Best Read Agribusiness Headlines
Headlines from our Agribusiness Topic Page with the most time spent reading.
#1 Florida Agriculture Losses from Idalia Reach $78M to $371M, Study Says
Sep 25 2023 // ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Florida agriculture losses from Hurricane Idalia are estimated at between $78 million and $371 million, with farmers also suffering widespread damage to such infrastructure as irrigation...
#2 Invasive Spotted Lanternflies Found in Illinois, Threatening Crops and Native Tree
Sep 29 2023 // SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – Illinois is the latest state to find invasive spotted lanternflies, a winged insect that`s spreading across the eastern U.S. and is subject to squish-on-sight requests in New York and...
#3 USDA Expands Whole Farm Revenue Protection, Micro Farm Insurance Plans
Sep 14 2023 // The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced changes to the Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) and Micro Farm Insurance plans in an effort to increase participation and access to crop...
#4 AM Best Revises Outlook for Georgia Farm Bureau Companies
Sep 18 2023 // The AM Best financial rating firm has slightly downgraded the credit rating outlook for two Farm Bureau companies after weather losses and a rise in reinsurance costs and inflation. The financial strength rating remained...
#5 Louisiana Prisoner Suit Claims They’re Forced to Endure Dangerous Conditions at Prison Farm
Sep 18 2023 // BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – Men incarcerated at Louisiana State Penitentiary filed a class-action lawsuit Saturday, contending they have been forced to work in the prison’s fields for little or no pay, even when...
#6 When Extreme Weather Hits, Smaller Farms Often Pay the Price
Nov 21 2023 // Justin Ralph estimates he`s made about 200 trips delivering grain from the fields he farms with his brother and uncle this year. They`re accustomed to using their four semi-trucks to take the harvest from a total of about...
#7 Federal Government Opens Two Areas in Gulf of Mexico for Wind Farms, but No Companies Bid on Leases
Aug 30 2023 // The federal government for the first time on Tuesday opened two areas in the Gulf of Mexico off the Texas coast to build wind farms. Groups representing supply chain businesses hailed the chance for the new offshore leases...
#8 Weather Extremes May Force More Farmers, Ranchers to Consider Costly Irrigation
Aug 24 2023 // The Texas ranch where Gilda Jackson trains and sells horses has been plagued by grasshoppers this year, a problem that only gets worse when the hatch quickens in times of heat and drought. Jackson watched this summer as...
#9 Farmers Forced to Rescind Thousands of Nonrenewal Notices in Georgia
Jul 24 2023 // About the same time that it announced a major pull-back from the Florida and California markets, Farmers Insurance also sent thousands of nonrenewal notices to Georgia homeowners. In Georgia, though, the carrier appears to...
#10 1.2 Million Chickens Will be Slaughter At Iowa Egg Farm Where Bird Flu Was Found
Nov 14 2023 // An additional 1.2 million chickens will be slaughtered to prevent the spread of the bird flu after the virus was confirmed on an Iowa egg farm in the second massive case this week. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and...
#11 Saltwater Intrusion Threatens Louisiana’s Citrus Industry, Farmers Seek Solutions
Oct 2 2023 // BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – Commercial citrus growers have dwindled over the past few decades in south Louisiana, where farmers have had to battle hurricanes, flooding, invasive insects, freezes and drought to keep their...
#12 Baseball-Size Hail Makes Insuring Solar and Wind Farms Pricier
Aug 2 2023 // The Scottsbluff solar farm in western Nebraska was built to withstand most hailstones. But the icy pellets that rained down in late June were bigger than baseballs. The hail — part of a larger pattern of severe storms,...
#13 How Satellites Are Helping Farmers Adapt to Climate Crisis
Aug 21 2023 // When to harvest is one of the most crucial decisions a winemaker can make. Too early, and the result is bitter. Too late, and it’s overly sweet. It’s a delicate balance—one that’s increasingly being...
#14 Bird Flu Strikes Turkey Farms in South Dakota and Utah, Prompting Fears of More Cases
Oct 12 2023 // MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Highly pathogenic bird flu has made its first appearances in U.S. commercial poultry flocks this season, affecting one turkey farm in South Dakota and one in Utah and raising concerns that more...
#15 Zurich’s Farmers Group Seeks More Fee Income Via Acquisition of 3 Brokers for $760M
Nov 16 2023 // Zurich Insurance Group announced that its subsidiary, Farmers Group Inc. (FGI), has agreed to acquire three insurance brokers of the Farmers Exchanges for US$760 million. The deal also includes the Farmers Exchanges’...
#16 AM Best Places Florida Farm Bureau Ratings Under Review After Idalia Losses Pile On
Nov 20 2023 // AM Best has placed under review with negative implications the Financial Strength Rating of B++ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of “bbb+” (Good) of Florida Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Co. and...
#17 Skanska Ordered to Pay $1.7M to Florida Oyster Farm for Barges Loosed in Storm
Nov 20 2023 // Skanska USA, part of one of the world’s largest construction firms, was ordered to pay almost $1.7 million to a Florida oyster farmer, three years after the firm’s barges broke loose in Hurricane Sally. The...
#18 North Carolina Hog Farms Were Properly Permitted, State Appeals Court Says
Dec 7 2023 // RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Several hog farms in North Carolina were properly allowed to collect energy from the animals` waste, a state appeals court said Tuesday, ruling that their permit applications were scrutinized...
#19 Lingering Drought and Wildfires Plague Texas, Threatening Water Supplies and Agriculture
Oct 3 2023 // A lingering drought affecting more than 80% of Texas is causing wildfires, hurting agriculture and drying up water supplies throughout the state. This year’s drought comes less than a year after Texas experienced one...
#20 Driver of Pickup Charged with DUI After Crash with Bus that Killed 8 Farmworkers
May 16 2024 // OCALA, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Highway Patrol has arrested the driver of a pickup truck that crashed into a farmworker bus early Tuesday, killing eight, on charges of driving under the influence-manslaughter. Bryan...
