Latest Agribusiness Headlines
All the headlines from our Agribusiness Topic Page, ordered by recency.
D.A. in California Sues Farmers, Other Home Insurers Alleging Scheme to Underinsure
Jun 13 2024 // Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price’s Consumer Justice Bureau has sued multiple home insurance carriers in California, including Farmers Insurance Exchange, alleging they’re operating a scheme that...
USDA to Enhance Crop Insurance for Michigan Blueberry Producers
Jun 12 2024 // The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is enhancing Federal crop insurance for blueberry producers in Michigan beginning in the 2025 crop year. This change will enable producers to receive different pricing and optional...
Rise in Texas Crop Insurance Payouts Driven by Drought
Jun 6 2024 // The financial costs of drought in Texas have risen rapidly over recent decades, according to a new analysis of federal crop insurance data. The nonprofit Environmental Working Group, a longtime critic of the federal crop...
AM Best Downgrades Credit Ratings of Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company of Arkansas
Jun 5 2024 // AM Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating to B (Fair) from B+ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to “bb” (Fair) from “bbb-” (Good) of Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company of...
USDA Offers Disaster Assistance to Agricultural Producers Impacted by Recent Storms
Jun 4 2024 // The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is responding to the agricultural devastation caused by tornadoes and flooding in the Midwest. On May 24, Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Zach Ducheneaux signed an...
US Farmers Opt for Soy to Limit Losses as All Crop Prices Slump
Jun 4 2024 // Mark Tuttle planted more soy and less corn on his northern Illinois farm this spring as prices for both crops hover near three-year lows and soybeans’ lower production costs offered him the best chance of turning a...
Tennessee, Kentucky Tobacco Farmer Sentenced for Second Crop Insurance Fraud
May 31 2024 // A Kentucky tobacco farmer has been sentenced to more than three years in prison after pleading guilty to crop insurance fraud, eight years after he was convicted of similar crimes. David Manion, 61, who resides in...
Michigan Dairy Worker Diagnosed With Bird Flu
May 28 2024 // A Michigan dairy worker has been diagnosed with bird flu — the second human case associated with an outbreak in U.S. dairy cows. The male worker had been in contact with cows at a farm with infected animals. He...
Iowa Wind Farm Hit by Tornado, Resulting in Rare Destruction of Turbines
May 24 2024 // OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A wind farm in southwest Iowa suffered a direct hit from a powerful tornado that crumpled five of the massive, power-producing towers, including one that burst into flames. But experts say...
Markets/Coverages: Lockton Caribbean & Central America Launches Food, Agriculture & Beverage Broking Practice
May 23 2024 // Lockton Caribbean & Central America (CCA) announced the launch of CCA FAB, the insurance broking industry’s first Food, Agriculture & Beverage practice that focuses exclusively on the region. The new Food,...
California Mushroom Farms That Were Sites of Fatal Shootings Fined $450K
May 22 2024 // The owners of two Northern California mushroom farms where a farmworker killed seven people in back-to-back shootings last year will pay more than $450,000 in back wages and damages to 62 workers, the Labor Department...
China Boosts Farmer Protection With Nationwide Insurance for Major Grains
May 22 2024 // China’s Finance Ministry on Tuesday announced the nationwide implementation of full-cost insurance and planting income insurance policies for rice, wheat and corn, as part of a food security drive to encourage...
Driver of Pickup Charged with DUI After Crash with Bus that Killed 8 Farmworkers
May 16 2024 // OCALA, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Highway Patrol has arrested the driver of a pickup truck that crashed into a farmworker bus early Tuesday, killing eight, on charges of driving under the influence-manslaughter. Bryan...
Farmers to Resume Offering Key Lines of Business Insurance in California
May 14 2024 // Farmers Insurance said it will resume accepting new business commercial multi-peril applications for auto service & repair, habitational, manufacturing, real estate and wholesale distribution policies in...
US to Provide Nearly $200M to Contain Bird Flu Spread on Dairy Farms
May 13 2024 // The Biden administration said on Friday it will provide nearly $200 million to fight the spread of avian flu among dairy cows, in the government’s latest bid to contain outbreaks that have fueled concerns about human...
Rising Spring Rains Pose Challenges for Midwest Farmers
May 7 2024 // SABINA, Ohio (AP) — It was just after dark as Ross Woodruff hopped into a truck to haul soybean seeds out to his brother, Mark, whose planter had run out. It was the first day they could plant after heavy rains two weeks...
AM Best Downgrades Credit Rating of Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Group
Apr 24 2024 // AM Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) to A- (Excellent) from A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) to “a-” (Excellent) from “a” (Excellent) of...
Republican Senators’ FARMER Act Seeks to Boost Crop Insurance Coverage
Apr 24 2024 // Republican senators this month introduced legislation they say would increase support for crop insurance and make higher levels of coverage more affordable to farmers. Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D) proposed the Federal...
Vermont Farms Still Recovering From Flooding As Growing Season Begins
Apr 19 2024 // Hundreds of Vermont farms are still recovering from last July’s catastrophic flooding and other extreme weather as they head into this year’s growing season. Dog River Farm, in Berlin, Vermont, lost nearly all...
People Moves: Farmers Insurance Names Coleman President of Business Insurance
Apr 10 2024 // Farmers Insurance Names Coleman President of Business Insurance Farmers Insurance announced that Eric Coleman has joined the organization as president of Business Insurance, effective April 10. In this role, Coleman is...
