SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D. C. 20549

FORM 10-K

x
þANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010

2011

Commission file number 000-20557

THE ANDERSONS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

OHIO 34-1562374
OHIO

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 34-1562374

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

480 W. Dussel Drive, Maumee, Ohio
43537
(Address of principal executive offices) 43537
(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (419) 893-5050

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: Common Shares

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yeso¨    Noþx

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act.    Yeso¨    Noþx

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yesþx    Noo¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files.    Yesþx    Noo¨

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained to the best of the registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.o¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

Large accelerated filer x  Accelerated filer ¨
Large acceleratedNon-accelerated filerþ Accelerated filero¨  Non-accelerated filero(Do not check if a smallerSmaller reporting company)company Smaller reporting companyo¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2).    Yeso¨    Noþx

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s voting stock which may be voted by persons other than affiliates of the registrant was $554.1$780.6 million on June 30, 2010,2011, computed by reference to the last sales price for such stock on that date as reported on the Nasdaq Global Select Market.

The registrant had 18.5 million common shares outstanding, no par value, at February 9, 2011.

2012.


DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on May 6, 2011,11, 2012, are incorporated by reference into Part III (Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14) of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The Proxy Statement will be filed with the Commission on or about March 13, 2011.

2012.

The Andersons, Inc.

Table of Contents

 


TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART II.

Item 1. Business

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Item 1A. Risk Factors

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Item 2. Properties

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Item 3. Legal Proceedings

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Item 4. (Reserved)Mine Safety

PART II17

PART II.

Item 5. Market for the Registrant’s Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters

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Item 6. Selected Financial Data

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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

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Item 7a. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

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EX-12

EX-21Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

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EX-23.1

EX-23.2Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosures

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EX-31.1

EX-31.2Item 9A. Controls and Procedures

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EX-31.3
EX-32.1

PART III.

EX-101 INSTANCE DOCUMENTItem 10. Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant

91
EX-101 SCHEMA DOCUMENT

EX-101 CALCULATION LINKBASE DOCUMENTItem 11. Executive Compensation

91
EX-101 LABELS LINKBASE DOCUMENT

EX-101 PRESENTATION LINKBASE DOCUMENTItem 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management

91

EX-101 DEFINITION LINKBASE DOCUMENTItem 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions

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Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services

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PART IV.

Item  15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules, and Reports on Form 8-K

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Signatures


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Exhibits


PART I

Item 1. Business

Company Overview

The Andersons, Inc. (the “Company”) is a diversified company with interests in the grain, ethanol and plant nutrient sectors of U.S. agriculture, as well as in railcar leasing and repair, turf products production and general merchandise retailing. Founded in Maumee, Ohio in 1947, the Company now has operations in 16 U.S.across the United States and in Puerto Rico, plusand has railcar leasing interests in Canada and Mexico.

The Company has experienced significant growth during the year. The Company acquired two grain cleaning and storage facilities from O’Malley Grain, Inc. (“O’Malley”) for a purchase price of $7.8 million. O’Malley is a supplier of consistent, high quality food-grade corn to the snack food and tortilla industries with facilities in Nebraska and Illinois. In addition, the Company purchased two grain storage facilities in Kearney and Riverdale, Nebraska, and took over a third leased facility in Paxton, Nebraska from B4 Grain, Inc. for a purchase price of $35.1 million. B4 Grain buys and sells corn, soybeans and wheat. These acquisitions expanded the Company’s footprint another step westward and contributed to the increase in total storage capacity to about 107 million bushels from 101 million bushels.
In addition, the Company invested $12.6 million for a 49.9% equity stake in Iowa Northern Railway Company (“IANR”) and $0.5 million for a 49.9% equity stake in an affiliate, Zephyr Holding Company (“Zephyr”). IANR operates a 163-mile short line railroad that runs diagonally through Iowa from northwest to southeast. With a fleet of 21 locomotives and 500 railcars, IANR primarily serves agribusiness customers and moves more than 50,000 car loads per year. Zephyr is involved in the development of storage and logistics terminals designed to aid the transloading of various products including ethanol and wind turbine components.

Segment Descriptions

The Company’s operations are classified into fivesix reportable business segments: Grain, & Ethanol, Rail, Plant Nutrient, Turf & Specialty, and Retail. Each of these segments is organized based upon the nature of products and services offered. See Note 167 to the consolidated financial statementsConsolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 for information regarding business segments.

Grain & Ethanol Group

The Grain & Ethanol Group provides merchandising and services to the grain industry primarily in the U.S. Corn Belt. It also is an investor in and operator of three ethanol facilities.

Grain— The Grain Divisionbusiness operates grain terminals in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Nebraska with storage capacity of approximately 107109 million bushels at December 31, 2010. The division sold more than 3532011. Bushels shipped by the Grain Group approximated 350 million bushels in the U.S. and Canada during the year.2011. Income is earned on grain bought and sold or “put thru” the elevator, grain that is purchased and conditioned for resale, and space income. Space income consists of appreciation or depreciation in the basis value of grain held to earn market valueand represents the difference between the cash price of a commodity in one of the Company’s facilities and the nearest exchange traded futures price (“basis”); appreciation until soldor depreciation between the future exchange contract months (“spread”); and grain stored for others upon which storage fees are earned. The Grain Divisionbusiness also offers a number of unique grain marketing, originationrisk management and risk managementcorn origination services to its customers and affiliate ethanol facilities for which it collects fees.
The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (“CME”) implemented a new methodology for calculating wheat storage rates. Storage rates are no longer static but now vary with the storage rate dependent upon the price spread relationship between the various trading months. The new variable storage rates were implemented by the CME and provided a significant source of income in 2010.

In 2008, the Company renewed the five-year lease agreement and the five-year marketing agreement (“the Agreement”) with Cargill, Incorporated (“Cargill”) for Cargill’s Maumee and Toledo, Ohio grain handling and storage facilities. As part of the agreement, Cargill is given the marketing rights to grain in the Cargill-

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ownedCargill-owned facilities as well as the adjacent Company-owned facilities in Maumee and Toledo. ThisThe lease of the Cargill-owned facilities covers 8.3%8.1%, or approximately 8.9 million bushels, of the Company’s total storage space. Grain sales to Cargill totaled $269$258.4 million in 2010,2011, and includeincludes grain covered by the Agreement (i.e. grain sold out of the Maumee and Toledo facilities) as well as grain sold to Cargill via normal forward sales from locations not covered by the Agreement.

Grain prices are not predetermined, so sales are negotiated by the Company’s merchandising staff. The principal grains sold by the Company are yellow corn, yellow soybeans and soft red and white wheat. Approximately 85%94% of the grain bushels sold by the Company in 20102011 were purchased by U.S. grain processors and feeders, and approximately 15%6% were exported. Most of the Company’s exported grain sales are done through intermediaries while some grain is shipped directly to foreign countries, mainly Canada. Almost allMost grain shipments from our facilities are by rail or boat. Rail shipments are made primarily to grain processors and feeders with some rail shipments made to exporters on the Gulf of Mexico or east coast. Boat shipments are from the Port of Toledo. Grain sales are made on a negotiated basis by the Company’s merchandising staff, exceptIn addition, grain is transported via truck for direct ship transactions where customers sell grain sales subject to the Agreement with Cargill which are made on a negotiated basis with Cargill’s merchandising staff.

Company but have it delivered directly to the end user.

The Company’s grain operations rely principally on forward purchase contracts with producers, dealers and countrycommercial elevators to ensure an adequate supply of grain to the Company’s facilities throughout the year. The Company makes grain purchases at prices referenced to the CME.Chicago Mercantile Exchange (“the CME”). Bushels contracted for future delivery at January 31, 20112012 approximated 248.1178.5 million.

The Company competes in the sale of grain with other public and private grain merchants, otherbrokers, elevator operators and farmer cooperatives that operate elevator facilities.owned cooperative elevators. Some of the Company’s competitors are also its customers. Competition is based primarily on price, service and reliability. Because the Company generally buys in smaller lots, its competition is generally local or regional in scope, although there are some large national and international companies that maintain regional grain purchase and storage facilities. A significant portionSignificant portions of grain bushels purchased and sold are done so using forward contracts.

The grain handling business has ais seasonal componentin nature in that a large portion of the principal grains are harvested and delivered from the farm and commercial elevators in July, October and November although the balancea significant portion of the principal grains continue to be delivered to The Andersons all year long.

are bought, sold and handled throughout the year.

