Latest Agribusiness Headlines
All the headlines from our Agribusiness Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Fracking-Related Water Problems Raise Issues in West Texas
Aug 3 2017 // A West Texas land baron and oilman is on the verge of pumping 5.4 million gallons of water a day from far under the desert mountains here and piping it 60 miles to the nation’s most bountiful oil field, the Permian...
Crop Damage from Herbicide Dicamba a Growing Problem Across U.S. Farm Belt
Aug 2 2017 // Larry Martin in Illinois says he’s never seen anything like it in his 35 years of farming. Arkansas soybean grower Joe McLemore says he faces the loss of his life savings. They’re among farmers across the U.S....
Midwest Crops Stressed by Worsening Drought Conditions
Aug 1 2017 // Drought conditions are getting worse in several states, and extreme heat and weeks with little rain have begun to stress corn, soybeans, wheat and livestock in some areas. The weekly U.S. Drought Monitor recently released...
Massive Blaze Breaks Out at Alabama Chemical Plant
Aug 1 2017 // A plant that produces agricultural chemicals caught fire Saturday in southwest Alabama, blanketing the area with potentially hazardous smoke and prompting an order for people to stay inside. Police said the fire began...
The Nature Conservancy, Blue Marble Offer Microinsurance for LatAm Ranchers
Jul 26 2017 // The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Blue Marble Microinsurance announced they have formed a partnership designed to provide microinsurance for small ranchers in Latin America who use a weather-resilient practice called...
Drought in High Plains the Worst Some Farmers Have Ever Seen
Jul 24 2017 // Drought in North Dakota is laying waste to fields of normally bountiful food and hay crops, and searing pastures that typically would be home to multitudes of grazing cattle. Some longtime farmers and ranchers say...
A.M. Best Revises Outlooks to Negative for Georgia Farm Bureau Group Members
Jul 24 2017 // A.M. Best has revised the outlooks to negative from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of B+ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) of “bbb-” of Georgia Farm Bureau...
Farmers Insurance on the Hook for $100K in 2015 Oklahoma State Homecoming Crash
Jul 24 2017 // An insurance provider whose imprisoned client drove into a crowd at Oklahoma State University’s 2015 homecoming parade will pay out $100,000 to the victims. A judge is expected to decide how the money will be divided...
Authority Wants 1952 Quake Anniversary to Remind Californians to Prepare
Jul 21 2017 // Friday marks the 65th anniversary of the 1952 magnitude 7.5 earthquake that struck Kern County, Calif., considered the largest quake to strike Southern California since the 1870s. While the epicenter was on the White Wolf...
Minnesota: Farmers Insurance Exchange Overcharged Renters for Auto Coverage
Jul 21 2017 // Minnesota Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman has ordered an insurance company to refund more than $300,000 to Minnesota drivers who were charged higher auto insurance rates solely because they were renters rather than...
Farmers Names Fernandez to Head Business Insurance; Kappler to Lead Bristol West
Jul 19 2017 // Farmers Insurance has named new presidents for two of its key business units. Sharon Fernandez, most recently president of Bristol West Insurance, has been appointed president of Business Insurance at Farmers. In addition,...
Mad Cow Disease Found in Alabama But No Threat to Humans Detected
Jul 19 2017 // An 11-year-old cow in Alabama tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Tuesday. The cow tested positive for the atypical...
Idaho Manure Pond Deaths Raise Concerns About Farmworker Safety
Jul 18 2017 // It was still dark the morning Ruperto Vazquez-Carrera began his shift at Sunrise Organic Dairy in Idaho. It was mid-February 2016. A winter heat wave had melted snow and ice overnight, flooding part of the rural Jerome...
High Plains Drought the Worst Some Farmers Have Ever Seen
Jul 17 2017 // Drought in North Dakota is laying waste to fields of normally bountiful food and hay crops and searing pastures that typically would be home to multitudes of grazing cattle. Some longtime farmers and ranchers say...
Devastating S. Europe Drought Scorches Crops; Farmers Question Their Future
Jul 17 2017 // Italian durum wheat and dairy farmer Attilio Tocchi saw warning signs during the winter of the dramatic drought to come at his holding a mile away from the Tuscan coast. “When it still hadn’t rained at the...
Tennessee Restricts Monsanto Pesticide Use as Crop Damage Spreads
Jul 14 2017 // Tennessee on Thursday imposed restrictions on the use of dicamba, a flagship pesticide for Monsanto Co., becoming the fourth state to take action as problems spread over damage the weed killer causes to crops not...
Texas Peach Crops Affected by Mild Winter
Jul 10 2017 // Experts say the mild Texas winter hampered this year’s peach crop in parts of the state. The North Texas harvest appears to be bountiful, but growers in some other areas of the state faced challenges, the Fort Worth...
Louisiana Farmers Could be Helped by $10M Program for Flood Recovery
Jul 10 2017 // Farmers and ranchers in 51 Louisiana parishes could be eligible for grants from a $10 million program aimed to help with recovery from last year’s flooding. Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain’s office says...
People
Jul 10 2017 // The Main Street America Group has promoted Dan Gaynor to senior vice president and chief underwriting officer. Gaynor, who has been the super-regional property/casualty insurance company’s vice president of...
Michigan Court Sides with Westfield Insurance in ‘Employee/Contractor’ Case
Jul 10 2017 // The Michigan Court of Appeals has reversed the ruling of a trial court in a case involving whether a commercial insurer or a personal insurer is responsible for paying no-fault personal injury protection benefits when a...
