Latest Agribusiness Headlines

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

Ida Damage to Louisiana Agriculture at Least $584M

Oct 4 2021 // Hurricane Ida’s winds and floods did at least $584 million in damage to agriculture in Louisiana, experts at the LSU AgCenter estimate.More than half of that — $315.9 million — is timber damage, with...

MS Amlin AG Enters Agriculture Reinsurance Market, Hiring Bektleuov From PartnerRe

Sep 29 2021 // MS Amlin AG (MS AAG), the global reinsurer, announced its entry into the agriculture reinsurance market with the hire of Rinat Bektleuov as product group lead underwriter. Bektleuov joined the business in August 2021 and...

AgCenter: Ida Damage to Louisiana Agriculture at Least $584M

Sep 27 2021 // Hurricane Ida’s winds and floods did at least $584 million in damage to agriculture in Louisiana, experts at the LSU AgCenter estimate.More than half of that — $315.9 million — is timber damage, with another $207...

3 South Dakota Family Members Sentenced for Defrauding Farmers

Sep 23 2021 // Three members of a South Dakota family accused of bilking millions from farmers due to risky speculation in the grain business have been sentenced to time behind bars.Jared Steffensen and his wife, Tami Steffensen, pleaded...

Arthur J. Gallagher Acquires Files Agribusiness in Louisiana

Sep 21 2021 // Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. acquired Bastrop, La.-based Files Agribusiness LLC, retail insurance agency specializing in federal crop insurance, agribusiness property/casualty and agricultural aviation coverages.Terms of...

Cybersecurity Incident Knocks Iowa Farm Services Firm’s Systems Offline

Sep 21 2021 // Iowa-based farm services provider NEW Cooperative Inc. said its systems were offline to contain a “cybersecurity” incident just as the U.S. farm belt gears up for harvest.The cooperative operates grain storage...

Wisconsin Agribusiness Sued for Harassment, Discrimination, Retaliation

Sep 17 2021 // Wisconsin’s largest ginseng producer is facing a federal lawsuit charging the company with subjecting female workers to hostile work environment and firing them for resisting, and for discriminating against employees...

Tyson, Perdue to Pay $35M to Settle Chicken Farmers’ Price Fixing Suit

Sep 7 2021 // Two of the industry’s biggest poultry companies have agreed to pay nearly $35 million to settle a lawsuit that accused them and several other firms of conspiring to dominate the industry and fix the prices paid to...

USDA: New Insurance Option Available to ‘Conservation-Minded’ Corn Farmers

Sep 3 2021 // Conservation-minded corn farmers who “split apply” nitrogen will soon have another option for insurance coverage, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says.Beginning in crop year 2022, the Risk Management...

Michigan Dairy Processor Sued for Disability Discrimination

Sep 3 2021 // Federal employment officials charged a dairy processor for allegedly firing an employee rather than accommodate her disability at a Michigan facility.The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) cited Agropur...

Northeastern Iowa Tornado, Storms Damage Buildings, Crops

Aug 30 2021 // Officials in northeastern Iowa say a tornado caused significant damage, especially in the small town of Marble Rock. KCRG-TV reports that emergency management officials cited power lines and trees knocked over after a...

Insurtech Blue Marble Launches Weather-Index Crop Insurance for Pakistani Farmers

Aug 18 2021 // Blue Marble, a London-based insurtech that offers affordable insurance protection for low-income families and small businesses in emerging markets, has launched a weather-index insurance-pilot program for smallholder...

Forecast: Smaller Corn Crop Expected in Kansas

Aug 16 2021 // Kansas farmers are expected to harvest a smaller corn crop this season, according to a forecast released Aug. 12. The National Agricultural Statistics Service said in its monthly production report that the state is...

Washington Farm to Pay More Than $2M Following COVID Deaths

Aug 16 2021 // The state of Washington reached a settlement with Gebbers Farms Operations LP to spend more than $2 million improving housing, quality of life, safety and access to health care for farm employees and their families.The...

Drought Devastates Washington State’s Wheat Crop

Aug 13 2021 // The wheat harvest on Marci Green’s farm doesn’t usually begin until late August, but a severe drought stunted this year’s crop and her crews finished harvesting last week because she didn’t want...

Tyson Farms Agrees to $3M Settlement for Causing 2019 Alabama Fish Kill

Aug 13 2021 // A $3 million settlement has been reached with Tyson Farms, Inc. over a 2019 wastewater spill that killed an estimated 175,000 fish _ one of the largest recorded fish kills in Alabama history, Attorney General Steve...

Overheated, Underprotected: Climate Change Is Killing U.S. Farm Laborers

Aug 13 2021 // Florencio Gueta Vargas showed up for his usual shift at a hops farm in Toppenish, Washington, on Thursday, July 29. The father of six would never make it home.It was a sweltering day with temperatures topping 100 degrees...

Connecticut Seeks Disaster Declaration for Crop Damage

Aug 11 2021 // Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont announced he is seeking a disaster declaration from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help farmers whose crops were damaged by heavy rains and wind from last month’s tropical...

Contract Worker at Georgia Perdue Farms Plant Fatally Electrocuted

Aug 11 2021 // A contract worker at a chicken processing plant in Georgia died after he was electrocuted while cleaning at the Perdue Farms facility, officials said.The Macon Telegraph reported that 23-year-old Antonio Ramirez was found...

Crop-Dusting Plane Crashes in Yard of Northeastern Ohio Home

Aug 6 2021 // A crop-dusting plane struck some power lines and trees before it crashed in the front yard of a northeastern Ohio home, leaving the pilot with minor injuries.The crash in Wooster occurred around 10:30 a.m., as the plane...