Latest Agribusiness Headlines

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

Farmers Insurance Launches Rideshare Coverage in Tennessee

Feb 17 2016 // Farmers Insurance has introduced rideshare insurance coverage for ride-hailing drivers in Tennessee. Mariel Devesa, head of product innovation for Farmers Insurance said Farmers has developed this Rideshare Insurance...

Everest’s Crop Insurance Unit Partners with Global Ag Risk Solutions

Feb 12 2016 // Everest Re Group, Ltd. has formed a strategic alliance between its U.S. crop insurance unit, Heartland Crop Insurance, Inc., and Global Ag Risk Solutions (GARS). The new partnership will deliver GARS Production Cost...

South Carolina Lawmakers Seek to Provide $40M in Aid to Farmers Hit by Flood

Feb 12 2016 // South Carolina farmers devastated by last fall’s flooding could get up to $40 million in state aid to stay afloat under legislation advanced Wednesday to the House floor. The legislation approved 21-0 by the Ways and...

21st Century Insurance Cutting 50 Positions in Delaware

Feb 10 2016 // Farmers Insurance Group said it recently notified some 50 21st Century Insurance employees in Wilmington, Delaware, that their positions would be eliminated. The move comes as Los Angeles-based Farmers Insurance continues...

Farmers to Expand Operations in Arizona

Feb 4 2016 // Farmers Insurance plans to significantly expand its operations in Phoenix, Ariz., which the carrier said could eventually raise its employee base from roughly 500 full-time employees to more than 1,500 employees. Staffing...

Ratings of Louisiana Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. Upgraded

Feb 1 2016 // A.M. Best has upgraded the financial strength rating to A- (Excellent) from B++ (Good) and the issuer credit rating to “a-” from “bbb+” of Louisiana Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company (Louisiana...

Iowa Appeals Court: Farmer May Sue Pipeline Company for Crop Damage

Jan 29 2016 // An appeals court said that a northeastern Iowa farmer may pursue a breach of contract lawsuit against a natural gas pipeline company and seek damages for decreased crop productivity on the ground above the pipeline. Roger...

Confusion over Insuring Crop that Produces Jet Fuel Cleared Up

Jan 29 2016 // The federal government has finalized procedures to insure a new crop that’s being grown to produce jet fuel. Farmers in North Dakota last year planted 6,000 acres of the mustard seed variety known as carinata, but...

Officials, Poultry Producers Hope Nationwide Testing Contains Indiana Bird Flu

Jan 29 2016 // In the two weeks since bird flu reappeared in Indiana, U.S. veterinarians have swabbed the mouths of chickens and turkeys across the country, racing to uncover any more infections and contain the virus before it causes...

Insurer Comings-and-Goings Show U.S. Crop Insurance a Field for Specialists

Jan 27 2016 // The U.S. crop insurance market has been abandoned by some of its largest companies as lower agricultural prices crimp revenue, and uncertainty about federal aid clouds the business’s future. Cargill Inc., the largest...

Gene Creating Antibiotic-Resistant Superbug Detected in at Least 19 Countries

Jan 25 2016 // Just two months ago, researchers in China identified a gene that can make bacteria resistant to a last-resort antibiotic called colistin. It was a bombshell discovery for people who follow superbugs. Now that gene has been...

Farmers, Ranchers to Feel Heat from Manufacturers Over Food Safety

Jan 25 2016 // With food recalls on the rise and the threat to food security growing, food manufacturers are going to want to know more details about farmers’ and ranchers’ food safety and security practices, an agribusiness...

Aspen Acquires Crop Insurer AgriLogic

Jan 20 2016 // Specialty insurer Aspen Insurance has acquired AgriLogic Insurance Services and certain affiliates for cash in a transaction that further diversifies Aspens’s specialty insurance business. AgriLogic, headquartered in...

Farmers Ex-Executive DeSantis Named CEO of Program Manager Wright

Jan 19 2016 // Ironshore has named Anthony J. DeSantis as chief executive officer of Wright & Co., a wholly-owned subsidiary in its U.S. Holdings Group He will be responsible for Wright’s existing direct to consumer platform,...

Farmers Insurance Estimates Loss from South Central Storms at $90M

Jan 15 2016 // Farmers Insurance has estimated an overall loss of $90 million resulting from severe weather that moved through portions of Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri at the end of December. The region experienced heavy rain, strong...

Ironshore International Opens Office in Shanghai; Part of Lloyd’s China Platform

Jan 14 2016 // Ironshore International announced its subsidiary, Pembroke Managing Agency, will establish an office in Shanghai in January 2016 as part of the Lloyd’s China platform. Pembroke Managing Agency will underwrite...

Despite Costly Bird Flu, Chicken Farmers Reject Vaccine

Jan 12 2016 // Determined to avoid a repeat of the nation’s worst-ever avian-influenza outbreak, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is stockpiling up to 500 million doses of a new vaccine — but many in the $48 billion poultry...

Georgia Crops Threatened by Warm Winter Weather

Jan 12 2016 // Georgia farmers have endured a winter that wouldn’t start and rains that wouldn’t quit. The state’s pecan, peach and blueberry crops have been threatened by too many warm days and too much water, growers...

Farmers to Feel Heat from Manufacturers Over Food Safety

Jan 11 2016 // With food recalls on the rise and the threat to food security growing, food manufacturers are going to want to know more details about farmers’ and ranchers’ food safety and security practices, an agribusiness...

Ohio High Court: Consumer Laws Don’t Apply to Insurer Repair Estimates

Jan 11 2016 // The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that laws protecting consumers from deceptive practices don’t apply to insurance company repair estimates. In Dillon v. Farmers Ins. Of Columbus, Inc., the Court voted 5-2 to overturn...