In advance of Hurricane Isaac, Mississippi Phosphates Corp. said it has implemented normal storm preparation procedures at its Pascagoula, Miss., phosphate complex. “Our Hurricane Task Force is in place to manage the plant and its utility support systems,” a company spokesperson told Green Markets. “Non-essential and contract personnel have been sent home until the storm clears. Based on the current forecast, we expect no damage from Isaac and to return to normal operation in short order.

The Trading Corp. of Pakistan closed its latest tender with offers lower than the last tender in July. Keytrade came in the lowest at $399.38/mt CFR for 50,000 mt. The company also made an optional offer of the same quantity at the same price. Keytrade won the July 29 tender with an offer of $419.39/mt CFR
In the latest tender, after Keytrade came Dreymoor and Helm. The two companies each offered 50-150,000 mt and were only cents apart. The Dreymoor offer was at $407.15/mt CFR and Helm at $407.41/mt CFR.

In the past, TCP would have had to accept the Keytrade offer and then call another tender to close in three to four weeks. The ruling body of TCP – Economic Coordinating Committee – however, granted TCP permission to negotiate with companies to see if they will match the lowest price offered in that tender.
If Dreymoor and Helm accept the Keytrade price, TCP would conclude its mandated purchase of 300,000 mt, leaving the market empty of any major urea buyers.

An 11-mile stretch of the Mississippi River south of Memphis, Tenn., was closed to commercial traffic early in the week due to low water levels. The closed section reopened to limited vessel traffic late on Aug. 21 after dredges were able to clear a channel, but crews were working again on Aug. 22 to refloat a grounded vessel near Greenville, Miss., and allow limited barge traffic to resume. The U.S. Coast Guard said the closure left some 97 boats and barges waiting for passage. Roughly 33 northbound vessels were able to pass through the area before the grounding. The Coast Guard reported that this problematic section of the river has been closed intermittently since Aug. 11 when an earlier vessel ran aground.

The J.R. Simplot Co. has acquired Dorman Brothers LLC., an agricultural supply company with locations in Goodland, Kan., and in Colorado at Burlington and Cheyenne Wells. It will join Simplot’s AgriBusiness Group as part of the Simplot Grower Solutions network.

“Our goal at Simplot Grower Solutions is to continue to grow our business by expanding our reach in strategic areas as we focus on meeting customer needs,” said Dave Dufault, vice president of Simplot Retail. “Dorman Brothers fits in perfectly.”

Mike Dorman, who started Dorman Brothers in 1998 with his brother, Tim, said the business arrangement with Simplot will be good for customers and employees. “We felt that Simplot Grower Solutions was the best fit for our employees and our customers, and their commitment to agriculture is well known throughout the industry,” he said.
“Each location will remain focused on providing customers with a full line of crop nutrients, crop protection, seed, specialty products, and agricultural technology.”

According to AgriBusiness Group president Garrett Lofto, the Dorman Brothers acquisition represents a good fit with existing Simplot operations. “For more than 80 years, the J. R. Simplot Co. has played a significant role in various sectors of the global food and agriculture system and this long term commitment continues,” said Lofto. “Dorman Brothers fits in very well with our existing retail operations and we are excited about how it will complement our recent announcement around the expansion of our Rock Springs phosphate operation.”

Simplot Grower Solutions has more than 250 crop advisors and over 90 retail locations.

The J.R. Simplot Co., a privately held agribusiness firm headquartered in Boise, Idaho, has an integrated portfolio that includes phosphate mining, fertilizer manufacturing, farming, ranching and cattle production, food processing, food brands, and other enterprises related to agriculture. Simplot’s major operations are located in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and China, with products marketed in more than 40 countries worldwide.

The North Dakota Industrial Commission failed to take action Monday, Aug. 20, on a request for a $1 million state grant to help finance the development of a unique system that converts onsite flare gas from oil wells into ammonia fertilizer (GM Aug. 20, p. 1). According to Alison Ritter, spokeswoman for the North Dakota Department of Natural Resources, the Commission made up of Gov. Jack Dalrymple, Atty. Gen. Wayne Stenehjem and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring was enthusiastic about the potential of lower-cost fertilizer for the state’s farmers but indicated that a $1 million is a lot of money and decided that more information is needed and asked N-Flex developer Neil Cohn to provide more information. “I would look for the issue to be on their agenda next month,” Ritter told Green Markets.

Koch Nitrogen Co. is releasing none of the details regarding what Koch is calling a “big over-pressurized blast” at its Beatrice, Neb., plant shortly before 5 a.m. last Friday, Aug. 17, that left one worker in the hospital with serious injuries.

“We transported one patient to Beatrice Community Hospital and the second patient with serious injuries to BryanLGH West in Lincoln about 35 miles away,” Beatrice Fire Chief Brian Daake told Green Markets. “I know they were shut down for maintenance at the time.” Both the injured were reported to be contract employees. “There was no fire and no hazardous materials were released although they’ve got all kinds of that stuff out there.” He said Koch plant is located about six miles out of town and is in the jurisdiction of the Beatrice volunteer rural fire district. Neither Rural District Fire Chief Jim Engel nor Assistant Chief Gary Wiese was available but Daake said the rural district responded with eight fire fighters and the city with two ambulances.

The Tampa anhydrous ammonia price for September is moving up, with reports that major business has been concluded at $705/mt DEL, up $15/mt from August’s $690/mt.