Agricultural News

Georgia Senate Panel Advances Food Safety Measure

A sweeping new food safety measure proposed in the wake of the salmonella outbreak easily passed its first key legislative hurdle this week as Georgia lawmakers sought to reassure antsy residents. The Senate Agriculture Committee unanimously approved a plan that …

Georgia Senate Panel Considers Changes to Food Safety Rules

State lawmakers are considering new food safety rules in Georgia, where a peanut plant has been linked to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened hundreds of people nationwide. The Senate Agriculture Committee is to consider a bill Monday that would …

How Food Safety Officials Cracked the Peanut Poison Case

A century ago, at the dawn of food safety laws, inspection amounted to little more than opening a bin of flour and looking for something wiggly. It’s a different story now. Solving the case of the poison processed peanuts took …

Agency Startups Defy A Hard Economy and Soft Market

The independent insurance agency system is enjoying a bit of resurgence. For years, the number of agencies in the country had been declining but that trend, while not reversed, has been halted. The number in 2008 was 37,500 — the …

Start-Up Stories: How New Agencies Are Competing

A Crop of Newly-Formed Agencies Is Defying the Hard Economy and Soft Market The independent insurance agency system is enjoying a resurgence. For years, the number of agencies in the country had been declining but that trend, while not reversed, …

Starting an Agency? Go Rural, Think Small

Question: How many people does it take to support an insurance agency? Answer: At least 1,089. One to run the agency and 1,088 townspeople. The population required to support different businesses varies greatly but insurance agencies have one of the …

Start-Up Stories: How New Agencies Are Competing

A Crop of Newly-Formed Agencies Is Defying the Hard Economy and Soft Market The independent insurance agency system is enjoying a resurgence. For years, the number of agencies in the country had been declining but that trend, while not reversed, …

America First Appoints Stricklen to Head Farm & Ranch Division

America First Insurance, a Liberty Mutual Agency Markets regional company based in Richardson, Texas, has appointed Stephen Stricklen to assistant vice president, Specialty Products. In this position Stricklen will manage the company’s new Farm & Ranch Division, as well as …

Salmonella Outbreak Exposes Gaps in Peanut Product Inspection Process

Food regulators didn’t consider salmonella a threat to most peanut products before they traced an outbreak to a peanut butter plant in Georgia two years ago. Officials in the nation’s top peanut-producing state promptly began checking for the bacteria during …

Storm Batters SW France, Northern Spain, Causing 15 Deaths

The most violent cyclonic storm since 1999 roared across southwest France and Northern Spain over the weekend, causing the deaths of 15 people and inflicting heavy damages on infrastructure. Four children aged from nine to 12 years were killed on …