Latest Agribusiness Headlines

All the headlines from our Agribusiness Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Kentucky to Pilot Hemp Research Program for 1 More Year Before Expanding

Jan 28 2020 // Kentucky’s Department of Agriculture will continue operating its hemp program as a research pilot program for another year before transitioning to a commercial program, the agency said. Congress gave state...

How Parametric Insurance Can Help Fill the Gap Where Traditional Insurance Falls Short

Jan 27 2020 // Although parametric solutions have been generally available since the late 1990s, they have more recently found their way into corporate insurance. Parametric insurance solutions offer a means to guarantee direct payout...

4 Racehorses Die at New Orleans Track in 10-Day Span

Jan 24 2020 // Four thoroughbred racehorses were euthanized after competing at a New Orleans track in a 10 -day span, prompting criticism from an animal advocacy group based in Washington D.C. Officials at the New Orleans Fair Grounds...

IMA Texas Expands to Fort Worth; Adds Schuler, Wallace

Jan 21 2020 // IMA Inc., a national insurance brokerage firm with offices in Dallas, is expanding to Fort Worth with the addition of two insurance veterans, Trey Schuler and Gavin Wallace. Schuler and Wallace will work in tandem. The...

Ohio Grain Handling Company Fined $292K After Employee Deaths

Jan 21 2020 // A federal agency fined an Ohio-based grain handling company over alleged safety violations that led to the deaths of two employees last year. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined The Andersons Inc....

Expanding into Iowa, Keystone Insurers Group Signs Kingsgate Insurance

Jan 15 2020 // Keystone Insurers Group (Keystone) has expanded into Iowa with the addition of pioneer partner Kingsgate Insurance of Fort Dodge to the agency partnership organization. Kingsgate Insurance was founded in 1990 in Fort...

Oklahoma Bill Would Create Entity Focused on Natural Disaster, Hazard Mitigation

Jan 13 2020 // Legislation filed in Oklahoma would establish an organizational framework for addressing mitigation of natural disasters in that state. House Bill 2776, The Oklahoma Hazard Mitigation Assessment District Act, provides the...

MS Amlin Launches Specialist Equine MGA, David Ashby Underwriting

Jan 13 2020 // MS Amlin, the London-based re/insurer, announced the launch of David Ashby Underwriting Ltd (DAU), a specialist equine MGA. MS Amlin will serve as lead underwriter for the MGA and provide 50% of capacity for DAU through a...

Missouri City Sues Dairy, Alleging River Contamination

Jan 8 2020 // A southern Missouri city alleges in a lawsuit that a Dairy Farmers of America plant is regularly releasing untreated wastewater into a river. Cabool is seeking $1.2 million in reimbursement, claiming in the suit that it...

Texas Governor Warns of 10K per Minute Attempted Cyber Attacks from Iran

Jan 8 2020 // Gov. Greg Abbott is warning Texans to be “particularly vigilant” regarding potential cyber terrorism from Iran, suggesting that heightened tensions with the country have caused an increase in attempted attacks...

Farmers Expands Program, Now Insuring Uber Drivers in 14 States and D.C.

Jan 7 2020 // Farmers Insurance has expanded its relationship with Uber by providing commercial automobile insurance to its ridesharing drivers in 12 additional states and the District of Columbia. In addition to the District of...

Better Flood Protection Needed in Missouri, Governor’s Advisory Group Says

Jan 3 2020 // Missouri’s levees need to be strengthened and repaired, especially in rural areas hit hard by prolonged flooding in 2019, according to an advisory group appointed by Gov. Mike Parson. St. Louis Public Radio reported...

Airbnb Insurance Leader Langone Becomes RIMS President for 2020

Jan 2 2020 // The risk management society, RIMS, announced that Laura Langone, head of Insurance Operations at Airbnb, Inc., will lead the association as president for the 2020 term. As president, Langone is succeeding Gloria Brosius,...

Germany Aims to Thwart African Swine Fever Edging Closer to Borders

Dec 31 2019 // German hunting dogs are being trained to sniff out dead wild boar, authorities are stockpiling electric fences along the eastern frontier and the government in Berlin is urging drivers not to toss ham-sandwich scraps out...

Kentucky Farmer Pleads Guilty in Tobacco Crop Insurance Fraud Scheme

Dec 31 2019 // Another Central Kentucky farmer has pleaded guilty in a crop insurance fraud scheme that a federal prosecutor has called “pervasive and severe” in that region. Daniel Arvin pleaded guilty on Dec. 19 in federal...

Typhoon Phanfone Kills at Least 41 in Philippines, Destroys Homes, Crops

Dec 30 2019 // Typhoon Phanfone killed at least 41 people when it slammed into the central Philippines on Christmas Eve, with dozens still injured or missing, according to the agency which oversees disaster response. The 21st cyclone to...

Agriculture, Aviation Woes Cited for Lag in Personal Income Growth in Kansas

Dec 27 2019 // Personal income growth in Kansas is below the national average largely because of troubles in agriculture. Kansas farmers face an expanding drought and low commodity prices, though a break in an ongoing tariff dispute may...

USDA Designates Some Louisiana Parishes as Natural Disaster Areas

Dec 16 2019 // Agriculture producers in some Louisiana parishes now may be eligible for assistance from the federal government due to losses from Hurricane Barry, the state’s agriculture commissioner reported. Louisiana Agriculture...

U.S.- China Phase One Trade Pact Promises Improved IP Protections, Insurance Markets Access

Dec 15 2019 // The United States and China have agreed on the terms of a “phase one” trade deal that reduces some U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods while boosting Chinese purchases of American farm, energy and manufactured goods...

Ratings of Kansas’ Farmers Alliance Mutual Insurance, Subsidiaries Upgraded

Dec 13 2019 // AM Best has upgraded the Financial Strength Rating to A (Excellent) from A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to “a” from “a-” of McPherson, Kansas-based Farmers Alliance Mutual...