St. Paul, Minn. -

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is issuing an advisory to farmers who have conducted business with Hansen-Mueller Co. based in Omaha, NE and operating in Duluth, MN. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on November 17, 2025. The MDA encourages producers who have not received payment from Hansen-Mueller for grain sold in Minnesota to submit a claim. Farmers with warehouse receipts for grain in storage will need to contact the United States Department of Agriculture at warehousing@usda.gov.

In 2023, the Minnesota Legislature created an indemnity fund. This fund is to protect Minnesota producers who have unpaid grain sales when grain buyers or warehouses become financially insolvent.

According to the state, to submit a claim to the indemnity fund, farmers will need to take the following steps:

1. Complete a Grain Proof of Claim form.
2. Include supporting evidence such as scale tickets, purchase agreements, purchase receipts, non-sufficient funds checks, contracts, warehouse receipts, assembly sheets, etc.
3. Send in the form and supporting evidence by email to grain@state.mn.us or mail to:

Minnesota Department of Agriculture Fruit, Vegetable & Grain Unit 625 North Robert St. St Paul, MN 55155

Farmers are encouraged to submit a claim as soon as possible. The state says, valid claims may be scaled down based on the age of the contract.

The MDA says it will review all submitted claims, associated paperwork, internal documents, and records from inspector visits to determine which claims are valid as part of the program’s integrity efforts to prevent fraud and protect farmers.

Questions on grain claim process can be directed to Christine Mader at 651-201-6011 or christine.mader@state.mn.us, or Nick Milanowski at 651-201-6076 or nicholas.milanowski@state.mn.us.

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