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ADM acquires Fasco Mills
MENDOTA, Ill. (PRNewswire) — Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the business operations of Fasco Mills Co., headquartered in Mendota.
Fasco Mills, founded in 1934, is a family-owned grain and feed company operating one of the largest networks of grain elevators and rail shipping terminals in Illinois. Fasco’s 13 grain elevators will increase ADM’s footprint to the prime farm production areas of northern Illinois. The grain from these elevators will flow into ADM’s domestic and global processing and marketing network.
Matthew Jansen, president of ADM’s Grain Group, said, “These elevators allow ADM to offer increased marketing alternatives to farmers in northern Illinois, while securing the commodity flow for ADM’s biofuel, food and feed needs.”
Richard Zimmerman, chairman of Fasco Mills, said, “Our management team at Fasco has built significant value into these operations, and we feel that ADM’s diverse resources will further enhance their value to the farmer.”
The parties expect the transaction to close on Sept. 1.
Unity Seeds moves HQ and agronomy center
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Unity Seeds has moved its Agronomy Center and headquarters from Kentland, Ind., to West Lafayette.
The move was made to locate the national seed company’s Agronomy Center closer to Purdue University and its nationally recognized seed and agronomic experts. Unity Seeds kept its shipping, receiving and warehousing operations in Kentland.
Unity’s corn, alfalfa and sorghum seed lineup carries world-class genetics, which the company sells directly to farmers across the nation from its Agronomy Center by way of phone or online. This direct-sales approach benefits farmers by placing them in direct contact with certified crop advisors for their seed selection. In addition, it cuts out field salespeople, thereby enabling Unity to pass along value savings to its customers.
Rick Heyde was named Unity’s president and CEO on May 1. He succeeded Cathy Standish who, with her husband, Earl, continue as owners of the 16-year old independent seed company. Heyde came to Unity from Viskase Companies, Inc., a worldwide leader in the manufacture and supply of cellulose, fibrous and plastic casings to the meat industry.
Unity Seeds’ new mailing address is 3451 Wyndam Way, Suite A, West Lafayette, IN 47906. For more information, visit www.unityseeds.com or call 800-338-4558.
Feed co. wins lawsuit
DENVER, Colo. — A federal court jury found that Land O’Lakes, Inc. knowingly infringed upon the trademark for PROFILE animal feed developed by family-owned feed manufacturer Cache La Poudre Feeds, LLC.
The jury awarded Cache La Poudre a total of $15.2 million in damages in a verdict issued July 10 in Denver.
Cache La Poudre developed the PROFILE brand for a high-quality “show feed” for grand champion animals in 1991, and learned that Land O’Lakes began rebranding its own show feed lines under the PROFILE name in 2002, despite Cache La Poudre’s protests. A lawsuit followed in 2004, and the jury upheld Cache La Poudre’s allegations that Land O’Lakes had acted willingly and with bad faith in infringing upon its trademark.
The jury also ruled that Land O’Lakes had engaged in deceptive trade practices and unfair competition. It awarded Cache La Poudre $14.6 million, which represented some of Land O’Lakes profits from selling the PROFILE feed brand.
Cache La Poudre president Ron Treiber stated that his feed business had suffered significant damage as a result of Land O’Lakes’ actions, but said the case was more about principle. “Land O’Lakes needs to know that ethical business practices apply to all companies equally,” he said. “No one is above the law.”
Treiber will continue to market PROFILE as one of the premier feeds brands in the United States. Cache La Poudre was
represented by trademark attorneys Luke Santangelo and Cheryl Anderson and by trial attorney Tom French. The case was conducted in Denver federal court before Judge Wiley Y. Daniel.
Hoegemeyer to license white corn to Steyer Seeds
TIFFIN, Ohio — Hoegemeyer Hybrids has granted a license to Steyer Seeds for the sale and distribution of its VIP white corn hybrids under the Steyer brand in the Eastern United States.
Included in the agreement are Zimmerman white corn hybrids 1713W, 1714W and 1863W, which Hoegemeyer has licensed from Syngenta Seeds, Inc. According to Bernie Steyer, Steyer Seeds vice president, the Zimmerman hybrids will be available next year in a Steyer bag, but will carry the same hybrid numbers. As this transition is made, Steyer will be working closely with all key white corn processors to ensure the continuity of approval status for all of the VIP hybrids from Hoegemeyer.
Steyer, based in Tiffin, is a family-owned company serving growers in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan and Pennsylvania. It carries a full line of seed and develops yellow and white corn hybrids through its proprietary breeding program dedicated to the Eastern Corn Belt. More information is available at www.steyerseeds.com
This farm news was published in the Aug. 8, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. |
| 8/8/2007 |
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