Minnesota man accused of falsely selling crops as organic

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minnesota farmer is accused of making $46 million by passing off chemically-treated corn and soybeans as organically grown. James Clayton Wolf has been charged in federal court with felony wire fraud.

Prosecutors say Wolf falsely labeled crops grown on his rural Cottonwood County farm as organic and that he defrauded grain buyers and undermined the nation’s organic labeling system.

Organic farming uses non-GMO seeds and crops are grown without chemicals or fertilizers and generate higher prices at market than non-organic crops. Organic crop certification is controlled by the federal National Organic Program, run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.