Two Cottonwood County men are facing charges of conspiring to defraud grain purchasers out of more than $46 million by selling non-GMO grains falsely labeled as organic.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, James Clayton Wolf, 65, of Jeffers, allegedly defrauded grain purchasers through sales of non-organic soybeans and corn as organic over a seven-year period that began in 2014. Wolf, a certified organic farmer, is also accused of growing conventionally farmed crops using chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which is in violation of organic farming standards. He reportedly withheld from purchasers that the grains were not organically farmed; he also hid from buyers that he didn’t have a grain buyer license.
Wolf was indicted last July on three counts of wire fraud. He has now been additionally charged with three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy, overriding the original indictment.
Certified organic farmer Adam Clifford Olson, 45, of Windom, is also charged with three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy. He allegedly helped Wolf sell the crops after his organic farming certification was revoked in 2020.
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