Feed Products North Inc., a dry bulk storage, packaging, and marketing company headquartered in Maplewood, Minn., announced on Dec. 15 that it has purchased a portion of Continental Nitrogen & Resources’ (CNR) land, buildings, and business assets in Rosemount, Minn.
The purchase includes a 25,000 st dry bulk storage facility, as well as the natural and organic fertilizer production, ice melt, and floor absorbent businesses of CNR. Included in the sale are 25 acres parceled from the 105-acre Rosemount CNR site, extensive unit train rail access, granulating/blending production assets and the building that houses them, and a 55,000 square foot heated bag storage building. The sale does not include CNR’s UAN and ammonia storage facilities at Rosemount.
Feed Products will operate the facility and businesses under the name Origination Inc. (O2D). The company said O2D will produce “high quality, uniquely prilled constructed natural and organic fertilizer, floor absorbent and ice melt products” at the Rosemount location.
John C. Fallin, president of Feed Products, told Green Markets that the natural and organic fertilizer production capacity at the site is 16,000 st/y, and uses animal protein products in blends. The 25,000 st dry bulk storage building involved in the sale has for some time been leased by CNR to Honeywell for the storage of ammonium sulfate. Fallin said O2D will continue the bulk storage warehouse agreement with Honeywell.
CNR operates as a subsidiary of DHB Holdings Inc., and distributes nitrogen-based products to industrial markets in the U.S. In 2007, DHB announced that it was looking for a buyer for the CNR facility at Rosemount, and DHB President Dave Bednar told Green Markets last week that the balance of the site is still for sale. The remaining acreage and assets include a 25,000 st ammonia storage facility and 25,000 st of UAN storage.
Bednar said CNR has been out of the fertilizer business for some time. The company’s other assets include a 150,000 st/y ammonium nitrate plant in Brandon, Manitoba. Airgas Inc., a U.S. distributor of industrial, medical, and specialty gases, purchased CNR’s aqua ammonia operations at Rosemount in May 2007.
According to its Web site, Feed Products provides national marketing for manufacturers of animal feed ingredients. The company utilizes river, road, and rail transportation infrastructure to market, distribute, package, and store products for the feed, ice melt, and industrial markets.