CVR Energy Inc. reports that CVR Chief Operating Officer Stanley Riemann will retire June 30, 2014. Riemann is a long-time industry veteran and previously worked for Farmland Industries. CVR is the majority owner of CVR Nitrogen Partners LP which owns a nitrogen plant in Coffeyville, Kan., which was previously owned by Farmland.

Rentech Nitrogen Partners LP has determined that the fire that occurred Friday, Nov. 27, at the East Dubuque, Ill., facility began at the ammonia converter of the ammonia synthesis loop. The cost of repairs, which are currently underway, is anticipated to total approximately $1-2 million. The LP intends to file a claim related to the incident, under its property insurance policy, which has a deductible of $1 million. Production of all products at the facility is still anticipated to be halted for several weeks while repairs are made, however shipments of products held in inventory resumed on Saturday, Nov. 30.

Rentech Nitrogen does not expect the fire to affect the schedule for completion of repair work already underway on the foundation of one of the four syngas compressors, or the remainder of commissioning for the ammonia capacity expansion project.

The Mosaic Co. has entered into a Share Repurchase Agreement with the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation and the Anne Ray Charitable Trust (collectively, the MAC Trusts) to purchase all of their 43.3 million restricted Class A shares over the next eight months. In the initial transaction, Mosaic will purchase 21.7 million of the MAC Trusts’ Class A shares on Jan. 8, 2014, at a price determined by the volume weighted average closing price of Mosaic’s common stock during the preceding 20-day trading period. The remaining 21.6 million Class A shares will be purchased by Mosaic beginning in Feb. 2014 in seven equal installments at the close of each successive 20-day trading period using the same volume weighted average pricing formula as the initial transaction.

In connection with the agreement, the MAC Trusts have also agreed to release Mosaic from the contractual obligation to register any remaining common shares in a secondary offering.

"This agreement demonstrates our confidence in the future and effectively puts the Cargill split-off transaction behind us," said Jim Prokopanko, Mosaic president and CEO. "This is a major step toward our goal of a more efficient balance sheet by mid-2014. In addition to possible purchases of the MAC Trusts’ remaining common shares, we are continuing to evaluate other shareholder return options as we head into the new year.

"Our priorities have not changed. We intend to maintain our investment-grade ratings and the financial flexibility to take advantage of appropriate opportunities to grow our business. We will continue to focus on executing our strategy and create value through appropriate capital allocation."

JP Morgan Securities LLC has served as Mosaic’s financial advisor for the Cargill split off transaction and the evaluation of alternatives for ensuring the orderly distribution of restricted shares, including the Share Repurchase Agreement between Mosaic and the MAC Trusts. Citigroup Global Markets Inc. served as the MAC Trusts’ financial advisor in connection with the Share Repurchase Agreement.

Some 800 Rotem Amfert workers intensified their sanctions on Monday, Dec. 9, and were holed up inside the production plant in southern Israel. They closed the gates to the facility and prevented management from leaving the premises. The police were called in.

The workers decided on the action following a decision by parent company Israel Chemicals Ltd. to begin handing out dismissal notices to workers. The union charged that despite the negotiations that are taking place management continued to hand out notices.

The union leaders said they would not allow any materials or managers to leave the site until they are given a commitment that dismissals will not be based on conditions dictated by ICL management. Last month ICL announced plans to layoff 127 workers at Rotem Amfert.

A Rotem Amfert spokesman said that the company is facing its worst crisis in years due to a sharp drop in phosphate and fertilizer prices that have made the company among the least competitive in the industry. The spokesman added that the layoffs are a painful but necessary measure to enable the company to compete on the international market.

Edelstein, Ill.–The driver of a truck pulling two anhydrous ammonia tanks last Thursday Dec. 5 is reported still in critical condition in the burn center at St. Johns Hospital in Springfield after for some unexplained reason he lost control of the rig and one of the tanks exploded and was thrown by the force into an adjacent cornfield.

