Latest Agribusiness Headlines
All the headlines from our Agribusiness Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Equine Center Settles with Horse Feed Maker Over Poisonings
Dec 31 2014 // A Florida equestrian center where 22 horses were poisoned by tainted feed has reached a settlement with the company that produced and sold the feed. Two horses had to be euthanized last Friday, bringing the death toll at...
A.M. Best: Iowa’s Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Under Review
Dec 23 2014 // A.M. Bestplaced under review with negative implications the financial strength rating of A (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating of “a” of Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Company of Iowa (FMH) of West Des...
Iowa’s Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance to Acquire John Deere Crop Insurance
Dec 18 2014 // Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Co. of Iowa (FMH) announced it is acquiring Moline, Ill.-based John Deere Insurance Co. and John Deere Risk Protection Inc. The action is a result of Deere’s previously announced review...
North Dakotans Convicted in Crop Insurance Scam Told not to Contact Witnesses
Dec 16 2014 // A North Dakota judge has issued an order prohibiting two brothers convicted in a federal crop insurance case from contacting witnesses called by the government. A jury recently found Aaron and Derek Johnson guilty of...
Drought Costs Eastern Oregon Farm Tens of Millions of Dollars
Dec 15 2014 // Three straight years of dry conditions and below-average snowpacks have cost farmers in Eastern Oregon tens of millions of dollars. The irrigation supply for farmers in Malheur County who get their water from the Owyhee...
Farmers Insurance Set to Enter Connecticut in January
Dec 12 2014 // Farmers Insurance is set to begin providing insurance and financial services to Connecticut consumers Jan. 1, 2015, pending regulatory approvals, according to company executives who recently briefed local media...
South Carolina Insurance Chief Farmer to Stay
Dec 11 2014 // Raymond Farmer is staying on to lead South Carolina’s Department of Insurance. Farmer said Tuesday he was honored to be asked by Gov. Nikki Haley to stay on in the position he’s held since 2012. Farmer took...
Texas Could Face Wet, Early Spring Due to Weak El Nino
Dec 10 2014 // The weather pattern that’s weaker than hoped for but still expected to bring some rain to Texas this winter could persist into early spring, a weather forecaster said. As Texas still tries to recover from its driest...
Thieves Steal Valuable Items from Kansas Ag Museum
Dec 10 2014 // Police are seeking help to identify whoever stole items from the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame’s collection in Bonner Springs, Kan. Bonner Springs police tell The Kansas City Star thieves broke into...
Vermont Dairy Farms Face Deadline to Enroll in Price Protection Program
Dec 3 2014 // Vermont dairy farmers face a Friday deadline to enroll in a new price protection program. The Margin Protection Program is a voluntary insurance program that enables dairy farmers to protect themselves from low prices. The...
North Dakota Trial Set In Deteriorating Potatoes, Crop Insurance Case
Dec 2 2014 // Trial is set to begin for two North Dakota brothers accused of intentionally destroying potatoes and defrauding the federal government out of about $2 million in crop insurance payments. Aaron and Derek Johnson, of the...
Ohio and Indiana Joint Venture to Fly Drones to Aid Farmers
Dec 2 2014 // A joint venture between Ohio and Indiana is teaming up with an Ohio college to fly drone missions aimed at helping farmers boost crop yields. The Ohio/Indiana Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center in Springfield, Ohio, and Ohio...
2014 State Specialist P/C Insurers Revealed
Dec 1 2014 // The Demotech Company Classification System categorizes insurers into one of 11 categories based on an analysis of data reported by the companies to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). The 11...
North Dakota Man Charged with Crop Insurance Scam Wants Conviction Excluded
Nov 26 2014 // One of two brothers accused of scamming the government out of $2 million in crop insurance payments says a previous conviction should not be allowed as evidence in his trial. Aaron Johnson, 50, and Derek Johnson, 47, who...
Turkey, Chicken Farms Recognized with Safety Awards
Nov 26 2014 // Ninety-six chicken and turkey facilities across the country have been recognized for achieving outstanding safety performance through the implementation of employee safety and health programs. The Joint Industry Safety and...
Outlook Revised to Positive for Farmers Union Mutual Insurance Co.
Nov 25 2014 // A.M. Best has revised the outlook to positive from stable and affirmed the issuer credit rating (ICR) of “a” for Farmers Union Mutual Insurance Company (FUMI) in Jamestown, N.D. Concurrently, A.M. Best has also...
Farm Bill Costs Soar Despite Great Harvest
Nov 20 2014 // U.S. farmers are about to reap a bumper harvest not just in corn and soybeans but also in new subsidies that could soar to $10 billion, blowing a hole in the government’s promise that its new five-year farm bill...
Crop Of Climate Corps May Bloom in Ag Insurance Landscape
Nov 13 2014 // You can still shake your climate moneymaker. Climate change certainly didn’t carry the day in the November elections. It shouldn’t be news to anyone that the topic ushered in few if any victories for those who...
Monsanto Settles Farmer Suits Over Oregon Experimental GMO Wheat
Nov 13 2014 // Monsanto Co. said on Wednesday it reached a settlement with U.S. wheat farmers who sued the seed company over market disruption after unapproved genetically engineered wheat was discovered growing without oversight in...
Dry Conditions Shouldn’t Impact Hawaii Coffee Crops
Nov 11 2014 // A new forecast says Hawaii’s Big Island can expect below-average rainfall this winter. But it’s not likely to experience severe drought. The National Weather Service says there is a 55- to 60 percent chance of...
