Simplot Grower Solutions has expanded services at a new location in Hermiston, Ore. It said the addition of a new dry fertilizer blending facility will help meet increased demands from customers wanting more products, better availability, and a wider array of choices in the area.

This state-of-the-art facility, the largest in eastern Oregon at 19,000 st, will store and blend crop nutrient products (treated and untreated) through a sophisticated system that will drastically increase the speed in which Simplot can serve its customer base. Simplot said it will offer a wide variety of products at the location to allow customers to custom blend inputs to meet the exact needs of their specific farms and individual fields. The custom blends will be mixed and loaded on demand, providing clients the exact product they need within minutes of arrival.

“The new location enables us the flexibility to provide the same top-of–the-line products our customer’s desire, accurately blended, much more quickly,” said George DesBrisay, Simplot area manager for the Lower Columbia Basin and Willamette Valley. “We do everything we can to ensure farmers maximize the success in all their fields and this is one more tool to help in that effort.”

This new location is now open and operational. Entrance and load-out for trucks is specifically designed for ease of access and simplicity so that drivers can remain in their trucks when loading orders. This not only provides convenience, but also offers a safer environment for everyone on-site.

“Oregon is extremely important to Simplot Grower Solutions,” said Dave Dufault, vice president and general manager of Simplot’s Retail business. “We know our customers expect great products with great service, and this new facility will enable us to handle more of those products and deliver when our customers need them. We are very proud of that capability.”

An employee of Agrium’s Crop Production Services was killed in a fertilizer-related accident Jan. 25 in Lakeville, N.Y. According to the local sheriff, three CPS workers were trying to unload fertilizer from a covered hopper rail car when the hopper got jammed. One fell into the hopper while trying to break up the jam. He became buried under the fertilizer and died. The others immediately called for help.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of our co-worker during this difficult time,” said an Agrium CPS spokesman. “We have only preliminary information about what happened and will continue to work with local authorities as well as conduct our own thorough investigation into the incident. To the family members and colleagues of the employee who passed away we will continue to offer our support.”

Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc. reported fourth-quarter net income of $59 million ($0.07 per diluted share) on sales of $1.06 billion for the fourth-quarter ending Dec. 31, 2016, down 70 percent from the year-ago $201 million ($0.24 per share) and $1.35 billion, respectively.

Full-year income was off 73 percent to $336 million ($0.40 per share) on sales of $4.46 billion, down from $1.27 billion ($1.52 per share) and $6.3 billion, respectively. The company gave 2017 full-year guidance of $0.35-$55 per share, which includes $0.05 per share for merger-related costs.

The company was the most upbeat on potash, saying that Canpotex had record second-half shipments in 2016 and is fully committed for first-quarter 2017. It also cited improved prices, lower production costs from expansions, healthy underlying consumption trends and lower dealer inventories in most key buying areas. Overall, it expects a balanced market in 2017.

In nitrogen, PotashCorp sees a transition year as the industry works its way through new capacity.

The company is assessing its phosphate assets for a potential impairment, though it cautioned that this would not be significant to the company’s operational outlook. It expects challenging market fundamentals in 2017 and noted record fourth-quarter Chinese exports and slow demand in India, despite stronger shipments to Latin America.

Israel’s Finance Ministry Accountant General Michal Abadi Boiangiu has recommended an open tender for mining rights at the Dead Sea when the license of Israel Chemicals Ltd. expires in 2030. She presented her recommendations Jan. 17 to the senior officials at the ministry regarding the issue of mining rights at the Dead Sea.

The recommendations run counter to the attempts by the ministry in the past few years to reach an agreement with ICL over extension of the rights beyond 2030 in exchange for the acceptance of certain changes and concessions in a new agreement with the Israeli government. The recommendations made public today sent shares of ICL down sharply on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

Abadi Boiangiu completed her report just weeks before she steps down from her position and is due to be replaced by Roni Hezkiyahu. The report contains an assessment of the value of the assets held by ICL that the Israeli government would presumably have to pay for in the event of an open tender. ICL has held up further investment at the Dead Sea pending an outcome of the issue of extending the license for mining potash and other raw materials.

The Andersons Inc. have announced plans to exit the retail business and close its remaining four retail stores in the second quarter of 2017. It said the retail closings will have no impact on the company’s grain, ethanol, plant nutrient and rail operations.

“The decision to close The Andersons stores was not easy for anyone involved,” says CEO Pat Bowe. “Choosing to cease a business that has spanned 65 years and employs about 1,050 people is tremendously difficult.”

The closing will eliminate approximately 650 positions in the Toledo area and 400 positions in Columbus, of which approximately 75 percent are part-time positions. The company will provide employees with severance packages and outplacement services to assist them in their career transitioning.

During the past eight years the Retail Group has incurred pre-tax losses, including previous asset impairments, in excess of $20 million and closed three stores.

The full financial impact of this closure has not been determined. The company expects to record pre-tax impairment charges on long-lived assets related to the Retail segment of approximately $6.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2016.

The company expects to record a pre-tax charge in the range of $9 to $14 million in the first half of 2017 for severance costs and other costs associated with the closure. The company also anticipates that the full carrying value of its inventory may not be recoverable during the store liquidation process. Gains or losses are anticipated on individual properties upon sale, however the company is uncertain of the timing and amount of those sales.

Subsequent to the impairment charges noted above, the Retail Group’s assets at their December 31, 2016 carrying values include: Inventory and other assets at $21 million; long-lived assets at $9.8 million.

CHS Inc. earnings for the period (Sept. 1 – Nov. 30, 2016) declined 22 percent from the same period of fiscal 2016. The decrease was primarily attributed to lower pretax earnings in the company’s Energy and Foods segments along with Corporate and Other. These declines were partially offset by increased pretax earnings in the CHS Ag segment as well as earnings from the new Nitrogen Production segment.

“We’ve been in business for nearly nine decades, so we’ve experienced these types of cycles before,” said CHS President and CEO Carl Casale. “Although it’s not possible to predict how long the current down cycle in the ag and energy industries will continue, we’ll navigate through this period by continuing to run our businesses efficiently and effectively, by maintaining a strong balance sheet and by ensuring we serve our owners’ and customers’ needs in all we do.”

The CHS Ag segment, which includes its domestic and global grain and crop nutrients businesses, renewable fuels, local retail operations and processing and food ingredients, generated income of $109.2 million, an increase of 58 percent over the same period a year ago. The wholesale crop nutrients business increased mainly due to increased margins. Country operations earnings increased because of increased grain volumes and other income, which was partially offset by loan loss reserves.

The Nitrogen Production segment generated income of $27.0 million before taxes during the first three months of the fiscal year. This increase in income was primarily driven by a gain of $29.1 million associated with an embedded derivative asset established due to the terms of our strategic investment in CF Industries Nitrogen LLC. There are no comparable results in the prior year as this segment represents the investment in CF Nitrogen, which occurred in February 2016.

The Tampa sulfur price for the first-quarter 2017 has been concluded with a $5.45/lt increase to $75/lt, from the fourth-quarter 2016 price of $69.55/lt.

A Monday evening fire (Jan. 9) destroyed a 50,000 square foot facility at the family-owned Hoopes Fertilizer Works Inc., East Rochester, Ohio, according to the local media, citing Aaron Stoller, chief of the Sandy Creek Joint Fire District. He said the fire caused a total loss and that very little fertilizer was in the facility, with most of the inventory currently salt and deicing products.

All employees had left the facility prior to the fire being reported.

Norfolk and Southern Railroad tracks run behind the facility and trains were delayed until the fire was extinguished.