"We think that because of the vehicle accident one of the tanks actually ruptured and the force of the explosion threw the tank 100 yards into a cornfield and emptied about 1,000 gallons of ammonia," according to Jean Payne, president of the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association. "In my career this is the first time I’ve seen a tank rupture like this. In our industry this is something you just don’t see."

An investigation into the incident was opened immediately by the Illinois Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Transportation.

Payne indicated that the driver could have been distracted by a big weather system that was moving in at the time and that Thursday actually was the last day of the fall ammonia season. She said the accident occurred in a residential section but fortunately the tank was propelled away from the homes.

Shareholders of Lincoln Land FS Inc. in Jacksonville, Ill., and Two Rivers FS Inc. in Rushville, Ill., have approved a merger of the two companies, effective Dec. 1. The new full-service cooperative will operate under the name of Prairieland FS Inc., and will be headquartered in Jacksonville.

The combined footprint of Lincoln Land FS and Two Rivers FS extends Prairieland’s service area from west-central Illinois into northeastern Missouri. The new company will provide agronomy, energy, facility planning, grain marketing, and logistics products and services to customers in Adams, Brown, Menard, Morgan, Pike, Sangamon, Schuyler, Scott, and southwestern Fulton counties in Illinois, and also in four Missouri counties.

Keith Hufendick, former manager of Two Rivers FS, has been named CEO of the new company, while Matt Busby, former manager of Lincoln Land FS, will serve as chief operating officer. Other key management positions include Joe Pickrell, who will serve as president, and Chet Esther, who assumes the role of vice president.

Lincoln Land FS’s service area in west-central Illinois includes facilities at Jacksonville, Atterberry, Auburn, Bethel, Franklin, Greenview, Illiopolis, New Berlin, Prentice, Riverton, and Winchester. Two Rivers FS operates facilities in Kahoka and Taylor, Mo., and also at 14 Illinois locations in Rushville, Astoria, Camden, Golden, Ipava, Kinderhook, Kingston, Milton, Mt. Sterling, Paloma, Payson, Pittsfield, Pleasant Hill, and Ursa.

The FS co-ops are affiliates of Growmark, a regional cooperative based in Bloomington, Ill., with annual sales of $10.1 billion. Two Rivers FS and Lincoln Land FS together posted $300 million in sales for the most recent fiscal year ended July 31, 2013.

Toronto-based Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund announced on Dec. 4 that it has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase General Chemical Holding Company, Parsippany, N.J., for $860 million, subject to certain adjustments.

General Chemical is a manufacturer of a broad portfolio of inorganic chemical products with three business units: Water Treatment Chemicals, Sulfuric Acid, and Specialty Chemicals. The company is one of North America’s largest suppliers of sulfuric acid, liquid sulfur dioxide, and sodium hydrosulfite, and is a major regional supplier of sulfur, sodium chlorate, phosphorus pentasulfide, zinc oxide, and water treatment chemicals. The business operates 45 facilities across the U.S. and Canada, and employs approximately 540 people.

The transaction will be structured as a merger in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, pursuant to which Chemtrade will acquire all of the outstanding shares of ASP GT Holding Corp., General Chemical’s parent company, from certain funds controlled by American Securities LLC, a private equity firm.

“This is a historic event for Chemtrade. The acquisition of General Chemical adds significant size, scale, and scope to Chemtrade’s existing product and service platform,” said Mark Davis, Chemtrade president and CEO. “General Chemical has strong portfolio alignment with our current business, enhancing our existing sulfuric acid geographic footprint and greatly expanding our water treatment business so it now extends across most of North America. The acquisition of General Chemical also moves Chemtrade into new but related product categories and end markets, and positions Chemtrade to capitalize on new growth opportunities.”

General Chemical’s customer based includes municipal water treatment, general industrial production, pulp and paper, food and beverage, agriculture, and pharmaceuticals. The company posted revenues of $390 million for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2013, and adjusted EBITDA of $110 million.