Minnesota grain handler targeted in ransomware attack

FILE PHOTO: An elevator worker at Crystal Valley Cooperative in Minnesota exits a machinery shed that was cleared out to store an overflow of soybeans from this year's large harvest in Lake Crystal, Minnesota October 13, 2015. REUTERS/Karl Plume/File Photo

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Minnesota agricultural firm Crystal Valley Cooperative said it had been targeted in a ransomware attack in recent days, making it the second Midwestern farm-services provider in a week to be forced to take systems offline due to cybersecurity incidents.

Crystal Valley, which sells supplies like fertilizer to farmers and buys their crops, said it became aware of the attack on Sunday, prompting it to take operating systems offline and to stop accepting major credit cards.