Latest Agribusiness Headlines
All the headlines from our Agribusiness Topic Page, ordered by recency.
ATV Is Not a Farm Vehicle, Virginia Court Rules
May 2 2022 // The Virginia Supreme Court has ruled that an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) is not a “farm type vehicle” covered by a homeowner’s insurance policy, reversing a lower court decision. The lower court ruled for...
California Cites Agencies, Foster Farms $3.8M for COVID-19 Sick Leave Violations
Apr 27 2022 // The California Labor Commissioner’s Office cited three temporary staffing agencies as well as joint employers Foster Farms, LLC and Foster Poultry Farms nearly $3.8 million for failure to inform 3,476 temporary...
Dairy Processor to Pay $79,000 Over Disability Discrimination Suit at Michigan Location
Apr 20 2022 // Agropur, Inc., a dairy processor and U.S. subsidiary of Canadian-based Agropur Cooperative, will pay $79,000 and provide other relief to settle a federal disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment...
Markets/Coverages: Brownyard’s Library Program; Core Specialty’s Equine Unit; Skyward’s Cannabis Bonds; Roamly’s Travel
Apr 18 2022 // Brownyard’s ‘By The Cover’ Now 15 Additional States New York-based program administrator Brownyard Group announced that its By The Cover, its insurance program for libraries, is now available in 15...
ATV Is Not a Farm Vehicle Covered Under Homeowner’s Policy, Virginia Court Rules
Apr 18 2022 // The Virginia Supreme Court has ruled that an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) is not a “farm type vehicle” covered by a homeowner’s insurance policy, reversing a lower court that ruled in favor of coverage. The...
AM Best Downgrades Credit Rating of Louisiana Farm Bureau
Apr 13 2022 // AM Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating to A- (Excellent) from A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to “a-” (Excellent) from “a” (Excellent) of Louisiana Farm Bureau...
South Carolina DOI Director Ray Farmer Retires after Half-Century in the Insurance Arena
Apr 13 2022 // Ray Farmer would probably never be accused of being a “caretaker” government official or a mere bureaucrat. “He’s accomplished a lot in the position. He’ll be leaving behind some big shoes to...
Southwest Colorado Farmers Plagued by Drought
Apr 11 2022 // With his hands stuffed deep into his pockets, Landan Wilson looks down at the ground and scuffs his boot back and forth against the loose blades of alfalfa hay scattered on the dirt. It’s early March, and Wilson is...
Iowa Egg, Turkey Farms to Lose 5M Birds to Bird Flu
Apr 7 2022 // Bird flu has infected two more farms in Iowa, forcing the killing of 5.3 million hens and 88,000 turkeys, officials said. The new cases mean that across the nation, farmers have had to kill about 22 million birds, mostly...
Lawsuit Over Iowa Beef Farm in Trout Stream Watershed May Proceed
Apr 5 2022 // A state court judge said environmental groups may proceed with a lawsuit seeking to halt expansion of a cattle farm in northeast Iowa near a prized trout stream. Judge Michael Huppert on Monday ruled against the Iowa...
Drones in Agriculture and More
Apr 4 2022 // Drones have become big business in the world of aviation. Today, drones represent the fastest-growing segment in transportation, with more than 853,000 drone registrations and more than 270,000 certified pilots at year-end...
Orsted Sells 50% of British Wind Farm to French Consortium That Includes AXA
Mar 29 2022 // Denmark’s Orsted said on Monday it had agreed to sell half of the Hornsea 2 project in Britain, which will become the world’s biggest offshore wind farm, to a French consortium for 3 billion pounds ($3.94...
Demotech Joins Call for Florida Special Session; AM Best Downgrades Farm Bureau
Mar 28 2022 // The Demotech rating agency has joined the relatively small number of voices calling for a special session of the Florida Legislature to enact changes that insurers hope will help curtail fraudulent roof claims, deter...
Pepperidge Farm Resumes Baking After Fire at Connecticut Facility
Mar 25 2022 // Pepperidge Farm said it has resumed baking at a facility in Bloomfield, Connecticut after a fire there Wednesday that consumed several drums of an acid solution. The fire, which broke out at about 4:30 a.m., was contained...
Massachusetts Dairy Firm Resumes Plant Operations After Cyber Attack
Mar 21 2022 // Most HP Hood LLC plants are back up and running after the dairy company’s network system was the victim of a “cyber security event,” but some school districts are concerned that they will have a milk...
Midwest Chicken, Turkey Farmers Struggle to Keep Birds Safe From Bird Flu
Mar 18 2022 // Nearly 7 million chickens and turkeys in 13 states have been killed this year due to avian influenza, prompting officials and farmers to acknowledge that, despite their best efforts, stopping the disease from infecting...
Maine Farmers Seek $100M Plan to Tackle PFAS Contamination
Mar 18 2022 // Maine farmers and the state’s agriculture commissioner have testified in favor of a proposal that would create a $100 million fund to help pay for problems caused by long-lasting chemicals. The Maine Legislature is...
North Dakota Farmer Pleads Not Guilty to Insurance Fraud
Mar 8 2022 // A central North Dakota farmer has pleaded not guilty to crop insurance fraud. Kent Pfaff, 58, of the Washburn area, has been released on a personal recognizance bond. U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland on March 3 scheduled...
AM Best Upgrades Credit Ratings of Oklahoma Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co.
Mar 8 2022 // AM Best has upgraded the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) to “bbb+” (Good) from “bbb” (Good) and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of B++ (Good) for the members of the...
Minnesota Lawmakers Disagree Over Drought Relief Package
Mar 7 2022 // Minnesota farmers and ranchers still reeling from last summer’s drought are asking the Legislature for urgency on relief, though lawmakers on either side of the aisle have yet to agree on what a final package should...
