Intrepid Potash Inc., Denver, Colo., announced today that it has commenced an underwritten public offering of shares of its common stock. The net proceeds from this offering are expected to be used to partially repay indebtedness outstanding under Intrepid’s senior notes and for general corporate purposes. Intrepid intends to grant the underwriter a 30-day option to purchase additional shares of common stock at the public offering price.

Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. is acting as the sole book-running manager of this offering. The offering will be made only by means of a preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying base prospectus, copies of which may be obtained by contacting Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., Attention: Capital Markets, 499 Park Ave., 5^th Floor, New York, New York 10022, or by telephone at 212.829.7122, or by e-mail at prospectus@cantor.com. An electronic copy of the preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus may also be obtained at no charge from the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at www.sec.gov.

Ultra Yield Micronutrients Inc., an affiliate of Cameron Chemicals Inc., Virginia Beach, Va., has acquired the assets of Kronos Micronutrients LP “Kronos” Zinc Sulfate Production Facility located in Moxee, Wash. Richard Camp, the former owner of Kronos, will join the new company, as a consultant. All other staff at Kronos are expected to remain in place. All products produced at the Moxee facility will continue to be marketed under the logos and trademarks Kronos-33.3 percent Zinc Sulfate and Blu-Min Zinc Sulfate 35.5 percent.

U.S. Nitrogen Co. LLC, Mosheim, Tenn., told regulators in a letter March 10 that a combination of market conditions, equipment limitations and safety considerations underlie a claim of force majeure. It is making these arguments to ask the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation for an eight month extension to supply operating data for its nitric acid plant in Mosheim, Tenn. (GM March 10, 2017).

The company has to provide long-term operating data to TDEC, however, USN says that due in part to market conditions it is unable to operate the acid plant.

“…the market for our product has changed such that we are able to produce more nitric acid and more ammonium nitrate solution than we can sell,” USN Plant Manager Andrew Velo said in his letter. “These market conditions are beyond our control, and we certainly did not anticipate them.” He also went on to say that should USN produce the acid, it currently does not have a place to store it. While railcars could be brought in, he noted that this would create potential environmental and safety issues due to the loading and unloading. He also referenced problems with the plant’s NOx continuous emission monitor.

OCI Partners LP, which owns an ammonia and methanol complex in Beaumont, Texas, reported losses for both the fourth quarter and year ending Dec. 31, 2016.

The company posted a fourth-quarter net loss of $17 million on revenues of $66 million, compared to year-ago net income of $15 million and revenues of $88 million. The company cited lower ammonia prices, though it noted that those are up in first-quarter 2017.

For 2016, the company reported a net loss of $51 million on revenues of $258 million, compared to 2015 income of $52 million on revenues of $309 million.

Majority owner, OCI NV, which holds 79.88 percent of OCI Partners made a buy-out offer for the remaining shares in December 2016. The deal has not been finalized.

Yara International ASA said March 8 that it plans to cease operations at Pardies plant in France.

“We regret to inform our employees and other stakeholders that we are considering closing the Yara Pardies plant and seeking buyers interested in taking over the plant. I would like to assure our employees that the cessation process will be handled in a respectful and professional way, and in accordance with the relevant union agreements,” said Svein Tore Holsether, Yara president and CEO.

“This process is part of our on-going efforts to strengthen Yara’s long-term competitiveness, including in France which remains a key market for Yara, with more than 2.5 million tonnes of product delivered and E73 million invested in 2016,” he said. Yara said the Pardies operations suffer from limited scale, raw material integration and export competitiveness. The closure in 2010 of a nearby industrial operation deprived the Yara Pardies plant of many synergies that existed between the two plants, forcing Yara to close the ammonia production unit at the site. Yara has subsequently impaired the Pardies assets in both 2015 and 2016.

The Yara Pardies plant has 85 employees and an annual production capacity of approximately 100,000 mt of technical ammonium nitrate.

