For immediate release
Bushel Introduces Lien Protection Program to Help Grain Buyers Simplify Settlement Payments
New program helps agribusinesses reduce paper checks, manual settlement work, and payment risk while giving farmers a path to digital payment
FARGO, N.D. — July 13, 2026 — Bushel, a leader in digital payments and workflow solutions for agriculture, today introduced the Bushel Lien Protection Program, a new way for grain buyers to issue settlement payments and eliminate the paper check.
The program fits into Bushel’s broader work to simplify money movement across agriculture, including settlement payments, lines of credit, and other financial workflows connecting farmers, grain buyers, ag retailers, and lenders.
Paper checks still carry a heavy load in grain settlements. According to Bushel’s State of the Farm research, 80% of grain settlement checks are still distributed by paper check, with lien requirements as one of the key reasons digital payments can stall. When a farmer has a lien attached to grain proceeds, grain buyers often fall back on two-party checks, mailed documents, manual lien searches, stop payments, Positive Pay processes, or time-consuming coordination between farmers and lienholders.
“Giving producers a more efficient payment experience matters to us,” said Seth Stephens, General Manager at United Ag in Texas. “Bushel’s Lien Protection Program helps us keep payments moving while Bushel handles the lien review and payment distribution process. It saves time for our team, reduces fraud risk, lowers the risk of missing a lien on a grain purchase, and gives producers a smoother way to get paid.”
Farmers feel it, too. Rural mail delays can hold up check delivery. Then there’s the time spent driving around for signatures or waiting on paper processes instead of using the electronic payment options they already prefer. Bushel’s State of the Farm Report also shows farmers are ready for a better lien payment process: 72.2% of farmers dissatisfied with the current manual process say they would likely use a digital alternative to collect signatures and release funds.
Bushel’s Lien Protection Program gives grain buyers an easier way to issue settlement payments. Agribusinesses can pay an escrow-like account from their accounting system using existing ACH workflows. Once funds arrive, Bushel conducts the lien review, coordinates with lienholders when needed, documents agreements electronically, and distributes funds to the appropriate parties. The Lien Protection Program includes indemnification for the agribusiness against a missed lien, reducing business risk and exposure while improving the efficiency of issuing settlement payments.
“Liens have been one of the hardest parts of moving grain payments into a paperless workflow,” said Nathan Joraanstad, Fintech Product Manager at Bushel. “Grain buyers want to protect their business, and farmers want a better way to get paid. Bushel’s Lien Protection Program helps both sides by reducing paper, cutting manual work, and increasing the speed of payment.”
Bushel research shows paying by two-party check costs approximately $20 per payment. Bushel’s Lien Protection Program is expected to average less than half of that cost, while helping reduce risk from delayed checks, check washing exposure, stolen checks, and other check fraud.
By participating in Bushel’s Lien Protection Program, grain buyers can move closer to a checkless payment workflow. The program helps agribusinesses:
The Bushel Lien Protection Program builds on Bushel’s broader digital payments work across the grain and ag retail industries. Today, the Bushel Network connects more than 3,500 grain and ag retail facilities and powers more than 50% of grain origination in the United States.
Bushel’s approach brings more of agriculture’s financial workflows into one connected experience. From settlement payments and lien-encumbered transactions to lines of credit and account-based money movement, Bushel helps agribusinesses and farmers move money with less friction, fewer paper processes, and higher visibility.
Bushel is an independent software company based in Fargo, N.D. that provides an integrated workflow solution for agriculture. Bushel’s platform includes customer relationship management, customer and commercial portals, offer and hedge management, and farm management and advisement software. Through its wholly-owned subsidiary Bushel Exchange, LLC, Bushel also provides digital payment solutions to its customers. These solutions improve operational efficiency, deliver crucial insights, and increase flexibility, enabling grain buyers, processors, ag retailers, ag lenders and farmers to adapt and expand their operations. Bushel now powers more than 3,500 grain and ag retail facilities, representing more than 50% of U.S. and Canadian grain origination. Over 100,000 farmers use Bushel's technology, making it one of the largest technology networks in U.S. agribusiness. Bushel also meets SOC 2 Type II standards, ensuring robust data security.
Bushel was recently awarded “AgTech Finance Platform of the Year” in the fifth annual AgTech Breakthrough Awards program conducted by AgTech Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence organization that recognizes the top companies, technologies and products in the global agricultural and food technology markets today.
