Latest Agribusiness Headlines
All the headlines from our Agribusiness Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Horse Race Authority Says Equine Deaths Are Lower at Tracks Under its Watch
Feb 29 2024 // LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Horse racing’s federal oversight body says racetracks under its jurisdiction experienced 1.23 racing-related equine fatalities per 1,000 starts in 2023, a much lower rate than at tracks...
WEATHER Act Aims to Reduce Hurdles for Small Farmers
Feb 19 2024 // In December, a group of legislators, including Vermont U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, pitched the Withstanding Extreme Agricultural Threats by Harvesting...
Extreme Weather, Cyber Risks Top Concerns When Insuring Farms
Feb 19 2024 // As risks from extreme weather, technology glitches and cyberattacks rise, so does the need for agricultural insurance that can cover a rapidly diversifying and evolving industry. “With the interest rates, production...
Brazil Subsidized Rural Insurance for Deforested Farms: Report
Feb 9 2024 // Brazil subsidized rural insurance for farmers who deforested protected areas, engaged in slavery-like labor or planted in indigenous lands, according to a report from a nonprofit group. An investigation by Repórter Brasil...
EU Recommends Ambitious 2040 Climate Target, Goes Light on Farming
Feb 6 2024 // The European Commission recommended on Tuesday that the EU slash net greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2040, an ambitious target that will test political appetite for the region’s fight against climate change ahead...
French Farmers Head Home but Anger Spreads Elsewhere in Europe
Feb 2 2024 // Protesting farmers demanding just prices and less red tape blocked the border between Belgium and the Netherlands on Friday, whilst their peers in France started lifting blockades countrywide after the government made...
Farmer Protests Disrupt Belgian Supermarkets’ Supply Chain
Feb 1 2024 // Protesting farmers have blocked the distribution centers of Colruyt, one of Belgium’s biggest supermarket chains, a spokesperson confirmed, while local media reported that distribution centers of discount supermarket...
Avian Flu Is Devastating Farms in California’s ‘Egg Basket’
Jan 31 2024 // Last month, Mike Weber got the news every poultry farmer fears: His chickens tested positive for avian flu. Following government rules, Weber’s company, Sunrise Farms, had to slaughter its entire flock of egg-laying...
Small Farmers Hit by Extreme Weather Would be Helped by New Crop Insurance Program
Jan 30 2024 // Since catastrophic flooding hit Vermont in July and waterlogged crops, some farmers are trying to figure out how to get through the next season. Water washed away seeds planted in the summer at Bear Roots Farm, which grows...
Residents Fight Planned Monkey-Breeding Farm in South Georgia
Jan 29 2024 // BAINBRIDGE, Ga. (AP) — Some local residents and an animal-rights group are protesting plans for a monkey-breeding facility in southwest Georgia. Opponents recently urged the Bainbridge City Council to block plans by a...
AM Best Revises Outlooks to Negative for Farmers Mutual Fire of Pennsylvania
Jan 26 2024 // Ratings firm AM Best has revised the outlooks to negative from stable of Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Co. of Marble, Pennsylvania. At the same time, it has affirmed the insurer’s Financial Strength Rating of A...
Allstate Doesn’t Owe for Diminished Value; Farm Bureau Barred from Subro, Courts Say
Jan 17 2024 // Two court rulings in Southeastern states have underscored insurers’ responsibilities under uninsured motorist laws. In a Mississippi class-action lawsuit, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals found that Allstate...
Rokstone Launches Kentucky-based TPA for U.S. Agricultural Claims
Jan 11 2024 // Rokstone, a specialty insurance and reinsurance managing general agency, has launched a new third-party administrator service based in Kentucky. Part of the Aventum Group, Rokstone said its new Verus TPA will manage...
Update: Floods Strand Cows, Damage Crops as Wild Weather Hits Australia
Jan 9 2024 // Heavy rains and flooding across Australia’s southern state of Victoria has damaged crops and stranded cattle as a months-long run of wild weather on the nation’s east coast leaves a trail of destruction. Severe...
Climate Change Makes Forecasting Harder, Australia’s Agriculture Minister Says
Jan 2 2024 // Climate change is making it harder to accurately predict extreme weather events, said Australia’s agriculture minister Murray Watt, amid criticism the country’s meteorology department failed to provide timely...
Farmers Direct Asks for 20% Auto Rate Increase in West Virginia
Dec 15 2023 // The West Virginia Insurance Commissioner’s Office is accepting comments on a proposed 19.9% auto liability insurance rate increase for Farmers Direct Property and Casualty Insurance Co. The proposed increase is one...
Massachusetts Farmers Get $20 Million in State Disaster Relief After Rough Year
Dec 15 2023 // It was a rough year for many Massachusetts farmers who experienced a deep February freeze, a late May frost event, and catastrophic flooding in July. To help them recover from the damage, the Healey-Driscoll Administration...
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...
Study: Louisiana’s Agriculture and Forestry Sectors Suffer $1.69B in Damages Due to Heat and Drought
Dec 5 2023 // Louisiana’s agriculture and forestry sectors experienced approximately $1.69 billion in damages in 2023 due to excessive heat and drought, according to a study from the Louisiana State University Agricultural...
Federal Crop Insurance Provides Billions in Profit for Insurers, Says USDA
Dec 5 2023 // Roughly one-third of U.S. government spending to insure the nation’s crops since 2011 has gone to insurance companies that derive more than $1 billion in profit from the program each year, according to a government...
