Latest Agribusiness Headlines
All the headlines from our Agribusiness Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Bill Would Offer Crop Insurance Discount to Farmers Who Plant Cover Crops
May 24 2023 // A bipartisan bill proposed by federal lawmakers would provide farmers a discount on crop insurance premiums by planting cover crops. The Conversation Opportunity and Voluntary Environment Resilience (COVER) Act, proposed...
New York Dairy Farm Workers Gain $150K in Unpaid Wages
May 23 2023 // A settlement in New York in a wage theft case has resulted in two dairy farm workers receiving nearly $150,000 in back wages. The New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) said its investigators found that Lewis County...
Victims of Deadly Oregon Highway Crash Were Farmworkers, Union Says
May 22 2023 // The victims of one of Oregon’s deadliest highway crashes were farmworkers traveling in a van at an hour when agricultural laborers typically commute home after toiling in the harvest, the state’s farmworkers...
Staff at Top US Farm Research Center File Complaint Alleging Unsafe Work Conditions
May 19 2023 // Three employees of the largest agricultural research facility in the U.S. have filed federal whistleblower complaints alleging that the facility’s conditions are hazardous to workers and undermine their research,...
AM Best Downgrades Ratings of Farm Bureau Mutual in Arkansas
May 18 2023 // AM Best downgraded the Financial Strength Rating to B++ (Good) from A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to “bbb+” (Good) from “a-” (Excellent) of Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance...
Wisconsin Regulators Settle Wastewater Suit with Large Dairy Farm
May 17 2023 // One of Wisconsin’s largest dairy operations has reached a settlement with state environmental regulators to that calls for the company to eventually stop spreading liquid manure in exchange for avoiding groundwater...
Farmers Set to Abandon Wheat Crops at Highest Rate Since 1917
May 15 2023 // America’s wheat fields have become so plagued by drought that farmers are now poised to abandon crops at the highest rate in more than a century. Producers are expected to harvest about 67% of their planted acres,...
Georgia Couple Wins $135.5M for Land Damaged by Runoff from Solar Farm
May 5 2023 // A federal jury has awarded a Georgia couple $135.5 million for damages to their property by a Tennessee-based solar company and its contractor. The award against Silicon Ranch Corp. and its contractor, IEA Inc., was...
AM Best Revises Outlook to Negative for Louisiana Farm Bureau Mutual
May 4 2023 // AM Best has revised the outlooks to negative from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a-” (Excellent) of Louisiana Farm Bureau Mutual...
American Financial Group to Acquire Crop Risk Services From AIG for $240M
May 3 2023 // American Financial Group Inc. and American International Group announced they have entered into a definitive agreement whereby AFG will purchase Crop Risk Services (CRS) from AIG. Under the terms of the transaction, AFG...
Dairy Farm Fire Kills 18,000 Cows in Texas Panhandle
Apr 14 2023 // LUBBOCK — More than 18,000 cows died and one farm worker is in critical condition following a dairy farm fire in the Texas Panhandle. The fire started Monday night at South Fork Dairy Farm in Dimmitt, about 66 miles...
NC Farm Bureau Can Keep $24 Million in Green Energy Tax Credits, Court Says
Apr 6 2023 // An insurance company is entitled to generous tax credits even if the carrier did not invest directly in renewable energy projects, a North Carolina court has decided, striking down a $24 million tax assessment by the...
Wisconsin Farm Reaches $215K Pollution Settlement
Mar 27 2023 // MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A factory farm has agreed to pay the Wisconsin Department of Justice $215,000 to settle pollution allegations. The Legislature’s finance committee is slated to approve the deal during a...
Wind Farm in Southern Texas Draws Resistance
Mar 17 2023 // DEL RIO, Texas (AP) – Long before a Chinese spy balloon captivated and spooked the U.S. public, Kyle Bass foresaw what he deemed another foreign danger slated for skies above the Texas-Mexico border: wind...
Appeals Court in NC Says Undercover Filming of Farms is Protected Speech
Feb 28 2023 // In a decision that animal rights advocates are calling a big win over big agricultural interests, a federal appeals court last week struck down part of a North Carolina law, declaring that it violated the constitutional...
Livestock Operations Grow as Demand Rises; Nationwide’s Cumings Sees Direct-to-Consumer Models Adding Additional Liability Risk
Feb 20 2023 // Specialization is critical in the cattle business and increased consumer demand for protein is driving new trends, including niche farms that offer direct-to-consumer strategies. In today’s evolving and growing...
Maine Proposal Would Buy Out Farms Contaminated by PFAS Chemicals
Feb 16 2023 // A Maine lawmaker has proposed a bill to require the state to offer to buy out farmers whose land was contaminated by long-lasting chemicals caused by the spreading of sludge. The chemicals are PFAS chemicals, which are...
Viewpoint: Interest in America’s World-Class Crop Insurance Continues to Grow
Feb 8 2023 // Now standing firmly one month into 2023, we can look back at the previous year with pride that we were able to meet many of its challenges with the stability and confidence our agricultural community offers to help feed...
Estimated 100,000 Hens Die in Blaze at Connecticut’s Hillendale Farms
Feb 1 2023 // BOZRAH, Conn. (AP) — An estimated 100,000 hens died in a weekend fire at a Connecticut farm owned by one of the country’s largest egg producers, Connecticut officials confirmed Monday. It’s one of several...
Suspect in Shootings in Northern California Was Agricultural Employee
Jan 25 2023 // An agricultural worker killed seven people in back-to-back shootings at two mushroom farms that had employed him in Northern California and the massacre is believed to be a “workplace violence incident,”...
