Latest Agribusiness Headlines

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

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, too....

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 month...

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 in...

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 will...

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...

People

Sep 18 2017 // Detroit, Mich.-based H.W. Kaufman Financial Group named Daniel J. Kaufman senior vice president of corporate growth. Kaufman will continue to serve as managing director and lead the Chicago, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and...

Wisconsin Dairy Farmers Consider Risk Management Options After Federal Program Change

Sep 18 2017 // A change to the Dairy Margin Protection Program means Wisconsin dairy farmers can choose to opt out of the federal program and turn to other risk management strategies.The U.S. Department of Agriculture no longer requires...

Donaghy Joins Iowa’s Crop Pro Insurance as Director of Data Science

Sep 15 2017 // Crop Pro Insurance, a Des Moines, Iowa-based managing general agent (MGA) specializing in crop insurance, has expanded its experienced leadership team with the addition of Brian Donaghy as director of Data Science.Donaghy...

With Federal Program Change, Wisconsin Dairy Farmers Have Risk Management Options

Sep 12 2017 // A change to the Dairy Margin Protection Program means Wisconsin dairy farmers can choose to opt out of the federal program and turn to other risk management strategies.The U.S. Department of Agriculture no longer requires...

Arkansas Task Force: State Should Bar Dicamba Herbicide Next Year

Aug 27 2017 // An Arkansas task force has advised the state to bar sprayings after April 15 next year of agricultural herbicides containing the chemical dicamba, which has been linked to crop damage across the U.S. farm belt, a state...

Herbicide Drift Destroying Crops in South Dakota, Farmers Say

Aug 25 2017 // South Dakota farmers are reporting crops devastated by herbicide drift.The Argus Leader reports that farmers believe the herbicide to be dicamba, which is used for weed control. Three dicamba products are registered for...

Young Takes on Role of President at Iowa’s Crop Pro Insurance

Aug 22 2017 // Crop Pro Insurance, a Johnston, Iowa-based managing general agent (MGA) specializing in crop insurance, announced that Joe Young, a co-founder of Crop Pro Insurance, has signed on to serve as the new company’s...

Disaster Designation Issued For 11 Alabama Counties

Aug 21 2017 // Eleven Alabama counties are under a natural disaster designation after excessive rainfall and flooding from Tropical Storm Cindy. The conditions caused extensive damage to crops, sparking Gov. Kay Ivey to ask for federal...

Award in Wisconsin Farmer’s Stray Voltage Case Could Go as High as $13.5M

Aug 21 2017 // A western Wisconsin farmer could be awarded up to $13.5 million after winning a five-year legal battle against an electric services company over stray voltage.Paul Halderson told the La Crosse Tribune that his dairy farm...