Fixed price purchase and sale commitments for grain and grain held in inventory expose the Company to risks related to adverse changes in market prices. The Company attempts to manage these risks by entering into exchange-traded futures and option contracts with the CME. The contracts are economic hedges of price risk, but are not designated or accounted for as hedging instruments. The CME is a regulated commodity futures exchange that maintains futures markets for the grains merchandised by the Company. Futures prices are determined by worldwide supply and demand.

The Company’s grain risk management practices are designed to reduce the risk of changing commodity prices. In that regard, such practices also limit potential gains from further changes in market prices. Profitability is primarily derived from margins on grain sold, and revenues generated from other merchandising activities with its customers (including storage and service income), not from futures and options transactions. The Company has policies that specify the key controls over its risk management practices. These policies include a description of the objectives of the programs mandatoryand review of positionsposition limits by key management outside of the trading function on a biweeklydaily basis daily position limits, daily review and reconciliation andalong with other internal controls. The Company monitors current market conditions and may expand or reduce the purchasing program in response to changes in those conditions. In addition, the Company monitors the parties to its purchase contracts on a regular basis for credit worthiness, defaults and non-delivery.

Purchases of grain can be made the day the grain is delivered to a terminal or via a forward contract made prior to actual delivery. Sales of grain generally are made by contract for delivery in a future period. When the Company purchases grain at a fixed price or at a price where a component of the purchase price is fixed via reference to a futures price on the CME, it also enters into an offsetting sale of a futures contract on the CME. Similarly, when the Company sells grain at a fixed price, the sale is offset with the purchase of a futures contract on the CME. At the close of business each day, inventory and open purchase and sale contracts as well as open futures and option positions are marked-to-market. Gains and losses in the value of the Company’s ownership positions due to changing market prices are netted with and

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generally offset in the income statement by losses and gains in the value of the Company’s futures positions.

When a futures contract is entered into, an initial margin deposit must be sent to the CME. The amount of the margin deposit is set by the CME and varies by commodity. If the market price of a futures contract moves in a direction that is adverse to the Company’s position, an additional margin deposit, called a maintenance margin, is required by the CME. Subsequent price changes could require additional maintenance margin deposits or result in the return of maintenance margin deposits by the CME. Significant increases in market prices, such as those that occur when grain supplies are affected by unfavorable weather conditions and/or when increases in demand occur, can have an effect on the Company’s liquidity and, as a result, require it to maintain appropriate short-term lines of credit. The Company may utilize CME option contracts to limit its exposure to potential required margin deposits in the event of a rapidly rising market.

The Company owns 52% of the diluted equity in Lansing Trade Group LLC (“LTG”). LTG is largely focused on the movement of physical commodities, including grain and ethanol and is exposed to the some of the same risks as the Company’s grain and ethanol businesses. LTG trades in other commodities that the Company’s grain and ethanol businesses do not trade in, some of which are not exchange traded. This investment provides the Company with further opportunity to diversify and complement its income through activity outside of its traditional product and geographic regions. This investment is accounted for under the equity method. The Company periodically enters into transactions with LTG as disclosed in Note 8 of Item 8.

Sales of grain and related service and merchandising revenues totaled $2,849.4 million, $1,936.8 million and $1,734.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009.

The Company intends to continue to grow its traditional grain business through geographic expansion of its physical operations, pursuit of grain handling agreements, food supply chain risk management relationships, expansion at existing facilities and acquisitions.

Ethanol Group

The Ethanol Division operatesGroup has ownership interests in three ethanol plants for Limited Liability Companies (“the ethanol LLCs” or “LLCs”). Each of the LLCs owns an ethanol plant that is operated by the Company’s Ethanol Group. The plants are located in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio that are collectively capableand have combined capacity of producing 275 million gallons of ethanol. The divisionGroup offers facility operations, risk management corn origination, ethanol and distiller dried grains marketing services to the LLCs it operates as well as third parties.

The ethanol LLC investments are accounted for using the equity method of accounting. The Company holds a 50.01%50% interest in The Andersons Albion Ethanol LLC (“TAAE”) and a 38% interest in The Andersons Clymers Ethanol LLC (“TACE”). The Company holds a 50% interest in The Andersons Marathon Ethanol LLC (“TAME”) through its majority owned subsidiary The Andersons Ethanol Investment LLC (“TAEI”). A third party owns 34% of TAEI.

The Company has a management agreement with each of the LLCs. As part of these agreements, the CompanyEthanol Group runs the day-to-day operations of the plants and provides all administrative functions. The Company is separately compensated for these services. In addition to the management agreements, the Company also has entered into ethanol and distillers dried grains (“DDG”) marketing agreements in which the Company markets the ethanol and DDG produced to external customers. As compensation for these services the Company receives a fee based on each gallon of ethanola fixed cost plus an indexed annual increase determined by a consumer price index and each ton of DDG sold. Finally,is accounted for on a gross basis. Additionally, the Company has entered into corn origination agreements with each of the LLCs under which the Company originatesGrain Group has the exclusive right to act as supplier for 100% of the corn used by the LLCs in the production of ethanol. For this service, the Company alsoGrain Group receives a unit based fee.

Lansing — Thefee for each bushel of corn sold. In addition, the Company also owns 52%has entered into marketing agreements with the ethanol LLCs. Under the ethanol marketing agreement, the Company purchases 100% of the equity in Lansing Trade Group LLC (“LTG”). LTG is an established grain merchandising business which continues to increase its trading capabilities, including ethanol tradingproduced by TAAE and is exposed to the someTACE and 50% of the same risks asethanol produced by TAME to sell to external customers. The Ethanol Group receives a fee for each gallon of ethanol sold to external customers. Under the Company’s grainDDG marketing agreement, the Grain Group markets the DDG and ethanol businesses. LTG also trades in other commodities that the Company’s grain and ethanol business does not trade in, somereceives a fee for each ton of which are not exchange traded. In addition, they have a separate proprietary trading business. This investment providesDDG sold. Most recently, the Company has entered into corn oil marketing agreements with further opportunity to expand outside of its traditional geographic regions. This investmentthe LLCs for which a commission is accounted for under the equity method.
Sales of grain and related service and merchandising revenues totaled $1,937.7 million, $1,734.6 million and $1,944.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008. earned on units sold.

Sales of ethanol and related merchandising and service revenuefee revenues totaled $467.8$641.5 million, $468.6 million and $419.4 million in 2011, 2010 and $466.3 million in 2010, 2009 and 2008.

The Company intends to further expand its trading and direct ship operations, increase its service offerings to2009.

It is reasonably possible that within the ethanol industry and grow its traditional grain business through business acquisitions. Thenext 12 months, the Company may make additional investments in the ethanol and other grain processing industriesindustry singly or through joint venture agreements and by providing origination, management, logistics, merchandising and other services.

Rail Group
The Company’s Rail Group ranks eighth in fleet size among privately-owned fleets in the U.S. This group repairs, sells, manages, and leases a fleet of almost 23,000 railcars of various types. There are eight railcar repair facilities across the country. It also offers fleet management services as described above, to private railcar owners and operates a custom steel fabrication business. The Rail Group is also an investor in the short-line railroad, IANR.

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non-affiliated ethanol entities.


The Company has a diversified fleet of car types (boxcars, gondolas, covered and open top hoppers, tank cars and pressure differential cars) and locomotives serving a broad customer base. The Company operates in the used car market — purchasing used cars and repairing and refurbishing them for specific markets and customers. The Company plans to continue to diversify its fleet both in terms of car types and industries. The Rail Group will execute its strategy through expansion of its fleet of railcars and locomotives through targeted portfolio acquisitions and open market purchases as well as strategic selling or scrapping of railcars. The Company also plans to expand its repair and refurbishment operations by adding fixed and mobile facilities.
A significant portion of our railcars and locomotives managed by the Company are included on the balance sheet as long-lived assets. The others are either in off-balance sheet operating leases (with the Company leasing railcars from financial intermediaries and leasing those same railcars to the end-users of the railcars) or non-recourse arrangements (where the Company is not subject to any lease arrangement related to the railcars, but provides management services to the owner of the railcars). The Company generally holds purchase options on most railcars owned by financial intermediaries. We are under contract to provide maintenance services for many of the railcars that we own or manage. Refer to the Off-Balance Sheet Transactions section of Management’s Discussion and Analysis for a breakdown of our railcar and locomotive positions at December 31, 2010.
In the case of our off-balance sheet railcars, the risk management philosophy of the Company is to match-fund the lease commitments where possible. Match-funding (in relation to rail lease transactions) means matching the terms of the financial intermediary funding arrangement with the lease terms of the customer where the Company is both lessee and sublessor. If the Company is unable to match-fund, it will try to get an early buyout provision within the funding arrangement to match the underlying customer lease. The Company does not attempt to match-fund lease commitments for railcars that are on our balance sheet.
Competition for railcar marketing and fleet maintenance services is based primarily on service ability, and access to both used rail equipment and third party financing. Repair and fabrication shop competition is based primarily on price, quality and location.
For the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, lease revenues and railcar sales in the Company’s railcar marketing business were $82.6 million, $82.5 million and $117.2 million, respectively. Sales in the railcar repair and fabrication shops were $12.2 million, $10.3 million and $16.7 million for 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.
Plant Nutrient Group

The Company’s Plant Nutrient Group is a leading manufacturer and distributor of agricultural plant nutrients in the U.S. Corn Belt and Florida. It operates 30 facilities in19 wholesale distribution and manufacturing locations as well as 8 leased locations throughout Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Florida, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Puerto Rico.

