Latest Agribusiness Headlines
All the headlines from our Agribusiness Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
Study Says South Dakota Agriculture Has $21B Impact
Jan 25 2013 // An associate professor at South Dakota State University says agriculture and related industries had a $21.4 billion impact on South Dakota’s economy in 2010. Gary Taylor, an associate professor of economics, says the...
Swiss Re Announces Aviation, Agriculture Management Changes
Jan 24 2013 // Swiss Re announced that its reinsurance business unit is undertaking changes in its organizational set-up of special lines. “Agriculture and Aviation Reinsurance will be no longer under the same roof and will be...
Kansas, Missouri Could Be Hit by Disaster Aid Fight
Jan 18 2013 // Midwesterners accustomed to generous government aid after ice storms, floods and tornadoes may soon have to look somewhere else for help when disaster strikes. Even as the U.S. House on Jan. 15 passed a $50.7 billion aid...
No Relief In Sight for Drought-Stricken Plains States
Jan 18 2013 // Dry weather should continue through at least the end of January in the drought-stricken U.S. Plains and a blast of Arctic cold air in the Midwest early next week poses a threat to unprotected livestock and possibly some...
Swiss Re Study Examines Agricultural Insurance Role in Global Food Production
Jan 16 2013 // A new sigma study – Partnering for food security in emerging markets – from Swiss Re concludes that “global agricultural production must increase by 60 percent to feed the world’s population, which...
Obama Administration Urges Congress to Pass Farm, Crop Insurance Bill
Jan 15 2013 // Congress should reform U.S. farm subsidies, and end a $5 billion a year “direct payment,” as part of delivering an overdue overhaul of the farm program this year, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on...