Latest Agribusiness Headlines

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

Bird Flu Found in Georgia Farm Chicken Flock

Mar 30 2017 // About 18,000 chickens were destroyed at a northwest Georgia poultry farm after tests confirmed avian influenza in the flock, the first time the disease has been detected in commercial birds in the state, authorities said...

Trump Agriculture Chief Nominee Perdue Vows to Fight for Farmers, Trade, Crop Insurance

Mar 29 2017 // Agriculture Secretary nominee Sonny Perdue recently sought to reassure farm-state senators in both parties who are fearful about the impact of President Donald Trump’s proposed deep cuts to farm programs, promising...

Appeals Court Rules Florida Dairy OK to Label Skim Milk as ‘Skim Milk’

Mar 24 2017 // A small, all-natural dairy isn’t being deceptive when it calls its skim milk “skim milk,” a federal appeals court has ruled – a victory for a Florida creamery that fought the state’s demand to...

Texas-Based ProAg to Acquire Iowa’s International Ag Insurance Solutions

Mar 23 2017 // Producers Ag Insurance Group Inc. (ProAg), a member of the Tokio Marine HCC group of companies, has agreed to acquire crop managing general agent, West Des Moines, Iowa-based International Ag Insurance Solutions LLC...

Alabama Confirms Bird Flu in 2 Poultry Flocks

Mar 22 2017 // Alabama officials have confirmed bird flu in two poultry flocks, just a week after three commercial breeders had to kill their chickens across the state line in Tennessee.The state veterinarian announced that chickens are...

Des Moines Water Works Suit Over Agricultural Drainage Pollution Dismissed

Mar 20 2017 // A federal judge has dismissed a Des Moines water utility’s lawsuit against three counties that accuses them of allowing agricultural drainage districts to send nitrate pollution into the rivers the water utility uses...

6 Texas Counties Declared Disaster Areas After Wildfires

Mar 20 2017 // Six counties in the Texas Panhandle have been declared disaster areas by Gov. Greg Abbott following the deadly wildfires that swept through the area on March 6 – 7 burning more than 440,000 acres.Abbott’s March...

20 Kansas Counties Declared Disaster Areas after Wildfires

Mar 16 2017 // Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has signed a final disaster declaration covering 20 counties following last week’s wildfires that burned more than 1,000 square miles of the state.Brownback signed the declaration on March...

Senators Want U.S. to Weigh Food Safety in Acquisitions by Foreign Firms

Mar 16 2017 // Two U.S. senators from Midwestern states will introduce a bill on Tuesday that would require foreign companies buying U.S. food and agriculture firms to undergo a review aimed at ensuring the deal would not hurt U.S. food...

Judge: ABC Must Face Defamation Trial over ‘Pink Slime’ Reports

Mar 15 2017 // A South Dakota state judge has ordered ABC Broadcasting to face a potential $5.7 billion defamation lawsuit claiming it damaged Beef Products Inc. by referring in a series of reports to a meat product it sold as...

RMS Launches Agricultural Risk Models for India and China

Mar 15 2017 // RMS, the Newark, Calif.-based catastrophe risk management firm, has added agricultural risk models for India and China to its line of emerging risks models, and plans to expand coverage across Asia-Pacific and the...

Ohio Reminds Farmers of March 15 Crop Insurance Deadline

Mar 14 2017 // Ohio Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor has issued a reminder to Ohio farmers that the deadline to purchase or modify certain insurance coverage for spring-planted crops is March 15.“Farmers should contact an agent if...

6 Texas Counties Declared Disaster Areas Following Wildfires

Mar 13 2017 // Six counties in the Texas Panhandle have been declared disaster areas by Gov. Greg Abbott following the deadly wildfires that swept through the area on March 6 – 7 burning more than 440,000 acres.Abbott’s March 11...

Deadly Bird Flu Found at Tennessee Chicken Farm That Supplies Tyson

Mar 6 2017 // A deadly form of bird flu has been confirmed in a southern Tennessee operation that supplies Tyson Foods Inc. with chickens, marking the first U.S. case at a commercial farm this year and prompting South Korea to ban...

Fighting Massive 2016 Wildfire Cost Kansas County $1.5M

Mar 6 2017 // Firefighting costs hit $1.5 million in the county hardest hit by a massive wildfire along the Kansas-Oklahoma border last year.Jerry McNamar, emergency management director for Kansas’ Barber County, said he’s...

Who Self-Insures for Workers’ Compensation in California?

Mar 6 2017 // Workers’ compensation liability is one of the main commercial lines in the U.S. property/casualty market. In order to manage this loss exposure, employers have two choices: they can either buy market insurance or...

Best Upgrades Ratings of Arkansas Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance

Mar 2 2017 // A.M. Best has upgraded the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) to A- (Excellent) from B++ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) to “a-” from “bbb+” of Farm Bureau Mutual...

Ratings of Oklahoma Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance, Subsidiary Upgraded

Feb 28 2017 // A.M. Best has upgraded the Financial Strength Rating to B+ (Good) from B (Fair) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to “bbb-” from “bb+” for the members of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Group:...

What the Wall Street Journal Gets Wrong about Farming in 2017

Feb 24 2017 // With the Farm Bill up for reauthorization in 2018 and legislative debate poised to heat up later this year, there’s been a lot of talk about the plight of the American farmer. A recent Wall Street Journal piece...

Insured Losses from New South Wales’ Bushfires & Hailstorms Pass US$53.7M

Feb 22 2017 // Combined losses from the two New South Wales catastrophes of bushfires and hailstorms, have passed A$70 million (US$53.7 million), according to the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA).As of Feb. 20, insured losses for the...