The Group operates 11 farm centers throughout Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Florida.

Wholesale Nutrients The Wholesale Nutrients business manufactures, stores, and distributes about 2nearly 2.0 million tons of dry and liquid agricultural nutrients, and pelleted lime and gypsum products primarily to agricultural farm supply dealers.annually. The Group purchases basic nitrogen, phosphate, potassium and sulfur materials for resale and uses some of these same materials in its manufactured nutrient products.

The Plant Nutrient business also manufactures and distributes a variety of industrial products throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico including nitrogen reagents for air pollution control systems used in coal-fired power plants, water treatment and dust abatement products, and de-icers and anti-icers for airport runways, roadways, and other commercial applications.

Farm Centers The Farm Centers offer a variety of essential crop nutrients, crop protection chemicals and seed products in addition to application and agronomic services to commercial and family farmers. Soil and tissue sampling along with global satellite assisted services provide for pinpointing crop or soil deficiencies and prescriptive agronomic advice is provided to farmer customers.

Industrial Products — The Plant Nutrient Group also manufactures and distributes a variety of industrial products throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico including nitrogen reagents for air pollution control systems

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used in coal-fired power plants, water treatment and dust abatement products, and de-icers and anti-icers for airport runways, roadways, and other commercial applications.
Storage capacity at the Company’s wholesale nutrient and farm center facilities was approximately 15.215.3 million cubic feet for dry nutrients and approximately 69.972.4 million gallons for liquid nutrients at December 31, 2010.2011. The Company reserves 7.97.2 million cubic feet of its dry storage capacity and 24.526.3 million gallons of its liquid nutrient capacity for basic manufacturers and customers. The agreements for reserved space provide the Company storage and handling fees and are generally for one to three year terms, renewable at the end of each term. The Company also leases 0.8 million gallons of liquid fertilizer capacity under arrangements with other distributors, farm supply dealers and public warehouses where the Company does not have facilities. Sales and warehouse shipments of agricultural nutrients are heaviest in the spring and fall.

In its plant nutrient businesses, the Company competes with regional and local cooperatives wholesalers and retailers, predominantly publicly owned basic manufacturers and privately owned retailers, wholesalers and importers. Some of these competitors are also suppliers and have considerably larger resources than the Company. Competition in the nutrient business of the Company is based largely on depth of product offering, price, location and service.

For the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 2009 and 2008,2009, sales and service revenues in the wholesale business totaled $509.8$577.2 million, $381.1$520.5 million and $547.8$390.2 million, respectively. Sales of crop production inputs and service revenues in the farm center business totaled $109.5$113.4 million, 110.2$98.8 million and $104.7$101.1 million in 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

The Company continues to identify opportunities to strategically grow the Plant Nutrient business. On October 31, 2011, the Company completed the purchase of Immokalee Farmers Supply, Inc., which principally supplies crop protection products to the specialty vegetable producers in Southwest Florida. On January 31, 2012, the Company announced the purchase of New Eezy Gro, Inc., which is a manufacturer and 2008,wholesale marketer of specialty agricultural nutrients and industrial products.

Rail Group

The Company’s Rail Group ranks in the top ten in fleet size among privately-owned fleets in the U.S. This group repairs, sells and leases a fleet of almost 23,000 railcars and locomotives of various types, as well as a small number of containers. There are eleven railcar repair facilities across the country. In addition, fleet management services are offered to private railcar owners. The Rail Group is also an investor in the short-line railroad, Iowa Northern Railway Company (“IANR”).

The Company has a diversified fleet of car types (boxcars, gondolas, covered and open top hopper cars, tank cars and pressure differential cars), locomotives, and containers serving a broad customer base. The Company principally operates in the used car market – purchasing used cars and repairing and refurbishing them for specific markets and customers. The Company plans to continue to diversify its fleet both in terms of car types, industries and age of cars. The Rail Group will execute its strategy through expansion of its fleet of railcars and locomotives through targeted portfolio acquisitions and open market purchases as well as strategic selling or scrapping of railcars. The Company also plans to expand its repair and refurbishment operations by adding fixed and mobile facilities.

A significant portion of the railcars and locomotives managed by the Company are included on the balance sheet as long-lived assets. The others are either in off-balance sheet operating leases (with the Company leasing railcars from financial intermediaries and leasing those same railcars to the end-users of the railcars) or non-recourse arrangements (where the Company is not subject to any lease arrangement related to the railcars, but provides management services to the owner of the railcars).

The Company generally holds purchase options on most railcars owned by financial intermediaries. We are under contract to provide maintenance services for many of the railcars that we own or manage. Refer to the Off-Balance Sheet Transactions section of Management’s Discussion and Analysis for a breakdown of our railcar and locomotive positions at December 31, 2011.

In the case of our off-balance sheet railcars and locomotives, the risk management philosophy of the Company is to match-fund the lease commitments where possible. Match-funding (in relation to rail lease transactions) means matching the terms of the financial intermediary funding arrangement with the lease terms of the customer where the Company is both lessee and sublessor. If the Company is unable to match-fund, it will attempt to get an early buyout provision within the funding arrangement to match the underlying customer lease. The Company does not attempt to match-fund lease commitments for railcars that are on our balance sheet.

Competition for railcar marketing and fleet maintenance services is based primarily on price, service ability, and access to both used rail equipment and third party financing. Repair and fabrication shop competition is based primarily on price, quality and location.

For the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, revenues were $107.5 million, $94.8 million and $92.8 million, respectively, which include lease revenues of $70.8 million, $63.1 million and $75.6 million, respectively.

Turf & Specialty Group

The Turf & Specialty Group produces granular fertilizer and control products for the turf and ornamental markets. It also produces private label fertilizer and control products, and corncob-based animal bedding and cat litter for the consumer markets.

Turf Products Proprietary professional turf care products are produced for the golf course and professional turf care markets, serving both U.S. and international customers. These products are sold both directly and through distributors to golf courses under The Andersons Golf ProductsTM label and lawn service applicators. The Company also produces and sells fertilizer and control products for “do-it-yourself” application, to mass merchandisers, small independent retailers and other lawn fertilizer manufacturers and performs contract manufacturing of fertilizer and control products.

The turf products industry is seasonal with the majority of sales occurring from early spring to early summer. Principal raw materials for the turf care products are nitrogen, phosphate and potash, which are purchased primarily from the Company’s Plant Nutrient Group. Competition is based principally on merchandising ability, logistics, service, quality and technology.

The Company attempts to minimize the amount of finished goods inventory it must maintain for customers, however, because demand is highly seasonal and influenced by local weather conditions, it may be required to carry inventory that it has produced into the next season. Also, because a majority of the consumer and industrial businesses use private label packaging, the Company closely manages production to anticipated orders by product and customer.

The Company intends to focus on leveraging its position in the golf fertilizer market and its research and development capabilities to develop higher value, proprietary products.

For the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 2009 and 2008,2009, sales of granular plant fertilizer and control products totaled $109.2 million, $104.0 million and $109.5 million, and $103.1 million, respectively.

Cob Products- The Company is one of a limited number of processors of corncob-based products in the United States. These products serve the chemical and feed ingredient carrier, animal litter and industrial

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markets, and are distributed throughout the United States and Canada and into Europe and Asia. The principal sources for corncobs are seed corn producers.

For the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 2009 and 2008,2009, sales of corncob and related products totaled $19.6$20.5 million, $15.8$19.6 million and $15.8 million, respectively.

