This is the 25th Anniversary of “Bean Day” when Wayne Cryts made national headline news on Presidents’ Day, February 16, 1981.  This historic event eventually led to the members of the United States Congress changing the bankruptcy law to prevent American farmers from losing their private property in the event of a grain storage elevator going bankrupt.  Wayne believes it is now time to reveal the untold story of events that happened behind the scenes in this historic moment in American history. 

A federal judge of the Bankruptcy Court in Little Rock, Arkansas, ordered all the grain in the bankrupt Ristine Grain Elevators to be sold free and clear of all liens to pay the debts of the owners of the grain elevators.  The grain in those elevators belonged to the farmers who were paying storage fees for the space.  One of those farmers was Wayne Cryts who had warehouse receipts for over $350,000 in grain stored in those elevators and could not afford to lose it.  So, he and his family decided that they had no choice but to remove their grain from the Ristine Elevators.  Upon entering the Ristine Elevator property, they discovered that numerous Federal Marshals and FBI Agents had blocked the entrance to the elevator and were prepared to stop him.  This set the stage for a modern day showdown of David versus Goliath, a farmer named Wayne Cryts versus the mighty Federal Government.

Wayne held a press conference a month prior to this event and thousands of people from two-thirds of the states in America decided to be there in support of their underdog and hero in his effort to retrieve his private property.  Wayne and his family worked hard to plant, tend to, and harvest those beans to support the family farming operation.  In addition, news media from across the nation were there to record history in the making. 

Bill Clinton, former Governor of Arkansas and future President of the United States, visited Wayne when he was locked up in the Pope County Jail in Russellville, Arkansas.  Bill Clinton supported Wayne’s battle to get the law changed to protect the American farmer.  Finally, with the help of President Reagan, Senator Bob Dole, U.S. Representative Bill Emerson and many other U. S. Senators and Representatives, they were successful in changing an unjust law.

Mr. Cryts appeared on the major talk shows, radio programs, magazines, and newspapers during the early 1980’s.  And, as a result of this book, Wayne has recently been featured on KOMU TV 8 in Columbia, Missouri, KWKZ and KFVS 12 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.  In addition, Wayne was featured on the nationally syndicated “Derry Brownfield Show” on January 11, 2006, and due to the overwhelming response to the show, he was asked to do an encore show the next day.  Wayne has recently been the “Featured Guest Speaker” at the American Agriculture Movement National Conference and the Farmers Union National Conference. 

One of Wayne’s most memorable interviews was with David Susskind in New York.  He told Wayne that he was the first farmer that had ever appeared on his show.  Wayne said he remembered Mr. Susskind saying that Paul Revere must have been his greatest hero when he went riding through the town warning everyone that the British were coming.  Wayne said he thought about that for a little bit and said, “No, he wasn’t.  For all I know, he was getting the hell out town.  My heroes were the Minute Men who got up out of bed during the middle of the night to go fight the battle against the British.”

This is very comparable to the “Eminent Domain” issue that is dominating the political headlines today.  Wayne has demonstrated that unjust laws can be changed through persistent, peaceful means.  He encourages all Americans to get involved in their government.