Man changed with fraud of more than $4 million
CHICAGO, Ill. (KMOV) — An Illinois man is charged with fraud of more than $4 million with the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA).

The Illinois Attorney General’s Office said in a release that 46-year-old John Kniepmann was charged with 12 counts of violating the grain code and one count of burglary. Kniepmann is the owner and president of Grain Exchange, LLC and Consolidated Exchange, Inc.

The release said Kniepmann allegedly submitted inaccurate, misleading and false reports regarding a series of notes payable to the First State Bank of Eldorado valued at more than $4 million, in order to defraud the IDOA for 11 months between 2007-08.

Kniepmann is also accused of withholding records indicating the alleged shipment in March 2007 of approximately 10,000 bushels of wheat by using the name of his stepdaughter, and another shipment of 5,000 bushels the following August. The release said he entered his vehicle while it was parked at the company’s Carlyle elevator and allegedly took a document belonging to the bank.

His companies operated elevators in Carlyle, Bartelso, Germantown and Sandoval. Violations of the grain code are felonies punishable by 3-7 years in prison. Kniepmann’s burglary count is also a felony. Bond has been set at $50,000.

Two elevator explosions injure five in Illinois
HEYWORTH, Ill. (AP) — An explosion at a grain elevator in the central Illinois town of Heyworth resulted in injuries to three people.

Two of the those injured Sept. 7 worked in the Tate & Lyle of Decatur elevator, and a firefighter was also injured. All were treated at a Bloomington hospital.

Heyworth Fire Chief Dennis Powell told the Bloomington Pantagraph the injuries were not serious. A Randolph Township firefighter received nine stitches in his head after a coupling broke loose while he was wrapping up a fire hose. The names of the victims were not released by press time.

Powell said it has not been determined how much damage the explosion caused. Tate & Lyle Vice President Chris Olsen said the company will conduct an investigation to determine the cause of the explosion. He added the company takes safety seriously and will work to prevent another mishap.

Also, investigators are trying to figure out what caused an explosion and fire that injured two people the next day near a grain dryer at a storage elevator in the western Illinois town of Warsaw.

The names of the victims weren’t immediately released. KHQA-TV said one of them was airlifted with burns to a Quincy hospital, while the other was treated at another hospital for minor injuries. There was no word on the victims’ conditions at press time.

Fire Chief Steve Siegrist told the Daily Gate City of Keokuk, Iowa, that conditions can make grain susceptible to fire. But the fire’s cause remains unknown.

USDA buying up to $30M of dark meat chicken
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Secretary Tom Vilsack announced last week the USDA will purchase up to $30 million of chicken dark meat items for federal food nutrition assistance programs.

“The purchase announced today will assist food banks and other federal food nutrition assistance programs offer recipients a wide variety of healthy products,” said Vilsack.

USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) purchases a variety of high-quality food products each year to support several programs. USDA also makes emergency food purchases for distribution to victims of natural disasters.

Food items are required to be low in fat, sugar and sodium. The commodities must meet specified grade requirements and be USDA-certified to ensure quality. AMS purchases only products of 100 percent domestic origin. Depending on developing market conditions, the total amount purchased may be less than $30 million.

Interested suppliers should contact the Contracting Officer, USDA/AMS/Poultry Programs/Commodity Procurement Branch, STOP 0260, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. 20250; call 202-720-7693; or visit www.ams.usda.gov

Western Iowa man dies in tractor rollover
MINDEN, Iowa (AP) — A western Iowa man is dead after a farm tractor accident. The Pottawattamie County sheriff’s office identified the victim of the Sept. 4 accident as 18-year-old John Martin Dea of rural Minden.

KJAN-AM reported Dea apparently tried to roll-start the tractor by going down a hill. The tractor went out of control, rolled over a terrace and threw Dea off. He died at the scene. The accident remains under investigation.

Illinois farmer killed in combine accident
STAUNTON, Ill. (AP) — Authorities in southwestern Illinois’ Madison County said a farmer was killed when he was hit by a combine.

Fifty-year-old Herbert Braundmeier of Staunton died at the scene of the accident about 11:45 a.m. Sept. 5 on a farm near Alhambra. Sheriff’s investigators said he was cutting corn in a field with a farmer when that farmer put his combine into reverse, unaware Braundmeier had walked behind the farm machinery.

Authorities said a rear tire hit Braundmeier, who sustained a fatal head injury.

Underfed horses seized at Rose Township farm
ROSE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Authorities have confiscated 13 severely undernourished horses and euthanized one at a Rose Township farm.

Oakland County Animal Control officers and Michigan State Police seized the animals Sept. 8 after a month-long investigation. Officials said the owners failed to provide proper care after officials made repeated requests for improvements.

The Oakland Press and the Detroit Free Press said the owner, a woman who lived at the farm in northwestern Oakland County, was issued a ticket and faces 19 counts of animal cruelty.