Latest Agribusiness Headlines
All the headlines from our Agribusiness Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Farmers Insurance Expects $75M in Claims from Midwest Storms
Apr 17 2014 // A system of severe weather moving through multiple Midwest states in early April brought tornadoes, hail, severe winds and flooding in Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Texas. Farmers Insurance estimates that its expected...
California Drought Spawns Well Drilling Boom
Apr 16 2014 // The scarcity of irrigation water in drought-stricken California has created such a demand for well drilling services that Central Valley farmer Bob Smittcamp is taking matters into his own hands. He’s buying a...
Agents Brewing Up Program Business for Craft Beermakers
Apr 16 2014 // Craft beers have been capturing an increasing share of the domestic beer market over the past decade and this specialty niche is still growing. By 2020, America’s craft brewers will have more than 20 percent market...
70% Chance of El Nino Extreme Weather Event in 2014: Australian Meteorologists
Apr 8 2014 // The chance of an El Nino weather event developing in 2014 now exceeds 70 percent, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said on Tuesday, raising the prospect of damaging floods and droughts across the globe. Global cocoa...
Top 10 States and Cities for Job Growth
Apr 7 2014 // North Dakota, California, Texas and Florida did well in job growth in 2013 while Arkansas and Pennsylvania lagged and West Virginia was the only state to lose jobs. Overall, 12 states showed job growth of at least two...
Idaho’s Elmore County Disaster Area: USDA
Apr 3 2014 // The U.S. Department of Agriculture has added a southern Idaho county to its list of Idaho regions considered natural disaster areas because of drought. The department designated Elmore County a primary natural disaster...
Ag Tourism Liability Bill Passes Wisconsin Senate
Apr 3 2014 // Farmers wouldn’t be financially liable for the death of someone participating in an agricultural tourism activity under a bill that has cleared the Wisconsin Senate. Agricultural tourism is growing in popularity as...
Tornado in Western Minnesota Damages Farms
Apr 2 2014 // A tornado has damaged at least three farms in rural Minnesota, but no injuries are reported. Yellow Medicine County Sheriff Bill Flaten said in a statement the tornado was reported about 4 p.m. on March 31 southeast of St....
South Dakota Judge: No Dismissal of $1.2B ‘Pink Slime’ Defamation Suit
Mar 31 2014 // A South Dakota judge has refused to throw out a defamation lawsuit against ABC related to its coverage of a meat product called lean, finely textured beef, which critics have dubbed “pink slime.” Beef Products...
Farmers Insurance Looks to Add 200-Plus Agency Owners in Texas
Mar 27 2014 // Property/casualty multiline insurer, Farmers Insurance, plans to add 244 agency owners throughout Texas in the coming year. Farmers announced it is offering special incentives to military veterans, reservists and bilingual...
Wildfire Bill Again Delayed In Colorado Legislature
Mar 24 2014 // The Colorado Legislature has once again delayed a vote on a bill aimed at preventing agricultural fires from starting wildfires. The move on Friday came after its sponsor said he wanted to kill the proposal because farmers...
N.Y. Sen. Urges USDA to Help Educate Dairy Farmers on Insurance Options
Mar 19 2014 // The recently-passed Agricultural Act of 2014 — also known as the 2014 Farm Bill — has a new dairy support program that is a significant improvement from the expiring Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program,...
Private Crop Insurers Win As Taxpayers Lose in New Farm Program, Say Critics
Mar 17 2014 // U.S. farmers last week finalized their crop insurance plans for spring planting with critics of the government-subsidized program saying insurers are set up for a bonanza after passage of the new five-year farm bill last...
Farmers to Add More Than 500 Agency Owners in California
Mar 12 2014 // Farmers Insurance is looking to increase its presence in California by adding 518 agency owners throughout the state. “There has never been a better time than now for those interested in becoming agency owners to...
California Farmers Hire Dowsers to Find Water
Mar 10 2014 // With California in the grips of drought, farmers throughout the state are using a mysterious and some say foolhardy tool for locating underground water: dowsers, or water witches. Practitioners of dowsing use rudimentary...
California Almond Farmers Face Tough Choices Amid Drought
Mar 10 2014 // With California’s agricultural heartland entrenched in drought, almond farmers are letting orchards dry up and in some cases making the tough call to have their trees torn out of the ground, leaving behind empty...
Travelers, InVEST Team Up to Develop Young Professionals
Mar 7 2014 // The Travelers Cos., in partnership with InVEST, a nationwide school-to-career nonprofit program, is helping to improve insurance and financial literacy in students and attract young talent for the insurance...
Capital Insurance Group Adds EPLI Coverage to Business Owner Policies
Mar 7 2014 // Capital Insurance Group (CIG) has expanded its employment practices liability insurance (EPLI) option to include business owner policies (BOP). The expanded policy option offers protection for organizations with up to 250...
Judge Orders Farmers Insurance to Pay Oklahoma Plaintiffs $15M
Mar 6 2014 // An Oklahoma judge has ordered Farmers Insurance and a subsidiary to pay a total of $15 million to three plaintiffs who filed claims for damage to their homes caused by a deadly tornado that struck Woodward in 2012. The...
California Farmers Hire Dowsers To Find Water
Mar 3 2014 // With California in the grips of drought, farmers throughout the state are using a mysterious and some say foolhardy tool for locating underground water: dowsers, or water witches. Practitioners of dowsing use rudimentary...
