Bloomington, Ill.-Growmark Inc. has announced it intends to purchase the assets of Select Seed, Camden, Ind. The transaction is expected to close by May 1. Owned and operated by the Eggerling family, Select Seed is a third-generation, family business. Select Seed’s proprietary brand is sold through more than 100 active farmer dealers in Indiana, southern Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky. In business since 1928, Select Seed is a corn seed supplier.

Saskatchewan-Canpotex Ltd. on April 19 announced plans that it will develop a state-of-the-art railcar maintenance and staging facility in Saskatchewan. Located approximately 12 km. southwest of Lanigan in the Rural Municipality of Usborne, the project is estimated to cost C$55 million and will create approximately 40 jobs during construction and 20 once operational.

Rio de Janeiro -Vale S.A. announces that it has entered into a contract for a five-year revolving credit line facility of US$3 billion supplied by a bank syndicate. The revolving credit line was arranged by a bank syndicate comprised by 27 global commercial banks, led by Crédit Agricole, J.P. Morgan, Mizuho, and Natixis. The syndicate also includes the following banks: Santander, HSBC, Bank of America, The Bank of Nova Scotia, CIBC, Société Générale, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Bradesco, Sumitomo, Royal Bank of Canada, Intesa San Paolo, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank, Citibank, RBS, Barclays, Bank of China, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, ANZ, Goldman Sachs and National Australian Bank, and DZ Bank. The amount offered reached more than two times the volume originally demanded by Vale. The transaction was structured in such a way that Vale and some of its wholly-owned subsidiaries can draw during the five-year tenure of the facility. The facility will add US$3 billion to Vale’s existing US$1.6 billion revolving credit lines, which will mature during 2011 and 2012. The revolving credit lines work as a short-term liquidity buffer that enhances liquidity and allows more efficient cash management, consistent with Vale’s strategic focus on cost of capital reduction.

Toronto-MagIndustries Corp. said April 20 that it has entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which Evergreen Industries Group, a diversified industrial company based in Shanghai, China, has agreed, subject to the terms of the support agreement, to make an offer to acquire all the outstanding MagIndustries common shares by way of a friendly takeover bid for C$0.25 per share in cash, valuing the company’s equity at approximately C$115 million. The offer represents a premium of approximately 64 percent to MagIndustries’s 20-day volume weighted average trading price of $0.15 on the Toronto Stock Exchange for the period ending on April 19, 2011. “Over a period of several years, MagIndustries has thoroughly reviewed, analyzed, and assessed all the possible options for the company to finance the Mengo project, and we have now come to the conclusion that the Evergreen’s offer is the best available option to our shareholders and to the company,” said Gerard Munera, Mag chairman. “We are delighted that a company of the financial and technical strength of Evergreen is going to take the Mengo project to the next stage of its development.” Mag has been trying to develop a potash project in the Congo. The support agreement provides for customary board support and non-solicitation covenants subject to customary “fiduciary out” provisions, and a reciprocal non-completion fee of C$3 million, payable if the acquisition is not completed in certain specified circumstances. In connection with the offer, all of the directors and officers of Mag have agreed to enter into lock-up agreements with Evergreen pursuant to which they will, among other things, agree to tender of all their Mag shares to the offer. The Mag board of directors, after consulting with its financial and legal advisors, has unanimously determined that the offer is fair, in the best interests of the Mag shareholders, and to recommend acceptance of the offer. BMO Capital Markets, financial advisor to the Mag board, provided an opinion that the offer is fair, from a financial point of view, to the Mag shareholders. The board has also deferred the separation time of the rights (as such terms are defined in the company’s shareholder rights plan) in respect to the offer, and will, immediately prior to the expiry of the offer, waive or suspend the operation of the shareholder rights plan in respect to the offer.

