By P.J. Huffstutter
CHICAGO, Sept 22 (Reuters) - A Nebraska regulator dismissed a complaint against Ohio-based agribusiness The Andersons over allegations the company did not make timely payments to a farmer, with the ethanol and grain processor agreeing to pay a small administrative fine.
The Nebraska Public Service Commission, which licenses commercial grain dealers in the state, said its Grain Warehouses and Dealers Department filed the August 6 complaint after investigating a grain producer's allegation
that The Andersons had not paid for 17 grain deliveries made between November 2023 and January 2024. The state regulator also urged any farmers who may have experienced similar payment delays to come forward.
U.S. farmers are facing mounting financial pressure due to surging production costs, including record-high diesel prices that have squeezed their thin profit margins. State regulators are also scrutinizing grain buyers more closely following several dealer failures in recent years that left producers with unpaid contracts.
The Andersons and the producer said on Tuesday that the matter has been resolved, with no other complaints against the company received by state regulators, according to a copy of the stipulated agreement, reviewed by Reuters. The Andersons agreed to pay $5,000 in administrative fines, saying it denies the violations, according to the document.
The company could not immediately be reached for comment on Tuesday.
“Our priority is ensuring Nebraska’s grain laws are followed and that producers are protected as the statutes intend,” Terri Fritz, grain department director, said in a statement. "We’re satisfied that the issues that led to the complaint have been addressed, and this agreement provides an appropriate resolution that allows us to bring the matter to a close.”
The Andersons, based in Maumee, Ohio, is licensed as a grain dealer in Nebraska. The firm, one of the largest U.S. ethanol producers, merchandises bulk grain commodities and operates a network of grain elevators.
The complaint followed the collapse last year of Omaha-based grain dealer Hansen-Mueller, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November after Nebraska regulators suspended its grain dealer license over unpaid grain contracts.
(Reporting by P.J. Huffstutter. Editing by Karl Plume and David Gaffen)
