A worker checks mining equipment at the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan’s Lanigan mine.

Merged fertilizer firm Nutrien eyes U.S. farm suppliers

Regulatory-driven divestitures are creating a sizable war chest for acquisitions

Nutrien, the company to be formed from the merger of Agrium and PotashCorp of Saskatchewan, plans to expand its U.S. farm supply network and return cash to shareholders, Chuck Magro, Agrium CEO, said Nov. 15, as it leverages unusually flush coffers during an agriculture slump. Regulators in China and India require Potash to divest minority

(Dave Bedard photo)

PotashCorp Q3 profit disappoints ahead of merger

Reuters — Canada’s PotashCorp, set to merge with rival Agrium to withstand a fertilizer slump, reported a smaller-than-expected quarterly profit Thursday and narrowed its full-year forecast, pressuring its stock. Prices of crop nutrient potash have leveled off this year after hitting eight-year lows late last year due to low crop prices and excessive production capacity.


(Staff photo)

Canada’s antitrust watchdog clears Nutrien merger

Canada’s Competition Bureau will put up no reasons why PotashCorp and Agrium shouldn’t be joined in Nutrien. The federal antitrust regulator on Monday issued a “no action” letter on the all-stock merger-of-equals that Saskatoon’s PotashCorp and Calgary’s Agrium proposed in September last year. The two companies, when merged, are to be headquartered in Saskatoon under

(Staff photo)

PotashCorp, Agrium choose new married name

Canadian fertilizer giants Agrium and PotashCorp have picked the new brand under which they plan to do business once their proposed merger clears. Calgary-based Agrium and Saskatoon-based PotashCorp announced Wednesday their new merged company, pending regulatory review and approvals, will be named Nutrien. “The new organization will be the global leader in reliable, low-cost crop