Latest Agribusiness Headlines

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

Supreme Court Justices Appear to Back Monsanto in Seed Patent Claim

Feb 20 2013 // U.S. Supreme Court justices signaled on Tuesday that agribusiness giant Monsanto Co. was in a strong position to claim that an Indiana farmer violated its patent for a type of soybean. In a case closely watched by the...

Rain and Snow Help Ease Plains/Midwest Drought

Feb 20 2013 // Crop-friendly rain and snow is blanketing much of the drought-stricken U.S. Plains hard red winter wheat region and the dry western Midwest, an agricultural meteorologist said on Wednesday. “Widespread coverage of...

Farmers CEO: Changes Align Leadership Around Core Businesses

Feb 19 2013 // Jeff Dailey, chief executive officer of Los Angeles, Calif.-based Farmers Group Inc., on Tuesday announced several executive leadership team appointments he says better aligns the leadership team around Farmers core...

Scientists Want Montana Climate Office Reopened To Help Farmers

Feb 19 2013 // State officials should approve and provide money to reopen a state climate office because new technologies could help crop producers track global competition as well as offer other advantages, scientists at the University...

Court: Iowa Farmers Who Host Tours Can Be Liable

Feb 19 2013 // Farmers who host educational tours for the public are not shielded from personal injury lawsuits under a law meant to promote recreation on private lands, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled. The owners of a dairy farm in...

Farmer Confirmed As South Carolina Insurance Commissioner

Feb 18 2013 // The South Carolina Senate voted 29-1 to confirm a retired insurance lobbyist as the state’s new insurance commissioner. Raymond Farmer was appointed by Gov. Nikki Haley to serve as director for the South Carolina...

North Carolina Agent, Farmer Sentenced for Crop Insurance Fraud

Feb 18 2013 // Two North Carolina men have been sentenced for their roles in a massive crop insurance fraud. A federal judge last Wednesday sentenced insurance agent William Larry Rogers to 9 years in prison for conspiring to make false...

Crop Insurance Tops Garamendi’s Ag Committee Goals

Feb 14 2013 // As the newest member of the House Agriculture Committee Congressman John Garamendi says he plans to put crop insurance, agricultural research, conservation programs, food security and the marketing of regional crops...

Oklahoma Bill Would Shield Agritourism Businesses from Liability

Feb 14 2013 // The Oklahoma Senate Judiciary Committee has approved legislation that would provide liability protection for Oklahoma’s agritourism professionals. Under Senate Bill 931, by Sen. Ron Justice and Rep. Scott Biggs,...

Zurich Posts $ 3.9 Billion Net Income; Farmers GWP up 24% to $4.4 Billion

Feb 14 2013 // The Zurich Insurance Group reported a business operating profit (BOP) of $4.1 billion and net income attributable to shareholders (NIAS) of $3.9 billion for the year ended December 31, 2012. Zurich’s report gave the...

Starr Indemnity Approved to Participate in Federal Crop Insurance Program

Feb 13 2013 // Starr Indemnity & Liability Co. has received approval from the Risk Management Agency of the United States Department of Agriculture to participate as an Approved Insurance Provider in the federal multi-peril crop...

Farm Values Soar in North Dakota in 2012

Feb 13 2013 // Farmland values in North Dakota in 2012 jumped 46 percent on average over the year, with demand from both farmers and investors, a new report concludes. The report from the North Dakota Chapter of the American Society of...

High Prices, Crop Insurance to Offset Drought Losses for Farmers in 2013: USDA

Feb 12 2013 // The seven-year-old U.S. agricultural boom, driven by record-high commodity prices and painfully tight supplies, is expected to peak this year and then come to an abrupt end as high costs start to bite, the government...

Farmers Insurance Pulling Out of Louisiana

Feb 11 2013 // Farmers Insurance Exchange, which has around 23,000 homeowner and 7,000 auto policies in Louisiana, is dropping those lines of business in the state, but a company spokesman said Friday it will retain more than 100,0000...

Study: Agriculture Plays Important Role in Utah Economy

Feb 11 2013 // Agriculture continues to play an important role in Utah’s economy, according to a Utah State University study. The study found that when taking into account related industries such as food processing, agriculture...

Great Plains Cities Seize New Wave of Prosperity

Feb 1 2013 // Take a look around: Life is pretty great in the Great Plains. So good that cities such as Sioux Falls and others in a region that stretches from the Dakotas to Texas are embarking on big building projects. While other...

Plains States Remain in Severe Drought; Spring Crops in Jeopardy

Feb 1 2013 // The unrelenting drought gripping key farming states in the U.S. Plains shows no signs of abating, and it will take a deluge of snow or rain to restore critical moisture to farmland before spring planting of new crops, a...

Rural School Officials: Give Texas Teachers Guns

Jan 30 2013 // Superintendents of three small rural school districts that allow some teachers to carry guns told Texas lawmakers on Jan. 28 that the practice provides a critical measure of safety for students in the event of a campus...

After Disasters, Oklahoma County Struggles Against Drought

Jan 30 2013 // In the gently rolling hills of Oklahoma ranch country is a place that has seen more than its share of destructive weather – tornadoes, ice storms and floods, year after year, for half of the last decade. In fact,...

Drought Seen Worsening in Plains, Midwest States

Jan 28 2013 // Dry weather continues to plague the drought-stricken U.S. Plains and western Midwest with only light showers and snowfall expected this week, an agricultural meteorologist said on Monday. “The Plains and the...