Latest Agribusiness Headlines
All the headlines from our Agribusiness Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Iowa’s Millhiser Smith Agency, The Accel Group to Merge
Oct 24 2017 // Millhiser Smith Agency, an independent insurance agency in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, specializing in risk management, has entered a definitive merger agreement with The Accel Group, a Cedar Valley, Iowa-based insurance agency...
Judge Orders Georgia Vidalia Onion Farmer to Pay $1.4M in Overtime Suit
Oct 23 2017 // One of the largest producers of Georgia’s famous Vidalia onions must pay $1.4 million in damages and unpaid overtime owed to hundreds of workers, a federal judge ruled. A U.S. District Court judge found that Bland...
Farmers in Upper Midwest Report Damage from Dicamba Herbicide
Oct 20 2017 // Hundreds of farmers in the Upper Midwest are reporting damage from the controversial herbicide dicamba, and state officials are considering restrictions for the 2018 growing season that might surpass even new federal...
Iowa’s Grassley in ‘Violent Opposition’ to Withdrawal of Rule Protecting Animal Farmers
Oct 20 2017 // The Trump administration’s decision to kill a rule designed to protect the rights of farmers who raise chickens, cows and hogs for the United States’ largest meat processors has infuriated farmer advocates,...
Former Patriots Players Speaking at Risk Conference Air Opinions on Kneeling
Oct 18 2017 // Watching NFL players kneel during the National Anthem didn’t sit well with a pair of former New England Patriots players, who aired their feelings about players protesting during the opening of football games during...
Irma Dealt Devastating Blow to Florida Citrus, Other Crops
Oct 16 2017 // Florida’s famous oranges are still falling from trees and rotting on the ground weeks after Hurricane Irma, and the state’s agriculture commissioner said Thursday there will be fewer Florida vegetables on...
Kentucky Crop Insurance Agent Accused of Defrauding Taxpayers
Oct 13 2017 // A crop insurance agent in Kentucky is facing federal charges alleging she defrauded taxpayers of $169,000 by helping farmers inflate tobacco crop losses and collect insurance money and then helping them sell their burley...
California Fires Pose Grave Risk to Marijuana Growers
Oct 12 2017 // For many businesses in northern California, it will take years to rebuild from the wildfires that have decimated the region. For many legal cannabis growers, the destruction could be insurmountable. At least six marijuana...
Texas Pumpkin Crops Suffer from Heavy Rains
Oct 11 2017 // It’s the peak time of year to harvest pumpkins, but the weather hasn’t been so kind to one of Floyd County, Texas’s most famous crops. The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reports Lindsey Pyle, with Pumpkin Pyle...
Brost to Join Board of Iowa’s Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Co.
Oct 10 2017 // Crop insurer, Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Company of Iowa (FMH), announced that James A. Brost, retiring senior vice president with Holborn Corp., will join the FMH board of directors on Jan. 1, 2018. Brost began his...
Wildfires Ravage California’s Iconic Wine Country Region
Oct 10 2017 // Wildfires that tore through northern California’s iconic wine-growing regions have prompted evacuations of more than 20,000 people, killed 11 and damaged some of the most valuable vineyards and wineries in the...
Citrus Crop Thefts a Growing Problem in South Texas
Oct 6 2017 // When it comes to commodity theft, Texas probably is best-known for cattle rustling. The Valley Morning Star reports now the state — or at least the Rio Grande Valley — is earning a reputation for citrus thievery,...
Q3 2017 Likely to Be One of Costliest for Natural Disasters: Aon Report
Oct 6 2017 // The third quarter of 2017 is likely to break a new record as one of the costliest quarters for natural catastrophes, according to Impact Forecasting, Aon Benfield’s catastrophe model development team. “The...
Hurricane Irma Caused $2.5B in Damage to Florida Crops
Oct 6 2017 // State officials say Hurricane Irma caused more than $2.5 billion in damage to Florida’s agricultural community. Irma dealt Florida’s iconic orange crop the most devastating blow causing more than $760 million...
A.M. Best Upgrades Credit Rating of Farm Bureau Property & Casualty Group in Iowa
Oct 3 2017 // A.M. Best has upgraded the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to “a+” from “a” and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of “A” of Farm Bureau Property & Casualty Insurance Co. and...
People
Oct 2 2017 // Global insurance broker Hub International Limited (HUB) named Marc Cohen, currently president, as president and chief executive officer, effective Jan. 1, 2018. He also will be a member of the board of directors. Cohen...
Syngenta Settles With U.S. Farmers in China Corn Trade Case
Sep 28 2017 // Swiss agribusiness giant Syngenta said it has agreed to settle tens of thousands of U.S. lawsuits by farmers over the company’s rollout of a genetically engineered corn seed variety before China approved it for...
2 New Insurers Approved to Do Business in Arkansas
Sep 20 2017 // Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Allen Kerr has approved two new companies to begin conducting insurance business in his state. Kerr granted a Certificate of Authority to Security First Insurance Co. (SFIC) of Ormond Beach,...
Most Produce Farmers Hit by Recent Hurricanes Not Covered by Federal Crop Insurance
Sep 20 2017 // In the U.S, government-backed insurance plans help compensate farmers for losses after natural disasters. Unfortunately for the produce growers that were ravaged by recent hurricanes, a lot of the nation’s vegetable...
Agriculture Officials Say Florida Crops Devastated by Irma
Sep 20 2017 // Florida’s agriculture commissioner said Monday that the path of Hurricane Irma “could not have been more lethal” to the state’s farmers and that the scope of damage to the state’s fruits and...