Retail Group

The Company’s Retail Group includes large retail stores operated as “The Andersons,” which are located in the Columbus and Toledo, Ohio markets. The retail concept isMore for Your Home® and the stores focus on providing significant product breadth with offerings in home improvement and other mass merchandise categories as well as specialty foods, wine and indoor and outdoor garden centers. Each store carries more than 80,000 different items, has 100,000 square feet or more of in-store display space plus 40,000 or more square feet of outdoor garden center space, and features do-it-yourself clinics, special promotions and varying merchandise displays. The Company also operates a specialty food store operated as “The Andersons Market”™ located in the Toledo, Ohio market area. The specialty food store concept has product offerings with a strong emphasis on “freshness” that features produce, deli and bakery items, fresh meats, specialty and conventional dry goods and wine. The majority of the Company’s non-perishable merchandise is received at a distribution center located in Maumee, Ohio.

The Company also operates a sales and service facility for outdoor power equipment near one of its retail stores.

The retail merchandising business is highly competitive. The Company competes with a variety of retail merchandisers, including grocery stores, home centers, department and hardware stores. Many of these competitors have substantially greater financial resources and purchasing power than the Company. The principal competitive factors are location, quality of product, price, service, reputation and breadth of selection. The Company’s retail business is affected by seasonal factors with significant sales occurring in the spring and during the Christmasholiday season.

The Company also operates a sales and service facility for outdoor power equipment near one of its retail stores.

For the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 2009 and 2008,2009, sales of retail merchandise including commissions on third party sales totaled $157.6 million, $150.6 million and $161.9 million and $173.1 million respectively.

The Company intends to continue to refine itsMore for Your Home®concept and focus on expense control and customer service.

Employees

The Andersons offers a broad range of full-time and part-time career opportunities. Each position in the Company is important to our success, and we recognize the worth and dignity of every individual. We strive to treat each person with respect and utilize his or her unique talents. At December 31, 20102011 the Company had 1,6141,690 full-time and 1,3291,295 part-time or seasonal employees.

Government Regulation

Grain sold by the Company must conform to official grade standards imposed under a federal system of grain grading and inspection administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”).

The production levels, markets and prices of the grains that the Company merchandises are materially affected by United States government programs, which include acreage control and price support programs of the USDA. ForIn regards to our investments in ethanol production facilities, the U.S. government has mandated a ten percent blend for motor fuel gasoline sold. In addition, the U.S. Government providesprovided incentives to the ethanol blender through December 2011 but has mandated certain volumes of ethanol be produced and has imposed tariffs on ethanol imported from other countries.discontinued these incentives beginning in 2012. Also, under federal law, the President may prohibit the export of any product, the scarcity of which is deemed detrimental to the domestic economy, or under circumstances relating to national security. Because a portion of the Company’s grain sales is to exporters, the imposition of such restrictions could have an adverse effect upon the Company’s operations.

7


The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) has developed bioterrorism prevention regulations for food facilities, which require that we register our grain operations with the FDA, provide prior notice of any imports of food or other agricultural commodities coming into the United States and maintain records to be made available upon request that identifies the immediate previous sources and immediate subsequent recipients of our grain commodities.

The Company, like other companies engaged in similar businesses, is subject to a multitude of federal, state and local environmental protection laws and regulations including, but not limited to, laws and regulations relating to air quality, water quality, pesticides and hazardous materials.

The provisions of these various regulations could require modifications of certain of the Company’s existing facilities and could restrict the expansion of future facilities or significantly increase the cost of their operations. The Company spent approximately $1.7 million, $1.9 million and $1.8 million and $4.1 million in both capital and expense in order to comply with these regulations in 2011, 2010, and 2009, and 2008, respectively.

Available Information

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports are available on our Company website soon after filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our Company website is http://www.andersonsinc.com. The public may read and copy any materials the Company files with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. These reports are also available at the SEC’s website:http://www.sec.gov.

8


Item 1A. Risk Factors

Our operations are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in this Form 10-K and could have a material adverse impact on our financial results. These risks can be impacted by factors beyond our control as well as by errors and omissions on our part. The following risk factors should be read carefully in connection with evaluating our business and the forward-looking statements contained elsewhere in this Form 10-K.

Certain of our business segments are affected by the supply and demand of commodities, and are sensitive to factors outside of our control. Adverse price movements could negatively affect our profitability and results of operations.

Our Grain, & Ethanol and Plant Nutrient Groupsbusinesses buy, sell and hold inventories of variousagricultural input and output commodities, some of which are readily traded on commodity futures exchanges. In addition, our Turf & Specialty Groupbusiness uses some of thesethe same fertilizernutrient commodities as the Plant Nutrient business as base raw materials in manufacturing golf course and landscape fertilizer.turf products. Unfavorable weather conditions, both local and worldwide, as well as other factors beyond our control, can affect the supply and demand of these commodities and expose us to liquidity pressures to finance hedges in the Graingrain business in rapidly rising markets. In our Plant Nutrient and Turf & Specialty Groups,businesses, changes in the supply and demand of these commodities can also affect the value of inventories that we hold, as well as the price of raw materials as we are unable to effectively hedge these commodities. Increased costs of inventory and prices of raw material would decrease our profit margins and adversely affect our results of operations.

Corn The principal raw material the ethanol LLCs use to produce ethanol and co-products including DDG, is corn. As a result, changes in the price of corn can significantly affect our business. In general, rising cornin the absence of a corresponding increase in petroleum based fuel prices will produce lower profitdecrease ethanol margins for ourthus adversely affecting financial results in the ethanol business. Because ethanol competes with non-corn-based fuels, we generally will be unable to pass along increased corn costs to our customers.LLCs. At certain levels, corn prices may make ethanol uneconomical to use in fuel markets. The price of corn is influenced by weather conditions and other factors affecting crop yields, farmer planting decisionsshift in acreage allocated to corn versus other major crops and general economic market and regulatory factors. These factors include government policies and subsidies with respect to agriculture and international trade, and global and local demand and supply. The significance and relative effect of these factors on the price of corn is difficult to predict. Any event that tends to negatively affect the supply of corn, such as adverse weather or crop disease, could increase corn prices and potentially harm our share of the ethanol LLCLLCs results. The Company will attempt to lock in ethanol margins as far out as practical in order to secure reasonable returns using whatever risk management tools are available in the marketplace. Inmarketplace.In addition, we may also have difficulty, from time to time, in physically sourcing corn on economical terms due to supply shortages. High costs or shortages could require us to suspend our ethanol operations until corn is available on economical terms, which would have a material adverse effect on our operating results.

Grains While we attempt to manage the risk associated with commodity price changes for our grain inventory positions with derivative instruments, including purchase and sale contracts, we are unable to offset 100% of the price risk of each transaction due to timing, availability of futures and options contracts and third party credit risk. Furthermore, there is a risk that the derivatives we employ will not be effective in offsetting the changes associated withall of the risks we are trying to manage. This can happen when the derivative and the underlying value of grain inventories and purchase and sale contracts are not perfectly matched. Our grain derivatives, for example, do not perfectly correlate with the basis pricing component of our grain inventory and contracts. (Basis is defined as the difference between the cash price of a commodity in our facility and the nearestcorresponding exchange-traded futures price.) Differences can reflect time periods, locations or product forms. Although the basis component is smaller and generally less volatile than the futures component of our grain market price, significant unfavorable basis moves on a large grain position as large as ours can significantly impact the profitability of the Grain & Ethanol Group and our business as a whole.

business.

Our futures, options and over-the-counter contracts are subject to margin calls. If there is a significant movement in the commodities market, we could be required to post significant levels of margin, which would impact our liquidity. There is no assurance that the efforts we have taken to mitigate the impact of

9


the volatility of the prices of commodities upon which we rely will be successful and any sudden change in the price of these commodities could have an adverse affect on our business and results of operations.

Natural Gas We rely on third parties for our supply of natural gas, which is consumed in the drying of wet grain, manufacturing of certain turf products, pelleted lime and gypsum, and manufacturing of ethanol dry wet grain, and plant nutrients.within the LLCs. The prices for and availability of natural gas are subject to volatile market conditions. These market conditions often are affected by factors beyond our control such as higher prices resulting from colder than average weather conditions and overall economic conditions. Significant disruptions in the supply of natural gas could impair our ability to manufacturethe operations of the ethanol for our customers.facilities. Furthermore, increases in natural gas prices or changes in our natural gas costs relative to natural gas costs paid by competitors may adversely affect our future results of operations and financial position.

