Latest Agribusiness Headlines
All the headlines from our Agribusiness Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Farmers Promotes Noonan to COO of Business Insurance Unit
May 19 2009 // Simon Noonan, senior vice president and president of Bristol West Holdings Inc., a subsidiary of Farmers Group Inc., has been promoted to chief operating officer of Farmers Business Insurance. Noonan joined Bristol West...
A.M. Best Downgrades Ratings of Oklahoma Farm Bureau Group
May 19 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has downgraded the financial strength rating to B++ (Good) from A- (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings to ‘bbb+’ from ‘a-‘ of Oklahoma Farm Bureau Group and its members, Oklahoma...
Seattle, Washington and Metropolitan Area Most Secure Places to Live in U.S.
May 8 2009 // Those seeking a place to live, work or raise a family in a safe and secure environment should consider the Pacific Northwest, according to the fifth annual Most Secure U.S. Places to Live rankings from Farmers Insurance...
Zurich Q1 Net Income Down 75% to $362 Million
May 7 2009 // Zurich Financial Services reported that its first quarter net income decreased by 75 percent to $362 million, compared to the $1.427 billion it earned in the same quarter of 2008. Business operating profit fell by 40...
Engineer Distances Himself From Storm Damage at Cowboys’ Facility
May 7 2009 // A structural engineer maintains he had limited involvement with the Dallas Cowboys’ training facility that collapsed during a thunderstorm on May 2 and left a team employee paralyzed. “I was there just a few...
People
May 4 2009 // Joseph Tracy was named president of Travelers Inland Marine business unit. Tracy, who joined Travelers in 2006, most recently served as chief underwriting officer for the Inland Marine business unit. He previously was the...
It Figures
May 4 2009 // 4 to 5 Risk Management Solutions of Newark, Calif., predicts a storm season similar to 2008 could occur every four to five years on average. Last year’s season, which included nearly 1,700 tornadoes, was the...
How Climate Change Affects GDP
Apr 27 2009 // Southeast Asia faces one of the world’s highest climate change bills, the Asian Development Bank said on Monday, unless the region adapts to climate change and joins the rest of the world in cutting greenhouse gas...
New Suit Filed in Missouri Over Chemical in Farmland Sludge
Apr 24 2009 // Farmers in four northwest Missouri counties may have unwittingly dumped millions of pounds of carcinogen-laced sludge on their fields, which may be linked to a rash of brain tumors in the area, environmental activist Erin...
Insurer Holds Naming Contest for Steer with Michigan Patterned Hide
Apr 17 2009 // An insurance company in Michigan is holding a contest to name a steer it saved from someone’s dinner table because of its unique hide. The pattern on one of its sides resembles Michigan’s Lower...
Der Manouel Insurance Names Gibbs, Newman Consultants
Apr 16 2009 // Der Manouel Insurance & Financial Services announced that Jim Gibbs and Guy Newman have joined the commercial lines unit as risk consultants. Gibbs brings 30 years experience to the agency will work on developing...
Farmers To Acquire AIG’s Personal Auto Group for $1.9 Billion
Apr 16 2009 // Los Angeles-based the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies has announced it will acquire American International Group’s (AIG’s) Personal Auto Group, which includes 21st Century Insurance Co. The acquisition...
Gordon Joins Der Manouel Insurance Group
Apr 10 2009 // Greg Gordon has joined Der Manouel Insurance Group to lead the Agribusiness practice. Gordon began his insurance career in the 1970s in central California. In 1979, he purchased an agency in Dinuba, Calif., which merged...
USDA Extends Crop Insurance Deadline for West Virginians
Apr 8 2009 // The U.S. Department of Agriculture is giving West Virginia farmers who lost crops due to natural disaster last year more time to apply for crop insurance and other assistance. The agency says farmers have until May 18 to...
After Flooding, Midwest Farmers Fear Repeat Of ’97
Apr 8 2009 // Recent floods are receding for now, but farmers and ranchers in North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota are worried they’re on track to repeat the dismal year of 1997. That was the year spring blizzards and record...
Kevin Dahlke Offers Professional Liability Program for Farmers Agents
Apr 8 2009 // Professional Liability coverage for the Agents of Farmers Insurance Group, Inc. The United Farmers Agents Association has introduced a group professional liability program exclusively for agents of Farmers Group Inc. The...
Farmers Insurance Washington Promotes Bithell to VP
Apr 6 2009 // Farmers Insurance has appointed Susan Bithell, formerly Farmers Washington State executive director, to vice president of field operations in Washington. Bithell began her career with Farmers in 1983 as an auto underwriter...
Farmers Appoints Harwood Vice President
Apr 2 2009 // Jim Harwood, former assistant vice president over Agency Training at Farmers Insurance has been promoted to the position of vice president, University of Farmers. He will be responsible for the strategic direction and...
U.S. Health Secretary Nominee Sebelius Vows Food Safety Upgrade
Apr 1 2009 // Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius vowed Tuesday to make the Food and Drug Administration a “world class” regulatory agency and to work with industry to improve food safety if she is confirmed as health and...
Illinois Tells Crop Insurer to Cease ‘Improper Rebate’
Mar 31 2009 // The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation’s (IDFPR) Division of Insurance has ordered First Farm Credit Services to discontinue its Patronage Program, calling the program an “improper...
