Latest Agribusiness Headlines

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

Washington Blizzard Killed 1,850 Cows, Yakima Farmers Reeling

Mar 20 2019 // The unexpected blizzard that swept through the Yakima Valley on Feb. 9 was just one more clobbering for the region’s dairy farms.The number of dairy farms in the state has plummeted from 2,500 in 1993 to 377 in 2018,...

Regulators Wonder If One Farm’s Tainted Milk Is Isolated Case or Broader Problem

Mar 20 2019 // For Maine dairy farmer Fred Stone, the discovery in 2016 that his cows were producing tainted milk has since brought financial ruin and threatened to shut down a century-old family business.Now state regulators and health...

Wisconsin Salmonella Cases Prompt Recall of Butterball Ground Turkey

Mar 19 2019 // Butterball LLC issued a voluntarily recall of more than 78,000 pounds (35,400 kilograms) of raw ground turkey products nationwide as Wisconsin health officials investigate four salmonella cases in the state.The U.S....

More Rain Forecast as Midwest, Great Plains Continue to Deal With River Flooding

Mar 19 2019 // The Great Plains and Midwest, struggling with flooding that inundated roads and farms and pushed rivers to record heights, is set to get more rain ahead, with light showers forecast over the next few days and a heavier...

Hanson Insurance Group Acquires Assets of KMI Insurance in Oregon

Mar 15 2019 // Hanson Insurance Group of Corvallis has acquired KMI Insurance LLC of McMinnville, Ore. KMI will be merging into the Hanson Insurance Group name. Kelly McDonald of KMI Insurance will continue to serve as an advisor to his...

Ratings of Louisiana Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Upgraded

Mar 15 2019 // AM Best has upgraded the Financial Strength Rating to A (Excellent) from A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to “a” from “a-” of Louisiana Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co....

AM Best Revises Outlooks for Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company

Mar 14 2019 // AM Best has revised the outlooks to positive from stable and affirmed the financial strength rating of A- (excellent) and the long-term issuer credit rating of “a-” for the members of the Virginia Farm Bureau...

Trump Budget Would Cut Crop Insurance Subsidies

Mar 13 2019 // President Donald Trump’s “I LOVE YOU!” tweet to farmers is facing another challenge: Budget cuts that will slash subsidies for crop insurance and small growers.Trump’s 2020 budget, released Monday,...

Minnesota Governor: Collapsing Dairy Barns Threaten State’s Economy

Mar 12 2019 // Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says dairy barns collapsing due to heavy snowfall are threatening the state’s economy.Walz and Sen. Tina Smith met with dairy farmers near Altura in southeastern Minnesota on Saturday. Dozens...

California Race Track Imposing New Safety, Welfare Rules for Horses

Mar 11 2019 // California’s Santa Anita racetrack will impose new rules to scrutinize horses training on its racetrack and add a director of equine welfare following the deaths of 21 horses since Dec. 26.The main dirt track and...

China Re Launches Renewable Energy Consortium for Offshore Wind Farms in China

Mar 11 2019 // China Re Corp. announced the launch of a renewable energy consortium at Lloyd’s, focused on project specific reinsurance for the construction and operation of offshore wind farms in mainland China.China Re’s...

Pork Giant Loses Another Nuisance Lawsuit by North Carolina Neighbors

Mar 11 2019 // Smithfield Foods was found responsible Friday for a fifth time for nuisances neighbors suffered from waste generated by thousands of the company’s hogs. Jurors determined the pork giant should pay $420,000 after four...

Massachusetts’ Wellfleet Hires Farmer as Vice President

Mar 7 2019 // Wellfleet, a Springfield, Mass.-based Berkshire Hathaway company specializing in accident and health insurance benefits, has hired William Farmer as vice president of National Distribution and Workplace Benefits. Farmer,...

Ohio Insurance Commissioner: Crop Insurance Deadline Is March 15

Mar 6 2019 // Ohio Department of Insurance (ODI) Director Jillian Froment is reminding farmers that the final date to purchase or modify federal crop insurance coverage on 2019 spring-planted crops is March 15.Crop insurance is sold and...

Some Wisconsin Farm Buildings Buckling Under Weight of Snow

Feb 26 2019 // Wisconsin farmers are facing a buildup of snow that’s causing damage to some structures as the state continues to get hit by unrelenting winter weather.Some farmers are watching their buildings buckle under the...

Southern California Gas Leak Settlement Raises Stink

Feb 26 2019 // A stink is being raised over a $120 million court settlement from the nation’s largest-known natural gas leak and it’s not about money, but cow manure.Environmental groups have criticized a plan to put more...

Georgia Lawmakers Approve $20M More in Loans to Farmers for Michael Recovery

Feb 25 2019 // A midyear budget that would add $20 million for loans to farmers and $2 million for hospitals affected by Hurricane Michael has received final approval from the Georgia legislature.The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports...

Farm Bureau Health Coverage Plan Favored by Rural Kansas Lawmakers

Feb 24 2019 // Rural state lawmakers are pushing a plan to allow the Kansas Farm Bureau to offer health insurance coverage to members without having to comply with federal Affordable Care Act mandates in hopes that the influential...

Arkansas Panel Approves Rules for Use of Previously Banned Herbicide

Feb 22 2019 // An Arkansas panel has adopted a plan to allow restricted use of an herbicide banned in the wake of complaints that it drifted onto crops and caused damage. The Arkansas Plant Board voted after a 91/2-hour public hearing on...

Washington Dairy Farms Take $4M Hit from Cows Lost in Blizzard

Feb 22 2019 // Officials say the more than 1,800 dairy cows that died in a blizzard in southern Washington state earlier this month were a nearly $4 million loss, not including the lost milk production.Farm Service Agency program...