Latest Agribusiness Headlines
All the headlines from our Agribusiness Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
Maine Farmers Want Ban on ‘Forever Chemical’ Sludge in Fields
Mar 3 2022 // Maine farmers want lawmakers to pass a bill banning fertilizer and compost containing wastewater sludge that’s been linked to toxic industrial compounds associated with serious health conditions. Sometimes called...
Bird Flu Found at 6th Indiana Turkey Farm
Mar 3 2022 // Avian influenza has been detected in a sixth commercial poultry flock in southern Indiana, state officials said March 1. Laboratory testing of a fourth commercial turkey flock in Dubois County has come back as...
Fire Destroys Historic Los Angeles Poor Farm Buildings
Feb 25 2022 // Several abandoned buildings at the historic Los Angeles County Poor Farm were destroyed by fire, fire departments said. At least five agencies responded and the fire was contained in buildings on the vacant south campus of...
U.S. Won’t Give Water to California Farmers Because of Drought
Feb 25 2022 // With California entering the third year of severe drought, federal officials said Wednesday they won’t deliver any water to farmers in the state’s major agricultural region – a decision that will force many...
Insured Losses for 2 Recent European Windstorms Estimated at €3B-€5B: Verisk
Feb 25 2022 // Insured losses due to wind from Winter Storms Dudley/Ylenia and Eunice/Zeynep will range between €3 billion and €5 billion (US$2.2 billion-$5.6 billion), the majority of which are expected in Germany, UK, and the...