Gasoline In addition, we market ethanol as a fuel additive to reduce vehicle emissions from gasoline, as an octane enhancer to improve the octane rating of gasoline with which it is blended and as a substitute for oil derivedpetroleum based gasoline. As a result, ethanol prices will be influenced by the supply and demand for gasoline and our future results of operations and financial position may be adversely affected if gasoline demand or price decreases.

changes.

Potash, phosphate and nitrogen Raw materials used by ourthe Plant Nutrient Groupbusiness include potash, phosphate and nitrogen, for which prices arecan be volatile and driven by global and local supply and demand.demand factors. Significant increases in the price of these commodities may result in lower customer demand and higher than optimal inventory levels. In contrast, reductions in the price of these commodities may create lower-of-cost-or-market inventory adjustments to inventories.

Some of our business segments operate in highly regulated industries. Changes in government regulations or trade association policies could adversely affect our results of operations.

Many of our business segments are subject to government regulation and regulation by certain private sector associations, compliance with which can impose significant costs on our business. Failure to comply with such regulations can result in additional costs, fines or criminal action.

A significant part of our operations is regulated by environmental laws and regulations, including those governing the labeling, use, storage, discharge and disposal of hazardous materials. Because we use and handle hazardous substances in our businesses, changes in environmental requirements or an unanticipated significant adverse environmental event could have a material adverse effect on our business. We cannot assure you that we have been, or will at all times be, in compliance with all environmental requirements, or that we will not incur material costs or liabilities in connection with these requirements. Private parties, including current and former employees, could bring personal injury or other claims against us due to the presence of, or exposure to, hazardous substances used, stored or disposed of by us, or contained in our products. We are also exposed to residual risk because some of the facilities and land which we have acquired may have environmental liabilities arising from their prior use. In addition, changes to environmental regulations may require us to modify our existing plant and processing facilities and could significantly increase the cost of those operations.

Grain &and Ethanol businesses In our Grain &and Ethanol Group,businesses, agricultural production and trade flows can be affected by government programs and legislation. Production levels, markets and prices of the grains we merchandise can be affected by U.S. government programs, which include acreage controls and price support programs administered by the USDA. Other examples of government policies that can have an impact on our business include tariffs, duties, subsidies, import and export restrictions and outright embargoes. Because a portion of our grain sales are to exporters, the imposition of export restrictions could limit our sales opportunities. In addition, we have invested in the ethanol industry where development has been stimulated by Federal mandates for refiners to blend ethanol and excise tax credits paid to those blenders to encourage the use of ethanol. Future changes in those mandates and tax credits cancould have an impact on U.S. ethanol processing margins. Furthermore, there is a risk that if the CME repealed the variable storage rates in the wheat futures contracts, there could be a negative impact on liquidity.

10

demand.


Rail- Our Rail Groupbusiness is subject to regulation by the American Association of Railroads and the Federal Railroad Administration. These agencies regulate rail operations with respect to health and safety matters. New regulatory rulings could negatively impact financial results through higher maintenance costs or reduced economic value of railcar assets.

The Rail Groupbusiness is also subject to risks associated with the demands and restrictions of the Class 1 railroads, a group of rail companies owning a high percentage of the existing rail lines. These companies exercise a high degree of control over whether private railcars can be allowed on their lines and may reject certain railcars or require maintenance or improvements to the railcars. This presents risk and uncertainty for our Rail Groupbusiness and it can increase the Group’s maintenance costs. In addition, a shift in the railroad strategy to investing in new rail cars and improvements to existing railcars, instead of investing in locomotives and infrastructure, could adversely impact our business by causing increased competition and creating ana greater oversupply of railcars. Our rail fleet consists of a range of railcar types (boxcars, gondolas, covered and open top hoppers, tank cars and pressure differential cars), locomotives and locomotives.a small number of containers. However a large concentration of a particular type of railcar could expose us to risk if demand were to decrease for that railcar type. Failure on our part to identify and assess risks and uncertainties such as these could negatively impact our business.

Turf & Specialty Our Turf & Specialty Groupbusiness manufactures lawn fertilizers and weed and pest control products and uses potentially hazardous materials. All products containing pesticides, fungicides and herbicides must be registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and state regulatory bodies before they can be sold. The inability to obtain or the cancellation of such registrations could have an adverse impact on our business. In the past, regulations governing the use and registration of these materials have required us to adjust the raw material content of our products and make formulation changes. Future regulatory changes may have similar consequences. Regulatory agencies, such as the EPA, may at any time reassess the safety of our products based on new scientific knowledge or other factors. If it were determined that any of our products were no longer considered to be safe, it could result in the amendment or withdrawal of existing approvals, which, in turn, could result in a loss of revenue, cause our inventory to become obsolete or give rise to potential lawsuits against us. Consequently, changes in existing and future government or trade association polices may restrict our ability to do business and cause our financial results to suffer.

We are required to carry significant amounts of inventory across all of our businesses. If a substantial portion of our inventory becomes damaged or obsolete, its value would decrease and our profit margins would suffer.

We are exposed to the risk of a decrease in the value of our inventories due to a variety of circumstances in all of our businesses. For example, within our Grain &and Ethanol Group,businesses, there is the risk that the quality of our grain inventory could deteriorate due to damage, moisture, insects, disease or foreign material. If the quality of our grain were to deteriorate below an acceptable level, the value of our inventory could decrease significantly. In our Plant Nutrient Group,business, planted acreage, and consequently the volume of fertilizer and crop protection products applied, is partially dependent upon government programs and the perception held by the producer of demand for production. Technological advances in agriculture, such as genetically engineered seeds that resist disease and insects, or that meet certain nutritional requirements, could also affect the demand for our crop nutrients and crop protection products. Either of these factors could render some of our inventory obsolete or reduce its value. Within our Rail Group,business, major design improvements to loading, unloading and transporting of certain products can render existing (especially old) equipment obsolete. A significant portion of our rail fleet is composed of older railcars. In addition, in our Turf & Specialty Group,business, we build substantial amounts of inventory in advance of the season to prepare for customer demand. If we were to forecast our customer demand incorrectly, we could build up excess inventory which could cause the value of our inventory to decrease.

Our substantial indebtedness could negatively affect our financial condition, decrease our liquidity and impair our ability to operate the business.

If cash on hand is insufficient to pay our obligations or margin calls as they come due at a time when we are unable to draw on our credit facility, it could have an adverse effect on our ability to conduct our

11


business. Our ability to make payments on and to refinance our indebtedness will depend on our ability to generate cash in the future. Our ability to generate cash is dependent on various factors.

These factors include general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory and other factors that are beyond our control. Certain of our long-term borrowings include provisions that require minimum levels of working capital and equity, and impose limitations on additional debt. Our ability to satisfy these provisions can be affected by events beyond our control, such as the demand for and fluctuating price of grain. Although we are and have been in compliance with these provisions, noncompliance could result in default and acceleration of long-term debt payments.

Adoption of new accounting rules can affect our financial position and results of operations.

The Company’s implementation of and compliance with changes in accounting rules and interpretations could adversely affect its operating results or cause unanticipated fluctuations in its results in future periods. The accounting rules and regulations that the Company must comply with are complex and continually changing. The Financial Accounting Standards Board has recently introduced several new or proposed accounting standards, or is developing new proposed standards, such as International Financial Reporting Standards convergence projects, which would represent a significant change from current industry practices. Potential changes in accounting for leases, for example, will eliminate the accounting classificationoff-balance sheet treatment of operating leases, which would not only impact the way we account for these leases, but may also impact our customers lease versus buylease-versus-buy decisions and could have a negative impact on demand for our rail leases.

The Company cannot predict the impact of future changes to accounting principles or its accounting policies on its financial statements going forward.

We face increasing competition and pricing pressure from other companies in our industries. If we are unable to compete effectively with these companies, our sales and profit margins would decrease, and our earnings and cash flows would be adversely affected.

The markets for our products in each of our business segments are highly competitive. While we have substantial operations in our region, some of our competitors are significantly larger, compete in wider markets, have greater purchasing power, and have considerably larger financial resources. We also may enter into new markets where our brand is not recognized and do not have an established customer base. Competitive pressures in all of our businesses could affect the price of, and customer demand for, our products, thereby negatively impacting our profit margins and resulting in a loss of market share.

Our grain and ethanol business usesbusinesses use derivative contracts to reduce volatility in the commodity markets. Non-performance by the counter-parties to those contracts could adversely affect our future results of operations and financial position.

