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Cargill to acquire Northstar Grain

June 18, 2013Breaking Industry Newswebster@kennedyinfo.com

Cargill Inc. said it has reached an agreement to acquire the grain storage and crop inputs assets of Northstar Grain LLC, Decatur, Mich., and associated properties in Decatur in southwest Michigan.

The assets will be acquired from Northstar Grain LLC. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of June, pending routine due diligence. Terms were not disclosed.

“Our ownership of these assets will mean that farmers will gain a competitive market for their grain, as well as an expert crop inputs team from a company that they can rely on,” said Ben Breazeale, leader of the Greater Indiana Farm Service group of Cargill AgHorizons U.S. “We also bring to the table industry-leading risk management products, personalized on-farm grain marketing services and excellent customer service.

The assets include 4.5million bushels of storage space for corn, soybeans and wheat, and a crop inputs business. The site is served by the Norfolk Southern railroad, which provides access to markets in the eastern and southeastern United States.

“We have had a sales presence in southwest Michigan for a number of years,” Breazeale said. “We have Farm Marketers and Grain Marketing Advisors who cover the area who can help farmer customers with all aspects of their business. Our crop inputs team will be another valuable resource for producers.”

Cargill will initially invest about $3 million in upgrades to the facility to complete the construction of a 500,000 bushel storage bin and increase the capability to ship 75-car unit trains. “We look forward to notably increasing the competitiveness of this facility as a market for our future customers and connecting it to the extensive grain and oilseeds supply chains we serve,” Breazeale said.

STC calls urea tender

Right after MMTC bought more than 1 million mt at lower than expected prices, STC called a urea tender to close June 22. The short time between the calling of the tender and its closing – only five days – came against the backdrop of an early monsoon and a better-than-expected planting season. In addition, the fact that MMTC only took 1 million mt when it had the opportunity to buy more, means the global market still has an oversupply of urea, say sources.

Sources who looked at the MMTC awards commented at the time that a subsequent tender could see even lower prices.

Like MMTC, STC added a requirement in the tender documents that companies offering Iranian material will have to be responsible for all insurance costs. Insurance for product coming from any other source will be covered by STC. In addition, STC is requiring each offering company to specify the source of its offered tons as well as the proposed discharge port. Validity for the offers must last until June 28. This would give STC plenty of time to negotiate for a large quantity.