Oslo-Yara International ASA has acquired 50 percent of the Geneva-based trading company Balderton Fertilisers SA. Yara says the acquisition will strengthen Yara’s existing ammonia and fertilizer trade business and will support further growth through improved sourcing capabilities and new distribution channels. Balderton is one of the leading fertilizer and ammonia trading companies in Europe, trading approximately 1.8 million mt of various products in 2005. Balderton’s strong positions in the Black Sea region, the Mediterranean, and Africa compliment Yara’s positions in other parts of the world. Going forward, Yara will both purchase third party fertilizer products through Balderton and use Balderton as a complimentary sales channel for Yara’s own produced products in markets where Yara does not currently have a presence. “After successfully having done business together for many years, both companies wanted a closer cooperation in order to support the continued profitable growth of both companies,” said Yara President and CEO Thorleif Enger. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price at this stage.

Greeley, Colo.-UAP Holding Corp. said Sept. 5 that it has closed the acquisition of Terral AgriService, Inc. and certain assets of Terral FarmService Inc. and Wisner Elevator Inc. UAP previously announced its intent to acquire Terral (GM July 17, p. 9), pending due diligence and the negotiation of definitive agreements. Terral, a leading chemical, fertilizer, and seed distributor with over 3,000 customers, has been operating in Northeast Louisiana for over 60 years. The acquisition will contribute several key assets, including five distribution facilities throughout Northeast Louisiana, as well as key management and sales personnel. As part of the transaction, Brad Terral, vice president of Terral FarmService and Wisner Elevator, will remain with the business for two years. “We are very pleased to have closed on our purchase of Terral,” said Kenny Cordell, UAP CEO. “This acquisition is an ideal fit with UAP’s stated growth strategy, as it will expand our distribution reach and increase our market share in chemicals, fertilizer and seed. We are confident in our ability to quickly integrate the two companies and capitalize on the rich heritage of Terral.”

Bloomington, Ill.-Growmark Inc. estimates that sales for the year ending Aug. 31, 2006, will be $3.4 billion, up $700 million from last year. Net income is expected to be $73.5 million, up from the prior year’s $73.2 million, which included a $51 million gain from the sale of CF Industries Inc. stock. The company’s energy business had a record year and helped offset the company’s agronomy business, which saw a six percent decrease in fertilizer and crop protection volumes. Seed sales were a bright spot, with sales topping $130 million, a $20 million increase. Higher sales were generated from higher seed corn and biotech trait sales. Growmark said it has gained 560,000 acres of new corn and soybean seed business in the past two years. With relatively flat planted acreage, Growmark CEO Bill Davisson told shareholders Sept. 1 that this is business taken away from competitors. Davisson also said that Growmark FS, its agronomy subsidiary on the eastern seaboard, has increased sales to $120 million and has positive income. He said the unit is in the midst of a facilities restructuring program, which includes closing, relocation, and construction of new facilities. Growmark said it would return more than $49 million in patronage and refunds to members. In addition, there will also be a special redemption of preferred stock. In total, more than $60 million of cash will be distributed, a Growmark record.

Houston-Transportation company Kinder Morgan Inc. on Aug. 28 said it signed a definitive merger agreement under which Chairman and CEO Richard Kinder and other members of management, along with investment groups Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, American International Group Inc., The Carlyle Group, and Riverstone Holdings LLC., will acquire the company in a transaction valued at $22 billion. This includes the assumption of approximately $7 billion in debt. Shareholders will receive $107.50 in cash for each share.

Bradenton, Fla.-After Manatee County, Fla., officials declined a sweetheart deal, a group of New York City investors agreed to purchase Mulberry Corp.’s defunct Piney Point phosphate processing plant for $4.3 million, according to Herb Donica, the attorney for the trustee of the property. In addition, the group, HRK Holdings LLC, agreed to pay $3.8 million over an extended period for cleanup and additional maintenance, costs that would have been paid by the state, which has already spent nearly $100 million to secure the site. “We offered it to the county (Manatee) for practically free for use as a reservoir, but they turned us down,” Donica said. “They said it was too much liability.” Donica added that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) offered to purchase an insurance policy from Lloyds of London for the county’s protection, but the county still declined. The Southwest Water Management Authority had urged the county to make the purchase. Fresh water in the Tampa Bay Area is a scarce commodity, and most of the cities and counties are on permanent water restrictions. The stacks and holding ponds at the site became a hazard after Mulberry walked out and informed the FDEP it could no longer afford to maintain the plant and ponds. The company filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy, but that was later converted to Chapter 7 and FDEP took over responsibility for the cleanup, which will continue until 2007 and will require special maintenance until 2010. FDEP emptied the ponds through a series of releases and treatments of the highly contaminated and acidic water. When the ponds on the stacks were emptied, they were lined so they could hold clean rain water. The ponds would have been the largest fresh water reservoir in the state if they had been purchased by Manatee County. The new owners did not say what they planned to do with the property, but it is zoned industrial and is near Port Manatee.

Washington, D.C.-Industry officials attended an Aug. 28 meeting in Washington, D.C., to discuss at length the U.S. Coast Guard (USGC) Transportation Workers Identification Credential (TWIC) program proposal, which will become law by the end of 2006. The TWIC program, which is mandated by the Maritime Transportation Security Act, would require all individuals with unescorted access to secure areas of American ports and Coast Guard regulated facilities to undergo a security threat assessment to determine whether or not they pose a security risk. Following the threat assessment, the TWIC, which would contain biometric information such as a fingerprint, would be issued to individuals desiring unescorted access. According to the Agricultural Retailers Association, topics at the Aug. 28 meeting included those issues that will affect retailers and distributors, such as the cost of implementation, escorted facility access for those workers without a TWIC card, and whether the USCG will accept a pre-existing government approved background check. “The spirit of the proposed law is to increase port security by limiting access to sensitive areas ?Çô a worthy goal,” ARA’s Jim Thrift told Green Markets. Thrift noted that industries that have major facilities at large ports are mostly positive about TWIC, as it will standardize all port regulations across the nation. TWIC requirements state that unauthorized personnel entering a secured area will need a facility escort, but ARA has voiced concerns that most agricultural facilities, due to their small size, do not have extra personnel for escort services. ARA has asked the USCG to accept electronic surveillance in some cases, in place of an escort, Thrift said. “Exact costs for TWIC are unknown, but it is expected that total charges for TWIC cards, background checks, facility escorts and security training for TWIC employees will be substantial,” he noted. ARA said it will continue to help retailers implement security programs like the TWIC “in a way that does not disrupt normal business practices.” The Fertilizer Institute has also weighed in on the TWIC requirements. In a July letter to the Department of Transportation, TFI President Ford West asked that the TWIC modify its definitions of “secure areas” and “escort,” as well as its enrollment process, to avoid putting a financial burden on TWIC applicants and owners/operators, and on small fertilizer businesses (GM Aug. 14, p. 1).