The Mosaic Co., Plymouth, Minn., is seeking the continued idling of its Plant City, Fla., plant. Mosaic CFO Clint Freeland told attendees at the Morgan Stanley Global Chemicals Conference Nov. 13 that the company has made the request to Florida state regulatory officials.

The company took the 2 million mt/y capacity plant down at the end of 2017 (GM Nov. 3, 2017). The plant had been producing at a rate of approximately 1.5 million mt/y. Mosaic said it took the plant down to ensure minimal market disruption from new capacity additions, including Mosaic’s Saudi Arabian joint venture, Ma’aden. It said the move would result in higher phosphate margins and lower capital requirements.

Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies Inc., Vancouver, on Nov. 13 announced a strategic financial investment from Taurus Agricultural Marketing Inc., Calgary. Taurus had already signed a long-term exclusive distribution agreement with Ostara in which Taurus will market and sell Ostara’s Crystal Green® phosphate fertilizer in Western Canada, Ontario, and Quebec (GM Aug. 17, p. 27).

Ostara said long-term the investment lays the foundation for accelerating Ostara’s market expansion supporting the demand for more premium grower-centric products, like Crystal Green, that offer an economic benefit and sustainable advantage.

The J.R. Simplot Co., Boise, Idaho, said Nov. 13 that it is expanding its turf, horticulture and specialty plant nutrition business to the southeastern United States. “Simplot Partners” will now operate new locations in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas. The new locations will offer a complete line of plant nutrients, plant protection, specialty products and maintenance options for nursery, turf and specialty agricultural professionals.

Dr. Jeff Higgins, manager of business development for Simplot’s southeast locations, says that plans for the new locations are being finalized, with hiring and operations ramping up to full service starting next summer.

“We’re excited to establish a presence here,” he said. “We’re a 90-year-old, family-owned company that operates in a range of industries serving food, agriculture and other related, specialized industries like golf course and turf management. Our focus on long-term relationships is a true differentiator for our Partners business.”

Simplot Partners offers a complete line of products that meet the needs of a wide range of customers, including golf courses, landscapers, nursery operators, municipalities and athletic field managers. The company’s turf was used at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Simplot also offers a proprietary line of premium turf colorants and many other ornamental plant management products. Simplot Partners has locations in 16 other states, all in the West, as well as two locations in Australia.

The Andersons Inc., Maumee, Ohio, reported a third quarter 2018 net loss attributable to The Andersons of $2.1 million, or ($0.07) per diluted share, on revenues of $686 million. Those results compared to 2017 third quarter net income of $2.5 million, or $0.09 per diluted share, on revenues of $837 million.

“The overriding driver of our third quarter results was the mark-to-market impact on our grain inventories that we believe will substantially rebound before year-end,” said Pat Bowe, president and CEO. “The Ethanol Group continued to perform well despite tough market conditions, and Plant Nutrient and Rail results were not much different than those of last year’s third quarter.”

“The Plant Nutrient Group’s margins continued to be compressed, and year-over-year volumes were somewhat lower as some September shipments were delayed,” he added.

The Mosaic Co., Plymouth, Minn., reported third quarter 2018 net earnings of $247.5 million ($0.64 per diluted share) on net sales of $2.93 billion, up from the year-ago $227.5 million ($0.65 per share) and $1.98 billion, respectively. Third quarter diluted earnings per share included a negative impact of $0.11 per share from notable items, primarily related to discrete tax items and costs associated with the Vale Fertilizantes acquisition.

“We saw strong fundamentals in the third quarter, and that momentum is continuing,” said Joc O’Rourke, Mosaic president and CEO. “We’ve increased our full year earnings guidance to reflect strong operational performance across business units, as well as improving market conditions. Our excellent progress on the transformational initiatives at Mosaic Fertilizantes is delivering tangible results to the bottom line.”

Nutrien Ltd., Saskatoon, announced 2018 third-quarter results, with net loss from continuing operations of $1.1 billion on sales of $4 billion, up from a year-ago combined loss of $53 million on sales of $3.59 billion. The results reflected the $1.8 billion non-cash impairment on the New Brunswick, N.B. potash facility as well as a $151 million gain on an adjustment to pension and retirement benefit plans.

“In the third quarter, Nutrien delivered solid operating results,” said Chuck Magro, Nutrien president and CEO. “Retail earnings increased by 10 percent year-over-year while our nutrient production operations reported higher volumes, margins and significantly lower costs. We also made significant advances on our strategic priorities including raising the dividend and our synergy target, completing our share repurchase program and closing the sale of our stake in Arab Potash Co. (APC). We remain on track to receive $5 billion in net proceeds from the sale of our equity investments. Nutrien has also raised its annual guidance due to the strength of market fundamentals and acceleration of merger synergies. We continue to be well positioned to deliver strong long-term shareholder returns.”