A significant amount of our grain and ethanol purchases and sales are done through forward contracting. In addition, the Company uses exchange traded and to a lesser degree over-the-counter contracts to reduce volatility in changing commodity prices. A significant adverse change in commodity prices could cause a counter-party to one or more of our derivative contracts not to perform on their obligation.

We rely on a limited number of suppliers for certain of our raw materials and other products and the loss of one or several of these suppliers could increase our costs and have a material adverse effect on any one of our business segments.

We rely on a limited number of suppliers for certain of our raw materials and other products. If we were unable to obtain these raw materials and products from our current vendors, or if there were significant increases in our supplier’s prices, it could significantly increase our costs and reduce our profit margins.

Our investments in limited liability companies are subject to risks beyond our control.

We currently have investments in sixnumerous limited liability companies. By operating a business through this arrangement, we do not have lessfull control over operating decisions thanlike we would if we were to ownowned the business outright.

12


Specifically, we cannot act on major business initiatives without the consent of the other investors who may not always be in agreement with our ideas.

The Company may not be able to effectively integrate additional businesses it acquires in the future.

We continuously look for opportunities to enhance our existing businessbusinesses through strategic acquisitions. The process of integrating an acquired business into our existing business and operations may result in unforeseen operating difficulties and expenditures as well as require a significant amount of management resources. There is also the risk that our due diligence efforts may not uncover significant business flaws or hidden liabilities. In addition, we may not realize the anticipated benefits of an acquisition and they may not generate the anticipated financial results. Additional risks may include the inability to effectively integrate the operations, products, technologies and personnel of the acquired companies. The inability to maintain uniform standards, controls, procedures and policies would also negatively impact operations.

Our business involves considerable safety risks. Significant unexpected costs and liabilities would have a material adverse effect on our profitability and overall financial position.

Due to the nature of some of the businesses in which we operate, we are exposed to significant safety risksoperational hazards such as grain dust explosions, fires, malfunction of equipment, abnormal pressures, blowouts, pipeline and tank ruptures, chemical spills or run-off, transportation accidents and natural disasters. Some of these operational hazards may cause personal injury or loss of life, severe damage to or destruction of property and equipment or environmental damage, and may result in suspension of operations and the imposition of civil or criminal penalties. If one of our elevators were to experience a grain dust explosion or if one of our pieces of equipment were to fail or malfunction due to an accident or improper maintenance, it could put our employees and others at serious risk.

The Company’s information technology systems may impose limitations or failures which may affect the Company’s ability to conduct its business.

The Company’s information technology systems, some of which are dependent on services provided by third-parties, provide critical data connectivity, information and services for internal and external users. These interactions include, but are not limited to, ordering and managing materials from suppliers, converting raw materials to finished products, inventory management, shipping products to customers, processing transactions, summarizing and reporting results of operations, complying with regulatory, legal or tax requirements, and other processes necessary to manage the business. The Company has put in place business continuity plans for its critical systems. However, if the Company’s information technology systems are damaged, or cease to function properly due to any number of causes, such as catastrophic events, power outages, security breaches, and the Company’s business continuity plans do not effectively recover on a timely basis, the Company may suffer interruptions in the ability to manage its operations, which may adversely impact the Company’s revenues and operating results. In addition, although the system has been refreshed periodically, the infrastructure is outdated and may not be adequate to support new business processes, accounting for new transactions, or implementation of new accounting standards if requirements are complex or materially different than what is currently in place. In addition,

The Company may be unable to recover process development and testing costs, which could increase the cost of operating its business.

Early in 2012, the Company began implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning (“ERP”) system that will require significant amounts of capital and human resources to deploy. If for any reason this implementation is exploring new ERP systems, whichnot successful, the Company could posebe required to expense rather than capitalize related amounts. Throughout implementation of the system there are also risks relatingcreated to implementation.

13the Company’s ability to successfully and efficiently operate. These risks include, but are not limited to the inability to resource the appropriate combination of highly skilled employees, distractions to operating the base business due to use of employees time for the project, as well as unforeseen additional costs due to the inability to appropriately integrate within the planned timeframe.


Item 2. Properties

The Company’s principal agriculture, rail, retail and other properties are described below.

Agriculture Facilities

             
      Agricultural Fertilizer 
(in thousands) Grain Storage  Dry Storage  Liquid Storage 
Location (bushels)  (cubic feet)  (gallons) 
 
Florida     134   4,021 
Illinois  17,497   2,233    
Indiana  24,489   4,207   22,364 
Michigan  15,381   1,787   5,293 
Minnesota        10,794 
Nebraska  3,967       
Ohio  46,023   6,759   9,204 
Puerto Rico        3,339 
Wisconsin     57   14,932 
   
   107,357   15,177   69,947 
   

       Agricultural Fertilizer 

(in thousands)

Location

  Grain
Storage
(bushels)
   Dry
Storage
(cubic
feet)
   Liquid
Storage
(gallons)
 

Florida

   —       137     3,965  

Illinois

   13,389     2,233     —    

Indiana

   29,189     4,323     24,253  

Michigan

   17,571     1,787     5,304  

Minnesota

   —       —       10,419  

Nebraska

   7,267     —       —    

Ohio

   41,623     6,759     9,041  

Puerto Rico

   —       —       4,472  

Wisconsin

   —       57     14,942  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
   109,039     15,296     72,396  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

The grain facilities are mostly concrete and steel tanks, with some flat storage, which is primarily cover-on-first temporary storage. The Company also owns grain inspection buildings and dryers, maintenance buildings and truck scales and dumps. Approximately 92%81% of the total storage capacity is owned, while the remaining 8%19% of the total capacity is leased from third parties.

The Plant Nutrient Group’s wholesale fertilizernutrient and farm center properties consist mainly of fertilizer warehouse and distributionformulation and packaging facilities for dry and liquid fertilizers. The Maumee, Ohio; Champaign, Illinois; Seymour, Indiana; Lordstown, Ohio; and Walton, Indiana locations have fertilizer mixing, bagging and bag storage facilities. The Maumee, Ohio; Webberville, Michigan; Logansport, Walton and Poneto, Indiana; Wisconsin Rapids, Arena and Kaukauna, Wisconsin and all of the Florida locations also include liquid manufacturing facilities. The Company owns all dry storage facilities and owns ninety-five percent94% of the total liquid storage facilities. The tanks located in Puerto Rico are leased.

Retail Store Properties

Name

  Location  Square
Feet
 

Maumee Store

  Maumee, OH   166,000  

Toledo Store

  Toledo, OH   162,000  

Woodville Store (1)

  Northwood, OH   120,000  

Sawmill Store

Columbus, OH169,000

Brice Store

  Columbus, OH   159,000  
Brice StoreColumbus, OH159,000

The Andersons Market (1)

  Sylvania, OH   30,000  

Distribution Center (1)

  Maumee, OH   245,000  

(1)Facility leased

The leases for the two stores and the distribution center are operating leases with several renewal options and provide for minimum aggregate annual lease payments approximating $1.4$1.7 million. In addition, the Company owns a service and sales facility for outdoor power equipment adjacent to its Maumee, Ohio retail store.

Other Properties

The Company also operates railcar repair facilities in Maumee, Ohio; Darlington, South Carolina; Macon, Georgia; Valdosta, Georgia; Bay St. Louis, Mississippi; Ogden, Utah; North Las Vegas, Nevada; and Woodland, California, and a steel fabrication facility in Maumee, Ohio.

14


The Company owns lawn fertilizer production facilities in Maumee, Ohio; Bowling Green, Ohio; and Montgomery, Alabama. It also owns a corncob processing and storage facility in Delphi, Indiana. The Company leases a lawn fertilizer warehouse facility in Toledo, Ohio.

The Company also owns an auto service center that is leased to its former venture partner. The Company’s administrative office building is leased under a net lease expiring in 2015. The Company owns approximately 1,2331,456 acres of land on which the above properties and facilities are located and approximately 327307 acres of farmland and land held for sale or future use.

The Company believes that its properties are adequate for its business, well maintained and utilized, suitable for their intended uses and adequately insured.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

The Company has received, and is cooperating fully with, a request for information from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“U.S. EPA”) regarding the history of its grain and fertilizer facility along the Maumee River in Toledo, Ohio. The U.S. EPA is investigating the possible introduction into the Maumee River of hazardous materials potentially leaching from rouge piles deposited along the riverfront by glass manufacturing operations that existed in the area prior to the Company’s initial acquisition of itsthe land in 1960. The Company has on several prior occasions cooperated with local, state and federal regulators to install or improve drainage systems to contain storm water runoff and sewer discharges along its riverfront property to minimize the potential for such leaching. Other area land owners and the successor to the original glass making operations have also been contacted by the U.S. EPA for information. No claim or finding has been asserted thus far.

