Kentucky Department of Agriculture

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
For more information contact:
Ted Sloan
(502) 564-1138

 

Agriculture Commissioner James Comer aids farmer denied payment for his grain

Rowe is first to get relief from Grain Insurance Fund since 2005

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Agriculture Commissioner James Comer today issued a relief payment to a Waynesburg grain farmer who failed to get paid when he sold his grain to a company that filed bankruptcy.

Randy Rowe, who produces grain and raises cattle, received $15,078.40 in aid from the Grain Insurance Fund. He is the first farmer to receive relief from that $5 million fund in almost seven years.

“When we received word that Mr. Rowe had been hit with this loss, our inspectors approached him with a way to help relieve some of that financial injury,” said Commissioner Comer. “I am pleased that in my first few days on the job, this Department has been able to fulfill its promise to assist and serve the farm community.”

The Grain Insurance Fund is administered through and regulated by the state Department of Agriculture. When the Department receives information that a farmer sold grain to a licensed facility and failed to receive payment, its inspectors audit the troubled facility’s books, approach the aggrieved farmer and request proof of loss from the farmer. Through the fund, the Department can then fulfill up to 80 percent of the claim. Grain farmers pay for this fund through assessments, but the fund has been capped for years, and many farmers are unaware of its existence.

“When I found out I could recover this loss, I was shocked,” Rowe said. “I am so grateful to the Department of Agriculture for seeking me out, and I am hopeful that other farmers can receive the same assistance in the future.”