Latest Agribusiness Headlines
All the headlines from our Agribusiness Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Despite Costly Bird Flu, Chicken Farmers Reject Vaccine
Jan 12 2016 // Determined to avoid a repeat of the nation’s worst-ever avian-influenza outbreak, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is stockpiling up to 500 million doses of a new vaccine — but many in the $48 billion poultry...
Georgia Crops Threatened by Warm Winter Weather
Jan 12 2016 // Georgia farmers have endured a winter that wouldn’t start and rains that wouldn’t quit. The state’s pecan, peach and blueberry crops have been threatened by too many warm days and too much water, growers...
Farmers to Feel Heat from Manufacturers Over Food Safety
Jan 11 2016 // With food recalls on the rise and the threat to food security growing, food manufacturers are going to want to know more details about farmers’ and ranchers’ food safety and security practices, an agribusiness...
Ohio High Court: Consumer Laws Don’t Apply to Insurer Repair Estimates
Jan 11 2016 // The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that laws protecting consumers from deceptive practices don’t apply to insurance company repair estimates. In Dillon v. Farmers Ins. Of Columbus, Inc., the Court voted 5-2 to overturn...
Losses for Washington from Drought Estimated at $336M
Jan 8 2016 // Washington farmers have lost at least $336 million due to the ongoing drought, a figure that is likely to climb as more information becomes available. The Capital Press reported that a state Department of Agriculture...
McCarty Replacement Rumors Start Swirling; Successor Has ‘Huge Shoes to Fill’
Jan 8 2016 // Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty’s successor has yet to be announced, but whoever takes over will have his or her work cut out for them when McCarty leaves office after 12 years on May 2. “These are...
Farmers Insurance Launches New Rideshare Coverage in 7 States
Jan 5 2016 // Farmers has introduced a new Rideshare Insurance Coverage designed to make rideshare insurance coverage options available for ride-hailing drivers in Arizona, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas and...
Weather Forecaster Warns La Niña Could Follow on Heels of El Niño
Jan 5 2016 // The El Niño that disrupted weather worldwide last year has peaked. Now forecasters are predicting what may be next for the world’s climate. A number of El Niño-Southern Oscillation indicators suggest that the...
Farmers Insurance Launches Rideshare Insurance Coverage in Texas
Jan 4 2016 // Farmers Insurance has introduced its new Rideshare Insurance Coverage endorsement designed to provide coverage options for ride-hailing drivers in Texas. Farmers said it worked with representatives of the Texas Department...
Not all North Dakota Farmers Embracing New Type of Crop Insurance
Jan 3 2016 // Officials think education could increase interest in a new type of crop insurance that also might give farmers who diversify a boost. Whole farm crop insurance became available in North Dakota this past growing season. No...
Deadly Floods Disrupting Agriculture, Commercial Operations in U.S. Midwest
Jan 3 2016 // Deadly flooding across the U.S. Midwest is disrupting everything from oil to agriculture, forcing pipelines, terminals and grain elevators to close. The floods have killed at least 30 people and shut hundreds of roads...
Cargill to Sell Crop Insurance Business to Silveus
Dec 30 2015 // Cargill Inc. agreed to sell its crop insurance unit, the latest move by the giant U.S. agricultural commodity trader and producer to reshape its business amid low crop prices. The insurance operation will be sold to...
Ironshore Names DeSantis of Farmers as CEO of Wright & Co.
Dec 29 2015 // Ironshore has named Anthony J. DeSantis as chief executive officer of Wright & Co, a wholly -owned program administrator subsidiary. He will be responsible for leading Wright & Co.’s existing direct to...
South Carolina Lawmaker Plans to Seek Additional Aid for Farmers
Dec 28 2015 // The state House’s budget leader says he wants to reassure South Carolina farmers devastated by October’s flooding disaster that the Legislature will help them out. Lawmakers must help farmers survive direct...
Maryland Commissioner to Meet With Local Farmers to Discuss P/C Insurance
Dec 21 2015 // Maryland Insurance Commissioner Al Redmer, Jr. and Secretary of Agriculture Joe Bartenfelder will hold a joint meeting to promote awareness of insurance products available to the state’s agricultural community. The...
South Carolina Insurers to Weather at Least $181M in Claims from October Storm
Dec 21 2015 // The mega-storm that devastated South Carolina in early October is estimated to have cost more than $1.4 billion with insurers paying around $181 million of those losses in claims, so far. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley...
Judge in California Grants Class Action in Farmers Female Attorneys Suit
Dec 21 2015 // A U.S. District judge in California earlier this month granted class action status to a suit brought by female attorneys against Farmers Insurance for discriminatory practices. The initial suit was filed on behalf of Lynne...
Zurich Insurance to Buy Wells Fargo Crop Insurance Unit
Dec 18 2015 // Zurich Insurance Group AG agreed to buy a Wells Fargo & Co. crop insurance business for as much as $1.05 billion as the Swiss company puts to work excess cash left over from a separate takeover bid that it abandoned...
Feds Investigating Potential Crop Insurance Fraud in Kentucky
Dec 17 2015 // Federal investigators say they believe Central Kentucky tobacco farmers, crop insurance agents, tobacco warehouse owners and others conspired to defraud thousands and possibly millions of dollars from the U.S. Department...
Disaster Loans Available to Agricultural Entities in South Carolina
Dec 14 2015 // The U.S. Small Business Administration announced Dec. 8 that federal Economic Injury Disaster Loans are available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most...