Koch Fertilizer has announced that Bunn Fertiliser Ltd. has entered into an agreement to sell its business and certain assets, including six terminal locations to a subsidiary of Origin Enterprises PLC. As part of the transaction, Bunn Fertiliser’s employees will transfer to Origin. Bunn is a UK-based fertilizer distributor and blender. Origin is a national manufacturer and distributor of fertilizer with a strong presence throughout Ireland, the UK and Eastern Europe.

Koch purchased Bunn in 2011 (GM March 21, 2011).

“Bunn Fertiliser, in combination with Origin’s existing business, has the potential to provide a more competitive and efficient portfolio of fertilizer products that will ultimately benefit Bunn Fertiliser’s and Origin’s customers,” said Scott McGinn, president of Koch Fertilizer. “Moving forward, we remain committed to our global fertilizer business, and believe this transaction will better position Koch Fertilizer to create additional value for its customers and suppliers.”

The sale is subject to certain conditions, including approval from the Competition and Markets Authority in the UK, which is expected in the second quarter this year.

Canpotex said March 6 that due to strong potash market fundamentals, it is now fully committed on planned shipment volumes through the end of May 2017.

In other news, the organization reports that Neptune Terminals, its loading facility in Vancouver, B.C., will be conducting some planned maintenance during the month of May on potash-related infrastructure which will reduce potash load out capabilities during the month.

The Andersons, Inc. said March 6 that it has signed an agreement to sell its farm center locations in Florida to Wedgworth’s Inc., of Belle Glade, Fla. This agreement includes real estate and assets owned by The Andersons at Zellwood, Clewiston, and Lake Placid as well as the assets and operations located in Immokalee.

“Over time it has become clear the Florida farm centers are not strategically aligned with our locations in the Eastern Corn Belt,” said CEO Pat Bowe. “We believe Wedgworth’s will continue to effectively serve the needs of the growers in this region and make good use of the capable workforce and assets in Florida.”

The Andersons obtained the Florida farm centers through the acquisitions of Douglass Fertilizer in 2008 and Immokalee Farmers Supply Inc. in 2011. The Andersons’ products will continue to be available to customers in the region through a distribution agreement with Wedgworth’s.

“This combination brings together the state’s leading dry and liquid plant nutrient suppliers and melds the most knowledgeable team of professionals in the fertilizer industry,” said Dennis Wedgworth, president of Wedgworth’s Inc. “We are excited about the expanded capabilities of not only supplying dry and liquid plant nutrition, but also crop protection products that this acquisition allows us to offer our customers.”

Wedgworth’s, founded in 1932, is a family owned and operated custom blend fertilizer company and is headquartered in Belle Glade, Fla. The company’s plant facility is located in Moore Haven, Fla.

The Haifa District Court has rejected an appeal by Haifa Chemicals against a lower court decision ordering the closure of its ammonia storage facility in Haifa. The court ruled that the facility is to be completely emptied by April 1 and that no new vessels of ammonia will be allowed to supply it in the interim. The judge ruled that the chances of an accident that could lead to the deaths of hundreds and possibly thousands had to be taken into account.

Last week Israel’s Environmental Protection Ministry decided not to renew Haifa Chemicals’ permit for hazardous materials and ordered the facility to be shut down by June 1. The permit expires March 1. The ministry said the facility would be allowed to operate until then though no additional unloading of imported ammonia will be permitted unless there are insufficient supplies to meet domestic demand. However, it is unclear what alternatives will be proposed for meeting domestic demand going forward.

Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund reported Feb. 27 that it entered into a definitive agreement Feb. 24 to sell its International business segment to Mitsui & Co. Ltd.

In other news, for the year ending Dec. 31, 2016, Chemtrade reported a net loss from continuing operations of C$1.2 million compared to 2015’s loss of $58 million. Revenues dropped to $1.1 billion, down $60.2 million from 2015. The company said the decrease was due to lower selling prices for sulfur and sulfuric acid.