The Company is also currently subject to various claims and suits arising in the ordinary course of business, which include environmental issues, employment claims, contractual disputes, and defensive counter claims. The Company accrues expensesliabilities where litigation losses are deemed probable and estimable. The Company believes it is unlikely that the results of its current legal proceedings, even if unfavorable, will be materially different from what it currently has accrued. There can be no assurance, however, that any claims or suits arising in the future, whether taken individually or in the aggregate, will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.

Item 4. (Reserved)Mine Safety

15


Not applicable.

Executive Officers of the Registrant

The information is furnished pursuant to Instruction 3 to Item 401(b) of Regulation S-K. The executive officers of The Andersons, Inc., their positions and ages (as of March 1, 2011)2012) are presented in the table below.

           
        Year
Name Position Age Assumed
 
Dennis J. Addis President, Plant Nutrient Group  58   2000 
           
Daniel T. Anderson President, Retail Group and Vice President, Corporate Operations Services
President, Retail Group
  55   2009
1996
 
           
Michael J. Anderson President and Chief Executive Officer  59   1999 
           
Naran U. Burchinow Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary  57   2005 
           
Tamara S. Sparks Vice President, Corporate Business /Financial Analysis Internal Audit Manager  42   2007
1999
 
           
Arthur D. DePompei Vice President, Human Resources  57   2008 
           
Richard R. George Vice President, Controller and CIO  61   2002 
           
Harold M. Reed President, Grain & Ethanol Group  54   2000 
           
Rasesh H. Shah President, Rail Group  56   1999 
           
Nicholas C. Conrad Vice President, Finance and Treasurer
Assistant Treasurer
  58   2009
1996
 
           
Thomas L. Waggoner President, Turf & Specialty Group
Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Turf & Specialty Group
  56   2005
2002
 

16


Name

  

Position

  Age  Year
Assumed

Dennis J. Addis

  

President, Grain Group

President, Plant Nutrient Group

  59  2012

2000

Daniel T. Anderson

  

President, Retail Group and Vice President, Corporate Operations Services

President, Retail Group

  56  2009

1996

Michael J. Anderson

  

President and Chief Executive Officer

  60  1999

Naran U. Burchinow

  

Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

  58  2005

Nicholas C. Conrad

  

Vice President, Finance and Treasurer

Assistant Treasurer

  59  2009

1996

Arthur D. DePompei

  

Vice President, Human Resources

  58  2008

Neill McKinstray

  

President, Ethanol Group

Vice President & General Manager, Ethanol Division

  59  2012

2005

Harold M. Reed

  

Chief Operating Officer

President, Grain & Ethanol Group

  55  2012

2000

Anne G. Rex

  

Vice President, Corporate Controller

Assistant Controller

  47  2012

2002

Rasesh H. Shah

  

President, Rail Group

  57  1999

Tamara S. Sparks

  

Vice President, Corporate Business /Financial Analysis

Internal Audit Manager

  43  2007

1999

Thomas L. Waggoner

  

President, Turf & Specialty Group

  57  2005

William J. Wolf

  

President, Plant Nutrient Group

Vice President of Supply & Merchandising, Plant Nutrient Group

  54  2012

2008

PART II

Item 5. Market for the Registrant’s Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters

The Common Shares of The Andersons, Inc. trade on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “ANDE.” On February 9, 2011,2012, the closing price for the Company’s Common Shares was $44.69$42.84 per share. The following table sets forth the high and low bid prices for the Company’s Common Shares for the four fiscal quarters in each of 20102011 and 2009.

                 
  2010  2009 
  High  Low  High  Low 
   
Quarter Ended
                
March 31 $35.36  $24.59  $18.38  $11.00 
June 30  37.99   29.90   31.88   13.24 
September 30  40.16   31.28   36.82   26.48 
December 31  42.44   32.01   37.56   24.00 
2010.

   2011   2010 
   High   Low   High   Low 
Quarter Ended        

March 31

  $51.23    $36.45    $35.36    $24.59  

June 30

   50.17     37.62     37.99     29.90  

September 30

   43.99     33.62     40.16     31.28  

December 31

   45.75     30.04     42.44     32.01  

The Company’s transfer agent and registrar is Computershare Investor Services, LLC, 2 North LaSalle Street, Chicago, IL 60602. Telephone: 312-588-4991.

Shareholders

At February 9, 2011,2012, there were approximately 18.5 million common shares outstanding, 1,3121,343 shareholders of record and approximately 16,00013,276 shareholders for whom security firms acted as nominees.

Dividends

The Company has declared and paid 57 consecutive quarterly dividends since the end of 1996, its first year of trading on the Nasdaq market. Dividends paid from January 20092010 to January 20112012 are as follows:

     
            Dividend Amount 
 
          01/23/09 $0.0850 
          04/22/09 $0.0875 
          07/22/09 $0.0875 
          10/22/09 $0.0875 
          01/25/10 $0.0875 
          04/22/10 $0.0900 
          07/22/10 $0.0900 
          10/22/10 $0.0900 
          01/24/11 $0.1100 

Payment Date

  Amount 

01/25/10

  $0.0875  

04/22/10

  $0.0900  

07/22/10

  $0.0900  

10/22/10

  $0.0900  

01/24/11

  $0.1100  

04/22/11

  $0.1100  

07/22/11

  $0.1100  

09/30/11

  $0.1100  

01/24/12

  $0.1500  

While the Company’s objective is to pay a quarterly cash dividend, dividends are subject to Board of Director approval and loan covenant restrictions.

17approval.


Equity Plans

The following table gives information as of December 31, 20102011 about the Company’s Common Shares that may be issued upon the exercise of options under all of its existing equity compensation plans.

             
  Equity Compensation Plan Information 
  (a)      Number of securities remaining 
  Number of securities to be  Weighted-average  available for future issuance 
  issued upon exercise of  exercise price of  under equity compensation 
  outstanding options,  outstanding options,  plans (excluding securities 
Plan category warrants and rights  warrants and rights  reflected in column (a)) 
   
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders  1,039,552(1) $32.18   526,708(2)
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders         
   
Total  1,039,552  $32.18   526,708 
   

  Equity Compensation Plan Information 
Plan category (a) Number of
securities to be
issued upon exercise of
outstanding options,
warrants and rights
  Weighted-average
exercise price of
outstanding
options, warrants
and rights
  Number of
securities remaining
available for future
issuance under  equity
compensation plans
(excluding securities
reflected in column (a))
 

Equity compensation plans approved by security holders

  760,767(1)  $32.06    662,437(2) 

Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders

  —      —      —    
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total

  760,767   $32.06    662,437  
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

(1)This number includes options and SOSARs (851,177)502,532 Share Only Share Appreciation Rights (“SOSARs”), 164,951 performance share units (123,748) and 93,284 restricted shares (64,627) outstanding under The Andersons, Inc. 2005 Long-Term Performance Compensation Plan dated May 6, 2005. This number does not include any shares related to the Employee Share Purchase Plan. The Employee Share Purchase Plan allows employees to purchase common shares at the lower of the market value on the beginning or end of the calendar year through payroll withholdings. These purchases are completed as of December 31.
(2)This number includes 306,674265,978 Common Shares available to be purchased under the Employee Share Purchase Plan.

Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers

In 1996, the Company’s Board of Directors approvedbegan approving the repurchase of 2.8 million shares of common stock for use in employee, officer and director stock purchase and stock compensation plans. Thisplans, which reached 2.8 million authorized shares in 2001. The Company purchased 2.1 million shares under this repurchase program. The original resolution was superseded by the Board in October 2007 to add an additional 0.3with a resolution authorizing the repurchase of 1.0 million shares.shares of common stock. Since the beginning of thisthe current repurchase program, the Company has purchased 2.2repurchased 0.2 million shares in the open market.

The following table presents the Company’s share purchases in 2011. All shares repurchased in the fourth quarter were made in the month of October.

