Latest Agribusiness Headlines
All the headlines from our Agribusiness Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Minnesota Dairy Farmers Awarded $2.5M in Stray Voltage Case
Jun 3 2015 // A jury has awarded nearly $2.5 million to Waverly, Minn., dairy farmers who say stray voltage from their power company’s faulty equipment cut deeply into their production. After a long legal fight that included a...
Economic Report Suggests Slower Growth in Midwest
Jun 2 2015 // Slower economic growth is likely through the end of the third quarter this year for nine Midwestern and Plains states, according to a report issued on June 1. The survey report says the overall Mid-America Business...
Wisconsin Farmer Accused of Crop Insurance Fraud
Jun 1 2015 // A farmer in Beaver Dam, Wis., is being accused of defrauding a crop insurance company. The U.S. Justice Department said that a federal grand jury indicted 37-year-old Jeffrey Lewke on nine counts of crop insurance...
Migrant Workers File Lawsuits Against Kentucky Tobacco Farms
Jun 1 2015 // Lawsuits filed against five Kentucky tobacco farms claim they exploited migrant workers by paying substandard wages, providing squalid housing and threatening some with jail or deportation if they complained. The...
Farmers in Arkansas Expect Losses from Flooding
May 28 2015 // Farmers across Arkansas are still weathering a series of spring showers that have flooded fields, smothered crops and swept away cattle. Since March 1, between 12 to 18 inches of rain has fallen across the Arkansas River...
First Major California Insurer to Offer Ridesharing Endorsement
May 27 2015 // Farmers will become the first large California insurer to start offering a ridesharing insurance product on Thursday. In an announcement made at the Los Angeles office of California Department of Insurance today,...
Government’s Bird Flu Response Upsets Some Iowa Farmers
May 26 2015 // Iowa farmers who have been dealing for weeks with thousands of rotting dead chickens are frustrated by the government’s response to the Midwest bird flu outbreak. Several chicken and turkey farmers expressed their...
Bird Flu Expected to Wane in U.S. as Weather Warms
May 26 2015 // An epidemic of bird flu that has devastated U.S. poultry flocks this year is likely to be under control within four months as the United States steps up measures to contain the virus, the head of the World Organization for...
Family of Boy Who Died at Michigan Farm Reaches $100K Settlement
May 20 2015 // A $100,000 settlement has been reached in a federal wrongful death lawsuit by the family of one of two young people who died in 2010 after falling into a tank at a Barry County dairy farm. The Grand Rapids Press reports...
South Dakota Egg-Laying Chicken Farm Hit with Bird Flu
May 19 2015 // An eastern South Dakota farm with 1.3 million egg-laying chickens is the first in the chicken-production business in the state to be infected with a deadly flu virus despite efforts to prevent it, state and farm officials...
Outlooks for American Agricultural Insurance Positive
May 15 2015 // A.M. Best has revised the outlooks to positive from stable and affirmed the financial strength rating of A- (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating of “a-” of American Agricultural Insurance Co. (AAIC) of...
Brethren Mutual in Maryland Announces 5 Appointments
May 13 2015 // The Brethren Mutual Insurance Company in Hagerstown, Maryland, announced the following new hires and promotions. Jeff Borkowski joined Brethren Mutual as vice president of underwriting and marketing. He oversees the...
Wisconsin Dairy Co-Op Cited in Grain Bin Death, Fined $193K
May 13 2015 // A federal worker safety agency is proposing a $193,000 fine against a Wisconsin dairy co-op after a man died in a grain bin in November. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration on May 11 announced it was citing...
El Nino Emerges; Asia-Pacific Region Faces Months of Disruptive Weather
May 13 2015 // In 2009, the El Nino brought the worst drought in four decades to India. It razed wheat fields in Australia and damaged crops across Asia. Food prices surged. A closely watched forecast by Japan on Tuesday confirmed its...
Farm, Ranch Tourism Liability Bill Advances in Nebraska
May 12 2015 // Farmers and ranchers who open their property to tourists could be shielded from certain lawsuits under a bill advancing by Nebraska lawmakers. Senators gave the proposal first-round approval with a 33-1 vote. Sen. Ken...
HSB Launches Enhanced Farm Equipment, Machinery Breakdown Coverage
May 8 2015 // The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Co. (HSB), part of Munich Re, has launched a new farm equipment and machinery breakdown coverage with expanded insurance for mobile implements and the precision...
A.M. Best Revises Outlook to Stable for Georgia Farm Bureau Group Members
May 1 2015 // A.M. Best has revised the outlook to stable from negative and affirmed the financial strength rating of B+ (Good) and the issuer credit rating of “bbb-” of Georgia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. and Georgia...
Court Fight over Dow Chemical Herbicide Widens to 15 States
Apr 30 2015 // A court fight over use of a new Dow Chemical herbicide on genetically engineered U.S. corn and soybean crops is growing to encompass 15 Midwestern states after the company recently won federal approval for more widespread...
Farmers Sued by Female Employee Attorney for Alleged Discrimination
Apr 29 2015 // A class-action lawsuit against Farmers Insurance on behalf of female attorney employees was filed on Wednesday in federal court, alleging the insurance giant has discriminatory policies and practices. The suit accuses Los...
Bird Flu Found in 5 more Northwest Iowa Farms
Apr 29 2015 // The deadly bird flu virus was found in an egg-laying flock with 3.7 million chickens in northwest Iowa in addition to four more poultry farms, state agriculture officials said. The virus will now cost Iowa egg producers...
