In Re Serbus

48 B.R. 5, 1984 Bankr. LEXIS 4582
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. Minnesota
DecidedNovember 19, 1984
Docket19-30064
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 48 B.R. 5 (In Re Serbus) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Serbus, 48 B.R. 5, 1984 Bankr. LEXIS 4582 (Minn. 1984).

Opinion

MARGARET A. MAHONEY, Bankruptcy Judge.

The above-entitled matter came on for hearing on October 31, 1984, on the motion of the Debtor for termination of milk check assignments payable to certain creditors and for use of cash collateral pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 363.

For the reasons outlined below, I am terminating certain of the milk check assignments and allowing limited use of cash collateral.

FACTS

1. Debtor is a farmer who filed a Chapter 11 voluntary petition in bankruptcy on August 24, 1984.

2. Along with other secured creditors, the Debtor owes monies to the First National Bank of Fergus Falls. At the time of the filing of his bankruptcy petition, Debtor owed the Bank $22,230.19. The debt to the First National Bank of Fergus Falls is secured by a security interest in all of Debtor’s livestock and his crops grown on the home farm and all farm machinery and equipment. First National Bank of *7 Fergus Falls has an alleged security interest in Debtor’s milk. (Debtor’s Exh. 7.)

3. Debtor owes, pursuant to a security agreement signed by the Debtor, the sum of $65,000 to Pollard’s Mills and Elevator Company and Clarence Lennes. As security for said debt, Pollard’s Mills and Elevator Company and Clarence Lennes filed a financing statement which alleges security in all farm products, accounts or general intangibles arising from or relating to the sale of farm products and crops growing on the land of Clarence Lennes. Debtor has raised the issue as to whether the lien given to Pollard’s Mill and Elevator Company and Clarence Lennes is preferential under 11 U.S.C. § 548 due to the date of the signing of the security agreement and the filing of the financing statement.

4. Debtor desires to use or sell the crops grown on his home farm and the farm of Clarence Lennes in 1984 and desires to use the monies presently being paid to various creditors under his milk assignment with Land O’Lakes. Debtor also wishes to be able to cull cows and sell cows and purchase new cows for his dairy herd.

5. Debtor offered First National Bank of Fergus Falls, as and for adequate protection, a replacement lien in any new cows purchased by Debtor and in Debtor’s new crops to be grown in 1985. Debtor offered Pollard’s Mill and Elevator Company and Clarence Lennes, as and for adequate protection, a replacement lien in the 1985 crop to be grown on the farm of Clarence Len-nes.

6. The value of the dairy cows presently in the possession of Debtor is $24,000. Since the filing of the bankruptcy petition, three dairy cows have died and two have been sold. The two dairy cows which were sold were sold for $529.00 in total. Debtor had 60 acres of corn planted on his home farm in 1984. Debtor testified that he yielded 72 to 75 bushels per acre of corn on his home farm and on the Clarence Lennes farm, and that corn was now selling for as much as $2.71 per bushel and as little as $2.43 per bushel. Accordingly, 72 bushels of corn per acre X 60 acres X $2.43 per bushel yield total corn on Debtor’s farm of $Í0,497.60.

7. Debtor has a yield of approximately 25,000 bushels from the Clarence Lennes farm. At $2.43 per bushel, this yields $60,-750.00. At $2.71 per bushel, this yields $67,750.00.

8. There was no evidence as to the value of Debtor’s farming equipment or equity therein offered.

9. There was no appearance by certain of the persons to whom milk assignments had been granted in the past: Community State Bank of Alexandria, Massey-Ferguson, Gerald D. Adamson or Ronald and Lois Larson. Only the First National Bank of Fergus Falls requested protection of its milk check assignment.

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

1. Due to their failure to object, the milk check assignments of Community State Bank of Alexandria in the amount of $234.01 and $177.30, the milk check assignments of Massey-Ferguson in the amount of $984.95, and the milk check assignment of Gerald D. Adamson in the amount of $900.00 are terminated.

2. The First National Bank of Fergus Falls has no security interest in Debtor’s milk produced post petition and therefore its milk check assignment is terminated.

3. If Debtor sells any dairy cows or sells any crops, the proceeds of said sales constitute “cash collateral” under 11 U.S.C. § 363.

4. Debtor has adequately protected First National Bank of Fergus Falls as to its lien in Debtor’s livestock by granting them a replacement lien in new dairy cows and by paying over to it the proceeds of sale of the two cows previously sold of $529 if none of Debtor’s grain is used from the home farm.

5. Debtor’s offer of adequate protection to Pollard’s Mills and Elevator Company and Clarence Lennes, until determination *8 of the validity, priority and extent of their lien, is inadequate.

DISCUSSION

The Debtor’s motion for use of cash collateral is brought under 11 U.S.C. § 363 and its motion to terminate milk check assignments is brought under 11 U.S.C. § 544.

Milk Check Assignments Termination

Debtor requests termination the milk check assignments of Community State Bank of Alexandria, in the amount of $234.10 and $177.30, Massey-Ferguson in the amount of $984.95, Gerald D. Adamson in the amount of $900.00 and First National Bank of Fergus Falls in the amount of $2,500.00 per month. Since there was no appearance by any of the assignees except the First National Bank of Fergus Falls, it is only necessary for the Court to determine the appropriateness of terminating the milk check assignment of the First National Bank of Fergus Falls. All other assignments will be terminated as requested.

The First National Bank of Fergus Falls presently receives a milk check assignment of $2,500.00 per month. This assignment was made pursuant, to an agreement between the First National Bank of Fergus Falls and the Debtor. Debtor claims that the milk check assignment agreement was not properly perfected and therefore is not a valid lien prior to the interest of the Debtor at this time. Debtor also had signed a security agreement dated June 24, 1983, giving the Bank a security interest in his livestock and “products thereof and produce thereof, whether now owned or hereafter acquired.”

A review of Minnesota Bankruptcy Court case law shows that it is not necessary to reach the issue, for purposes of terminating the milk check assignment, of whether the Bank’s lien is perfected or not. Under 11 U.S.C. § 552, a secured party’s interest in the milk produced by Debtor’s dairy herd after the filing of the bankruptcy petition is terminated at filing. In re Lawrence, 41 B.R.

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Bluebook (online)
48 B.R. 5, 1984 Bankr. LEXIS 4582, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-serbus-mnb-1984.