Nebraska regulator files complaint into The Andersons after unpaid farmer claim

The Andersons, based in Maumee, Ohio, is licensed as a grain dealer in Nebraska. The agribusiness firm, one of the largest U.S. ethanol producers, merchandises bulk grain commodities and operates a network of grain elevators.

The complaint follows the collapse last year of Omaha-based grain dealer Hansen-Mueller Co., which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November after Nebraska regulators suspended its grain dealer license over unpaid grain contracts.

That bankruptcy left farmers, trucking companies and other agricultural businesses seeking to recover more than $200 million, while the company’s $1 million state grain dealer bond covered only a portion of approved claims from Nebraska farmers.

Industry groups and regulators have said the Hansen-Mueller case underscored the financial risks producers face when grain dealers become insolvent, particularly during periods of economic stress in the farm sector.