Bank of Cresbard v. Lindhorst Farms, Inc.

78 B.R. 1002, 5 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1165, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13007
CourtDistrict Court, D. South Dakota
DecidedOctober 6, 1987
DocketCiv. 87-1024
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 78 B.R. 1002 (Bank of Cresbard v. Lindhorst Farms, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. South Dakota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bank of Cresbard v. Lindhorst Farms, Inc., 78 B.R. 1002, 5 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1165, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13007 (D.S.D. 1987).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

DONALD J. PORTER, Chief Judge.

The Debtor, Lindhorst Farms, Inc., filed a voluntary Chapter 11 petition on August 4, 1986 in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of South Dakota.

At the time of filing, the Debtor had on hand the following harvested crops (Docket No. 13, paragraphs 11, 12 and 14):

Crop Amount
1985 Sunflowers $ 3,483.07
4,000 Bushels of Oats 2,800.00
2,200 Bushels of Barley 2,200.00
60 Bushels of Grain Sorghum 105.00
400 Pounds of Sunflowers 2,400.00
50 Tons of Silage 500.00
1,100 Tons of Mixed Hay 22,000.00
1985 Oats and Millet 5,333.00
TOTAL $38,821.07

In addition, the Debtor either received or was entitled to the following government program payments (Docket No. 13, paragraphs 6, 7 and 13):

Government Program Amount
1. 1986 Deficiency and Diversion Payments $ 8,994.16
2. 1984 CCC Wheat Storage Payment 2,504.25
3. 1986 PIK Certificates 6,200.00
TOTAL $17,698.41

After the Debtor brought a Complaint to determine the validity and priority of certain liens, the bankruptcy court found that the Bank of Cresbard did not have a security interest in the Debtor’s harvested crops or in the government program payments or entitlements acquired by the Debtor. The Appellant, Bank of Cresbard, appeals each of these findings. This Court now reverses the bankruptcy court on each of these findings.

I.

The first issue on appeal is whether the Bank of Cresbard has a security interest in the Debtor’s harvested crops even though the financing statement filed by the Bank contains no description of the real estate upon which these crops were grown.

SDCL § 57A-9-402(l) states in relevant part: “When the financing statement covers crops growing or to be grown ..., the statement must also contain a description of the real estate concerned.” SDCL § 57A-9-402(l) (1980). While the Bank admits that no such description was contained *1004 in the financing statement, the Bank argues that § 57A-9-402(l) is inapplicable because the Bank claims a security interest in crops that have been harvested or severed from the real estate, rather than in “growing crops” as specified in the statute.

The Bank entered into a series of security agreements with the Debtor, Lindhorst Farms, Inc., which each encompass:

all farm products, including but not limited to crops, supplies, used or produced in farming and feeding operations, feeds kept or stored in connection therewith, contract rights, accounts, and all proceeds. ...

(Exhibit “C”).

Two bankruptcy courts have specifically addressed the issue of whether harvested crops constitute farm products. In each of the three cases on point, the language of the UCC has been literally interpreted to apply only to “growing crops” and, by negative implication, to exclude crops that have been harvested. See Matter of Nave, 68 B.R. 139 (Bkrtcy.S.D.Ohio 1986); In Re Klipfer, 62 B.R. 290 (Bkrtcy.S.D.Ohio 1986); In Re Roberts, 38 B.R. 128 (Bkrtcy.Kan.1984). In first deciding this issue, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Kansas concluded that the perfection of a security interest in farm products does not require a real estate description in the financing statement. See In Re Roberts, 38 B.R. 128, 133 (Bkrtcy.Kan.1984). The court in that case then addressed the issue of whether the secured or harvested crops were “farm products.” Id.

Under SDCL § 57A-9-109(3), farm products are defined as:

crops or ... products of crops ... if they are in the possession of a debtor engaged in ... farming operations.

SDCL § 57A-9-109(3) (1980). As the record on appeal makes no mention of any dispute about the possession of the harvested crops, we assume that these crops were in the possession of the Appellee, Lindhorst Farms, Inc., on the date of the Chapter 11 filing. This Court therefore finds that the harvested crops totalling $38,821.07 were farm products within the meaning of the security agreements and financing statement. .

While this Court is mindful of the possible lien problems that may arise from this holding due to the time gap between the perfection of the security interest in farm products and the unperfected security interest in growing crops, see In Re Roberts, 38 B.R. 128, 134 (Bkrtcy.Kan.1984); In Re Klipfer, 62 B.R. 290, 295 (Bkrtcy.S.D.Ohio 1986), no such problems are present in this case. Compare In Re Roberts, 38 B.R. 128 (Bkrtcy.Kan.1984) with Scott State Bank v. Tabor Grain Co., 109 Ill.App.3d 858, 65 Ill.Dec. 381, 441 N.E.2d 173 (1982) (conversion action against third party purchaser); People’s Bank v. Pioneer Food Industries, Inc., 253 Ark. 277, 486 S.W.2d 24 (1972) (conversion action against third party purchaser). Thus, this Court follows In re Roberts in holding that the creditor, the Bank of Cresbard, has a security interest in the harvested crops. The holding of the bankruptcy court is, therefore, reversed.

II.

The Appellant, the Bank of Cresbard, next appeals the decision of the bankruptcy court disallowing a security interest in certain government program payments and entitlements totalling $17,698.41.

The Appellee, Lindhorst Farms, Inc., argues that the 1986 deficiency and diversion payments, the 1984 Commodity Credit Corporation storage payment, and the 1986 Payment-In-Kind drafts are proceeds of the harvested crops. The Appellee then asks us to hold that security interests in these proceeds were not perfected because the security interest in the growing crops was not perfected due to failure of the bank to include a description of the real estate in the financing statement as required by SDCL 57A-9-402. This Court disagrees.

Federal farm subsidy payments have been held to be “proceeds” within the meaning of the UCC. See In re Matter of Munger,

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78 B.R. 1002, 5 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1165, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13007, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bank-of-cresbard-v-lindhorst-farms-inc-sdd-1987.