Farmers who have conducted business with the Ashby Farmers Cooperative Elevator of Ashby, Minn., must submit a bond claim with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture by March 23. This applies to farmers that have not received payment or who had grain stored at the elevator.
The elevator, in accordance with the law, held a $125,000 bond with the Department to help grain sellers and depositors mitigate any losses. To submit a claim, a farmer will need do the following steps:
- Complete a Grain Bond Proof of Claim Form. This can be found at www.mda.state.mn.us/grain.
- Include supporting evidence. This is including but not limited to scale tickets, purchase agreements, purchase receipts, non-sufficient funds checks, contracts, warehouse receipts, assembly sheets, etc.
- Send in the form and supporting evidence by email to Christine.Mader@state.mn.us, fax to 651-201-6108, or mail to:Minnesota Department of Agriculture
Fruit Vegetable & Grain Unit
625 North Robert St.
St Paul, MN 55155Claims must be received by March 23, 2019.
Once all claims are received, the MDA will review all submitted claims, associated paperwork, internal documents, and records from inspector visits to determine which claims are valid. In the case of multiple valid claims, a pro-rated share is calculated and dispersed. A decision of disbursements of valid bond claims will be made by May 20, 2019.
Questions on this process can be directed to Christine Mader at 651-201-6620 or Christine.Mader@state.mn.us, or Nick Milanowski at 651-201-6076 or Nicholas.Milanowski@state.mn.us.
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Source: Minnesota Department of Agriculture