Wichita-Koch Agronomic Services has broadened its agronomic portfolio with the acquisition of the Nitamin® and Nitamin Nfusion® slow-release foliar- and soil-applied nitrogen fertilizers from Georgia-Pacific Chemicals. Completing the acquisition is the first step in establishing the business as a more comprehensive agronomic solutions provider, said Koch. Koch Agronomic Services, a subsidiary of Koch Fertilizer LLC, was formed with the vision of bringing enhanced efficiency fertilizers and value-added technologies to the marketplace. In November 2010, Koch Agronomic Services entered into an agreement to market the Nitamin® brand product line to extend the reach of the brand to more markets in the U.S. and Canada. “We are excited to permanently add the Nitamin® brands to our global portfolio of enhanced efficiency fertilizer products. This growth reinforces our vision for Koch Agronomic Services to be a leader in innovative and efficient fertilizer solutions,” said Steve Packebush, president of Koch Fertilizer. “Customers can expect Koch Agronomic Services to continue to develop and deliver innovative agronomic solutions that meet their changing needs.” Koch Agronomic is investing in a range of enhanced efficiency fertilizer technologies that can improve nutrient efficiency and boost yields, while reducing nutrient loss and protecting the environment. “We continually look to expand our capabilities by bringing added value to growers,” said Tom Snipes, business manager for Koch Agronomic Services. “As growers look to maximize their production and return on crop inputs, enhanced fertilizers and new crop technologies are important tools.” Koch Agronomic Services is part of a global network with the capability to manufacture, market and distribute more than 13 million tons of fertilizer products annually.

Greeneville, Tenn.-Nearby landowners have filed suit against Greene County authorities for their decision to approve the zoning for a new $160 M nitrogen/explosives complex (GM Feb. 28, p. 1, April 11, p. 10). The suit, filed in local court, faulted local zoning officials and county commissioners for hastily approving the plant without giving proper notice to the community, according to The Greeneville Sun.

St. Paul-More than two million meals are headed for hungry families thanks to the first-ever CHS Harvest for Hunger food and funds drive by the Country Operations division of CHS Inc. “CHS Harvest for Hunger generated great participation and really harnessed the power of CHS Country Operations to make a difference in the fight against hunger,” says John McEnroe, senior vice president, CHS Country Operations. “In only 18 days, CHS employees, customers, and partners worked together to collect 314,162 pounds of food and $247,935 in cash and grain. That’s double our original one million meal goal and powerful proof of how much the country cares about helping others in need.” In addition, McEnroe says that for every donation made to CHS Harvest for Hunger, CHS Country Operations is making a local contribution back to the communities. “These matching donations will be reinvested back into a local cause to help nearby friends and neighbors. It’s yet another example of the fact that CHS values being responsible stewards in its communities, a tradition it has built for 80 years.” CHS Harvest for Hunger was held March 1-18 at most of the CHS Country Operations retail locations. Donations collected went to Feeding America’s network of regional food banks. Fundraising activities varied at each location and included serving a pancake breakfast, hosting a taco salad day, and providing grocery-bagging services.

Baltimore, Md.-Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin, a Democrat and chairman of the Senate’s water and wildlife subcommittee, is behind a movement to help clean up the Chesapeake Bay by reducing fertilizer runoff from lawns. Cardin last week joined Environment Maryland at the unveiling of a grassy patch installed on a pier as a reminder of how runoff can contribute to bay pollution. Cardin advised homeowners “to be part of the solution” this spring when they fertilize their lawns, urging them to be mindful that those and other chemicals can cause lasting damage to the fragile watershed. In its report Urban Fertilizer & the Chesapeake Bay, Environment Maryland reminded everyone that grass covers more acres in the bay watershed than any other crop, and fertilizers that help lawns grow are harming water quality as they spill into the bay. The report declared, “Turfgrass as the state’s biggest unregulated crop with as much as 1.3 million acres statewide becomes a pollution problem when it is covered with too much nitrogen and phosphorus, which washes into nearby waters when it rains and snows and harms the Bay, whether it’s organic or chemical.” The study comes as lawmakers in Annapolis are considering new regulations for lawn fertilizer that would require changes in ingredients and its application.