MACHINERY LOAN NIGHTMARE

The beginning of the end of Echelbarger Hay, LLC landed as a letter at Kim and Justin Hannah’s farm near Greentown, Indiana, early last September.

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It was from John Deere Financial. It struck Kim, Justin’s wife, as odd. Justin did repairs and fieldwork for Echelbarger Hay — a custom hay business he co-owned with Dustin Echelbarger. Echelbarger lined up the work and handled all finances.

“I called John Deere Financial because it had Justin’s name on it,” Kim said. The woman who answered described a lien — an unpaid loan — on a tractor the Hannahs no longer owned. According to the Hannahs, without telling Justin, Echelbarger had sold that tractor to another farmer. It had a loan on it, in Justin’s name, that was still unpaid. Using Justin’s Social Security number, Kim says the John Deere Financial staffer found more unpaid loans in either Echelbarger Hay’s or Justin’s name — a total of 28. The Hannahs suddenly faced more than a million dollars of debt, mainly held by the hay business.

After that shock, they hired a lawyer. In October 2024, Justin filed a civil suit against Echelbarger, which is pending in a county court. The suit alleges that Echelbarger used his position as a machinery salesman at Truland Equipment in nearby Swayzee to engage in various frauds, including the unauthorized sale of the Hannahs' tractor and taking out fraudulent equipment loans, mainly to Echelbarger Hay. Truland Equipment is a John Deere dealer about 10 miles east of Greentown.

Dealings with Echelbarger hit other farmers as well, including at least one outside Indiana and a local Amish farmer. The case highlights a risk of buying used machinery.

“I’ve been an attorney for 20 years. I’ve farmed all my life. I’ve never heard of a case like this,” said John Schwarz, II, Justin’s attorney.

Last December, Judge Rebecca Vent, the first jurist to hear Justin’s case, entered a preliminary injunction against Echelbarger and ordered him to account for all of Echelbarger Hay’s finances since its formation in 2022. He didn’t show up for the hearing and failed to comply with the order.