers Insurance Group Inc. named John Ingersoll vice president of marketing. In addition to having resposibility for marketing, advertising and brand awareness, he will work closely with Farmers’...
Fla. high court affirms insurers need pay for covered perils only
Oct 8 2007 // Florida’s valued policy law means property insurance companies are only responsible for actual damages caused by perils that are specifically cited in the policy, the Florida Supreme Court has affirmed in a key...
Fla. high court affirms insurers need pay for covered perils only
Oct 8 2007 // Florida’s valued policy law means property insurance companies are only responsible for actual damages caused by perils that are specifically cited in the policy, the Florida Supreme Court has affirmed in a key...
