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N.D. (AP) – North Dakota’s Agriculture Department is seeking a court judgment against the North American Bison Cooperative for allegedly failing to pay for cattle it had bought from six ranchers.

Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring says the bison co-op owes a fine of $49,000 for not paying the ranchers about $325,000 by last June. Goehring says the money wasn’t paid even though there was enough in a trust fund set up by the federal Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration.

The cattle were bought for the North Dakota Natural Beef processing plant in Fargo, which closed last fall. The New Rockford-based bison co-op was a major shareholder in the beef plant and the two companies shared management.