A Minnesota farmer faces federal charges of having falsely labeled grain as organic for years to get the higher sale price.
James Wolf, 64, of Jeffers, Minn., has been charged with three counts of wire fraud in connection with his sale of loads of corn and soybeans as organic, when he knew they were not. Between 2014 and 2020, Wolf “repeatedly purchased non-organic corn and soybeans from a grain seller and resold the grain as organic product,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement. Wolf also grew corn and soybeans on his own farmland that he falsely passed off as organic, the statement said. In total, Wolf is alleged to have sold $46 million worth of non-organic grain at the higher organic rate.
As with a previous large-scale organic fraud scheme, Wolf had organic certification for some of his acreage, which he used to shield his activities. His initial court appearance is scheduled for July 22.
