Latest Agribusiness Headlines

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

Accelerant Acquires North Carolina’s Agribusiness Risk Underwriters

Jun 10 2021 // Accelerant, a technology-based insurance platform, has acquired Agribusiness Risk Underwriters (ARU), a provider of poultry farm insurance product development, underwriting and loss control. ARU was founded in 2016 in...

Central Oregon Farmers Struggling in Drought

Jun 7 2021 // Cate Havstad-Casad, co-owner of Havstad-Casad Family Farms in Jefferson County, didn’t hold back last week while speaking on a Zoom call with state representatives about the drought conditions affecting farmers in...

Cal/OSHA Cites Foster Farms, Agencies for COVID-19 Violations

Jun 7 2021 // Cal/OSHA has cited Foster Poultry Farms Inc. in Livingston, Calif., and four staffing agencies for not protecting workers from COVID-19. Cal/OSHA opened its inspection after receiving notification that an employee had died...

TAGA Partners with Main Street America on Texas Farm/Ranch Coverage

Jun 4 2021 // Cedar Park, Texas-based Tejas American General Agency (TAGA) has formed an exclusive partnership with Main Street America Insurance, a member of the American Family Insurance group, to distribute its farm and ranch...

Ag Groups Upset with Washington Governor for Farm Worker Rules

May 27 2021 // Some top agriculture groups are upset with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee because farm workers were not covered in last week’s announcement that fully vaccinated employees do not have to wear a mask or socially distance...

HSB Adds Coverages for Smart Farm Technology, Equipment

May 26 2021 // HSB, part of Munich Re. has launched HSB Precision Ag insurance, a suite of coverages for evolving farm data risks, technology and state-of-the-art equipment. Designed for large commercial enterprises and smaller family...

Cal/OSHA Cites Foster Farms, Staffing Agencies for COVID-19 Violations

May 24 2021 // Cal/OSHA has cited Foster Poultry Farms Inc. in Livingston, Calif., and four staffing agencies for not protecting workers from COVID-19. Cal/OSHA opened its inspection after receiving notification that an employee had died...

FBL Financial Shareholders OK Stock Purchase by Farm Bureau P&C Insurance

May 21 2021 // The shareholders of West Des Moines, Iowa-based FBL Financial Group Inc. have approved a previously announced purchase of its stock by Farm Bureau Property & Casualty Insurance Co. (FBPCIC), the company said. Under the...

Washington Creates New Farmworker Safety Team

May 21 2021 // The Washington state Department of Labor and Industries is creating a new team aimed at improving farmworker safety. When fully staffed, the agriculture compliance unit will create 16 new positions, the Yakima Herald...

Severe Water Crisis on Oregon-California Border to Impact Agriculture

May 19 2021 // The water crisis along the California-Oregon border went from dire to catastrophic this week as federal regulators shut off irrigation water to farmers from a critical reservoir and said they would not send extra water to...

Amwins Acquires Equine, Canine Specialist Broker Equisure

May 3 2021 // Specialty broker Amwins Group said it has agreed to acquire Equisure, Inc., a Colorado-based specialist in insurance programs for horse and dog owners, trainers and organizations. Equisure provides professional liability,...

Texas Supreme Court Sides with Farmers Insurance on Mold-Related Policy Changes

May 3 2021 // The Texas Supreme Court on April 9 reversed lower court rulings and found that Farmers Insurance was within its rights when it decided 19 years ago not to renew homeowners’ policies that it feared would have forced...

EU Seeks Review of GMO Rules for Gene-Edited Crops

Apr 30 2021 // BRUSSELS — The European Commission launched a review of EU rules on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on Thursday, opening the door to a possible loosening of restrictions for plants resulting from gene-editing...

Wisconsin Farm, Manure Spreader to Pay $242K for Pollution Violations

Apr 27 2021 // Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul has reached a $242,000 settlement with a factory farm and a manure applicator to resolve pollution violations stemming from manure spills several years ago. Kaul announced the...

Kenya Startup Pula Offers Insurance to African Farmers Hit by Effects of Climate Change

Apr 20 2021 // KITUI, Kenya – When Kenyan farmer Waki Munyalo’s crop of lentils shrank by three quarters last year because of unusually low rainfall, disaster was averted thanks to a simple remedy that was previously unavailable...

Farmers Insurance to Pay $25M in Settlement Over Oklahoma Earthquake Claims

Apr 19 2021 // Oklahoma has reached a $25 million settlement with Farmers Insurance over the company’s handling of earthquake claims, state officials say. Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter and Insurance Commissioner Glen...

Indiana Farmers Insurance Will Enter Ohio in 2021

Apr 9 2021 // Indiana Farmers Insurance plans to enter the Ohio property/casualty insurance market this year. The Carmel, Indiana-based company, which distributes its products through independent insurance agents, will write commercial...

California FAIR Plan Endorses Bill Expanding Coverage to Farms

Apr 8 2021 // The California FAIR Plan Association is publicly supporting a bill to amend the California Insurance Code to allow the FAIR Plan to write commercial coverage for permanent structures on farms. The California Fair Access to...

Farmers Completes Acquisition of MetLife Auto & Home Business for $3.9 Billion

Apr 8 2021 // Zurich Insurance and Farmers Exchanges have closed on buying MetLife’s U.S. property/casualty business for $3.94 billion. The business acquired includes 2.4 million MetLife Auto & Home policies, $3.6 billion of...

Oklahoma, Farmers Insurance Reach $25M Settlement Over Earthquake Claims

Apr 5 2021 // Oklahoma has reached a $25 million settlement with Farmers Insurance over the company’s handling of earthquake claims, state officials say. Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter and Insurance Commissioner Glen...