Agrium

Agrium was a major retail supplier of agricultural products and services in North America, South America and Australia and a wholesale producer and marketer of all three major agricultural nutrients and a supplier of specialty fertilizers in North America.

Agrium Inc.
TypePublic company
TSX: AGU
NYSE: AGU
(until December 2017)
IndustryChemicals, Agriculture
Founded1931
DefunctDecember 2017 (2017-12)
FateMerged with PotashCorp
SuccessorNutrien
HeadquartersCalgary, Alberta, Canada
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Victor J. Zaleschuk (Director)
(Chairman of the Board)
Chuck Magro (CEO)
ProductsAgricultural products and services
RevenueIncrease US$16.0 billion (2014)[1]
Increase US$3.6 billion (2014)[1]
Increase US$720 million (2014)[1]
Total assetsIncreaseUS$17.1 billion (2014)[1]
Total equityIncrease US$6.7 billion (2014)[1]
Number of employees
15,500 (2014)[1]
DivisionsAgrium Retail
Agrium Wholesale
SubsidiariesAgrium U.S.
Websiteagrium.com

In 2018, Agrium merged with PotashCorp to form Nutrien.[2]

History

Agrium was founded as Cominco Fertilizers (short for Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company[3]) in 1931 and changed its name to Agrium in 1995. Agrium was headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Crop Production Services, Inc., a subsidiary company, was based in Loveland, Colorado and was the location of Agrium's Retail Business Unit head office. The company was a part-owner of Canpotex, which manages all potash exporting from Saskatchewan.[4]

On September 12, 2016, Agrium announced that it had agreed to merge with PotashCorp, which will make the combined company, Nutrien, the largest producer of potash and second-largest producer of nitrogen fertilizer worldwide.[5][6][7] Agrium divested certain U.S. assets.[8] The merger closed on January 1, 2018.[2]

Business units

Agrium operated in two business segments:[9]

Retail

Agrium operated close to 1,500 retail agricultural centres in the U.S., Canada, South America and Australia under the brand names Crop Production Services (CPS), Crop Production Services Canada (CPSC), Agroservicios Pampeanos S.A. and Landmark.[10] Crop Production Services was acquired in 1994.

On December 3, 2010 Agrium announced the completion of the acquisition of the Australian Wheat Board for a total acquisition price of $1.236-billion Australian dollars.[11] This acquisition added to the retail division of Agrium. Roughly 40% of the AWB holdings were sold to Cargill, including the Commodity Management Business.[12]

In October 2013, Agrium announced the acquisition of Viterra's Canadian retail assets,[13] after previously acquiring Viterra's retail locations in Australia.[14]

Wholesale

The Wholesale segment produced nitrogen, phosphate, potash, and sulphur-based fertilizers. This segment also owned and operated a potash mine and production facility in the Rural Municipality of Vanscoy No. 345 in Saskatchewan, Canada, and a phosphate mine in Conda, Idaho, U.S.

The Wholesale segment engaged in the ownership of nitrogen-based fertilizer plants in Bahía Blanca, Argentina, and in Damietta, Egypt.

Environmental and social impacts

In 2003, Agrium was issued an administrative compliance order for excessive emissions at a Kennewick, Washington plant.[15] Agrium discovered the violations at the Kennewick facility through a comprehensive Clean Air Act audit of the facility in late 2000. Agrium promptly reported the audit findings to EPA under EPA's policy on Incentives for Self-Policing, also referred to as the "Self-Disclosure Policy". In 2005, Agrium was fined for failure to disclose release of toxic gases at this same plant.[16]

References
  1. "Annual Report 2014". Archived from the original on March 27, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
  2. "Merger of PotashCorp and Agrium finalized as shares in Nutrien start trading". CBC News. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  3. "Vanishing B.C. "Blaylock Estate"".
  4. "Canpotex Limited - Complete Profile". Industry Canada. June 18, 2009. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2010.
  5. MacPherson, Alex (June 21, 2017). "'Something forward-thinking, with the promise of innovation': PotashCorp, Agrium to merge as Nutrien". The StarPhoenix. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  6. "Agrium-PotashCorp merger could signal 'next great frontier,' Calgary chamber president says". CBC News. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  7. "Potash Corp., Agrium agree to merger that would create $36B agriculture giant". CBC News. September 12, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  8. "Agrium sells U.S. plants to ease Potash Corp merger concerns". BNN. November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  9. "Agrium - My Pick In The Fertilizer Sector". SeekingAlpha. November 4, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  10. "Agrium Annual Report 2014". Archived from the original on August 21, 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  11. "Agrium completes acquisition of AWB". Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  12. "Agrium Sells AWB Commodity Management Business to Cargill". Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  13. "AGCanada". May 22, 2023.
  14. "Glencore sale of Viterra farm outlets to Agrium wins Canadian regulatory nod". Reuters. September 5, 2013.
  15. Agrium U.S. faces Clean Air Act violations in Kennewick | Newsroom | US EPA
  16. Kennewick Fertilizer Plant Issued $24,575 Penalty for Late Reporting of Hazardous Gas Release | Newsroom | US EPA

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