Van Hollen
GREEN BAY, Wis. (Legal Newsline) - Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen announced Friday that his office has reached a $100,000 consent judgment with a Brown County grain warehouse keeper and dealer over the state's grain security laws.
The consent judgment was reached with Bowers Feed and Grain, Inc., after a three-year investigation led by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture found that the company had many violations of the state's grain security laws.
State grain security law requires that grain dealers be licensed or that the grain dealer pay cash on delivery for any grain purchases. No grain warehouse keeper may hold more than 50,000 bushels of grain for others without a current annual license from DATCP at any time.
Bowers Feed and Grain did not have a license as a dealer or warehouse keeper and failed to pay cash on delivery as required. In 2008, they were issued a special summary order by the DATCP for these violations but continued with their unlawful activity.
Under the terms of the judgment, the company and its owner, Jim Vandenberg, are required to become compliant with the Wisconsin grain security laws within the next 10 days or face additional penalties.
Bowers must obtain the required amount of grain in storage and enjoin the company from purchasing grain from producers for a period of 15 months. In addition, the company is enjoined from obtaining a grain warehouse or dealer license until September 2011.