(IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH) – A Nebraska-based grain dealer with elevators in western Iowa has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.  The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship said farmers have 120 days to file for indemnity if they had unpaid grain sold before Nov. 17 to Hansen-Mueller Co.  The Iowa Grain Indemnity Fund will pay farmers up to 90%, with a $400,000 maximum, for their sold grain in the event a state-licensed grain dealer goes broke before it can pay the farmer.

The Iowa Grain Indemnity Fund is supported by farmers who pay a per-bushel fee into the fund when it is below its lower boundary, which the Legislature raised this year to $8 million. The fund was depleted in 2023 due to the bankruptcy of a large dealer, but the Grain Indemnity Fund Board stopped collecting the fees in September this year.

(Photo by Jared Strong/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

A spokesperson with IDALS said the fund is currently at $12.6 million and the department does not anticipate that indemnity payments resulting from the Hansen-Mueller bankruptcy will result in the board reinstating grain indemnity fees. According to Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings for Hansen-Mueller, none of its 20 largest unsecured claims were with Iowa companies. Some of the top claims include one for more than $4.6 million with Viterra Canada Inc., a more than $2.5 million claim with Cargill in Minnesota and just over $2 million to Beloit, Kansas-based Agmark LLC.

Hansen-Mueller had its grain dealer license revoked in Nebraska earlier this year, according to reporting from Nebraska Public Radio, when the company failed to make payments to producers.  The company later made the payments and its license was reinstated by the state licensing agency in early November.  According to a press release from the company, it intends to continue operations under the supervision of the bankruptcy court and “meet obligations” to employees and suppliers while the sale of its assets is finalized.

Hansen-Mueller, according to its website, had locations in 10 states, including Iowa. The company had elevators in Sioux City and Council Bluffs.  Iowa farmers with unpaid grain sold to Hansen-Mueller before Nov. 17, 2025, have until March 17, 2026 to file a claim with the state grain indemnity board.

Claims must be made in writing and mailed to IDALS Grain Warehouse Bureau. More instructions are available online.