Period  Total Number
of Shares Purchased
   Average Price
Paid per Share
   Total Number of
Shares Purchased
as Part of Publicly
Announced Plans
or Programs
   Maximum Number
of Shares that May
Yet Be Purchased
Under the Plans or
Programs
 

March 31

   —      $—       —       —    

June 30

   3,650     38.42     —       —    

September 30

   72,421     36.28      

December 31

   8,887     32.73     —       —    
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

2011 Total

   84,958    $35.81     —       —    
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Performance Graph

The graph below compares the total shareholder return on the Corporation’s Common Shares to the cumulative total return for the Nasdaq U.S. Index and a Peer Group Index. The indices reflect the year-end market value of an investment in the stock of each company in the index, including additional shares assumed to have been acquired with cash dividends, if any. The Peer Group Index, weighted for market capitalization, includes the following companies:

•      Agrium, Inc.

  

•      Greenbrier Companies, Inc.

•      Archer-Daniels-Midland Co.

  

Agrium, Inc.Greenbrier Companies, Inc.
Archer-Daniels-Midland Co.The Scott’s Miracle-Gro Company

•      Corn Products International, Inc.

  

      Lowes Companies, Inc.

•      GATX Corp.

  Lowes Companies, Inc.
GATX Corp.

The graph assumes a $100 investment in The Andersons, Inc. Common Shares on December 31, 20052006 and also assumes investments of $100 in each of the Nasdaq U.S. and Peer Group indices, respectively, on December 31 of the first year of the graph. The value of these investments as of the following calendar year-ends is shown in the table below the graph.

18


                         
  Base Period  Cumulative Returns 
  December 31, 2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010 
   
The Andersons, Inc. $100.00  $197.68  $210.09  $78.16  $124.29  $176.88 
NASDAQ U.S.  100.00   110.38   122.14   73.31   106.57   125.92 
Peer Group Index  100.00   106.19   108.71   82.60   96.67   110.68 

   Base Period   Cumulative Returns 
   December 31, 2006   2007   2008   2009   2010   2011 

The Andersons, Inc.

  $100.00    $106.28    $39.54    $62.88    $89.48    $108.72  

NASDAQ U.S.

   100.00     110.65     66.42     96.54     114.07     113.16  

Peer Group Index

   100.00     102.37     77.79     91.04     104.23     101.10  

Item 6. Selected Financial Data

The following table sets forth selected consolidated financial data of the Company. The data for each of the five years in the period ended December 31, 20102011 are derived from the consolidated financial statementsConsolidated Financial Statements of the Company. The data presented below should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” included in Item 7, and the Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto included in Item 8.

                     
  For the years ended December 31, 
(in thousands) 2010  2009  2008  2007  2006 
   
Operating results
                    
Grain and ethanol sales and revenues (a) $2,405,452  $2,153,978  $2,411,144  $1,498,652  $791,207 
Fertilizer, rail, retail and other sales  988,339   871,326   1,078,334   880,407   666,846 
   
Total sales and revenues  3,393,791   3,025,304   3,489,478   2,379,059   1,458,053 
Gross profit — grain & ethanol  118,490   106,804   110,954   79,367   62,809 
Gross profit — fertilizer, rail, retail and other (b)  163,189   148,702   146,875   160,345   136,431 
   
Total gross profit  281,679   255,506   257,829   239,712   199,240 
Equity in earnings of affiliates  26,007   17,463   4,033   31,863   8,190 
Other income, net (c)  11,652   8,331   6,170   21,731   13,914 
Net income  64,881   39,566   30,097   67,428   36,347 
Net income attributable to The Andersons, Inc.  64,662   38,351   32,900   68,784   36,347 

19


   For the years ended December 31, 
(in thousands, except for per share and ratios and other data)  2011  2010  2009  2008  2007 

Operating results

      

Sales and merchandising revenues (a)

  $4,576,331   $3,393,791   $3,025,304   $3,489,478   $2,379,059  

Gross profit (b)

   352,852    281,679    255,506    257,829    239,712  

Equity in earnings of affiliates

   41,450    26,007    17,463    4,033    31,863  

Other income, net (c)

   7,922    11,652    8,331    6,170    21,731  

Net income

   96,825    64,881    39,566    30,097    67,428  

Net income attributable to The Andersons, Inc.

   95,106    64,662    38,351    32,900    68,784  

Financial position

      

Total assets

   1,734,123    1,699,390    1,284,391    1,308,773    1,324,988  

Working capital

   312,971    301,815    307,702    330,699    177,679  

Long-term debt (d)

   238,088    263,675    288,756    293,955    133,195  

Long-term debt, non-recourse (d)

   797    13,150    19,270    40,055    56,277  

Total equity

   538,842    464,559    406,276    365,107    356,583  

Cash flows / liquidity

      

Cash flows from (used in) operations

   290,265    (239,285  180,241    278,664    (158,395

Depreciation and amortization

   40,837    38,913    36,020    29,767    26,253  

Cash invested in acquisitions / investments in affiliates

   2,486    39,688    31,680    60,370    36,249  

Investments in property, plant and equipment

   44,162    30,897    16,560    20,315    20,346  

Net investment in (proceeds from) railcars (e)

   33,763    (1,748  16,512    29,533    8,751  

EBITDA (f)

   212,252    162,702    116,989    110,372    151,162  

Per share data:(g)

      

Net income – basic

   5.13    3.51    2.10    1.82    3.85  

Net income – diluted

   5.09    3.48    2.08    1.79    3.75  

Dividends paid

   0.4400    0.3575    0.3475    0.325    0.220  

Year-end market value

   43.66    36.35    25.82    16.48    44.80  

Ratios and other data

      

Net income attributable to The Andersons, Inc. return on beginning equity attributable to The Andersons, Inc.

   21.1  16.4  10.9  9.6  25.4

Funded long-term debt to equity ratio (h)

   0.4-to-1    0.6-to-1    0.8-to-1    0.9-to-1    0.5-to-1  

Weighted average shares outstanding (000’s)

   18,457    18,356    18,190    18,068    17,833  

Effective tax rate

   34.5  37.7  35.7  35.4  35.5

                     
(in thousands, except for per share and For the years ended December 31, 
ratios and other data) 2010  2009  2008  2007  2006 
   
Financial position
                    
Total assets $1,699,390  $1,284,391  $1,308,773  $1,324,988  $879,048 
Working capital  301,815   307,702   330,699   177,679   162,077 
Long-term debt (d)  263,675   288,756   293,955   133,195   86,238 
Long-term debt, non-recourse (d)  13,150   19,270   40,055   56,277   71,624 
Shareholders’ equity  464,559   406,276   365,107   356,583   270,175 
Cash flows / liquidity
                    
Cash flows from (used in) operations  (239,285)  180,241   278,664   (158,395)  (54,283)
Depreciation and amortization  38,913   36,020   29,767   26,253   24,737 
Cash invested in acquisitions / investments in affiliates  39,688   31,680   60,370   36,249   34,255 
Investments in property, plant and equipment  30,897   16,560   20,315   20,346   16,031 
Net investment in (proceeds from) railcars (e)  (1,748)  16,512   29,533   8,751   20,643 
EBITDA (f)  162,702   116,989   110,372   151,162   95,505 
Per share data:(g)
                    
Net income — basic  3.51   2.10   1.82   3.85   2.27 
Net income — diluted  3.48   2.08   1.79   3.75   2.19 
Dividends paid  0.3575   0.3475   0.325   0.220   0.178 
Year-end market value  36.35   25.82   16.48   44.80   42.39 
Ratios and other data
                    
Net income attributable to The Andersons, Inc. return on beginning equity attributable to The Andersons, Inc.  16.4%  10.9%  9.6%  25.4%  22.9%
Funded long-term debt to equity ratio (h) 0.6-to-1 0.8-to-1 0.9-to-1 0.5-to-1 0.6-to-1
Weighted average shares outstanding (000’s)  18,356   18,190   18,068   17,833   16,007 
Effective tax rate  37.7%  35.7%  35.4%  35.5%  33.3%
 
(a)Includes sales of $1,385.4 million in 2011, $928.2 million in 2010, $806.3 million in 2009, $865.8 million in 2008, and $407.4 million in 2007 and $23.5 million in 2006 pursuant to marketing and originations agreements between the Company and itsthe ethanol LLCs.
(b)Gross profit in 2011, 2009, and 2008 includes a $3.1 million, $2.9 million, and $97.2 million write down in the Plant Nutrient Group for lower-of-cost-or-market inventory adjustments for inventory on hand and firm purchase commitments that waswere valued higher than the market.
(c)Includes $1.7 million and $1.1 million of dividend income from IANR in 2011 and 2010, respectively. Includes $2.2 million in Rail end of lease settlements in 2010. Includes gains on insurance settlements of $0.1 million in 2010, $0.1 million in 2008, $3.1 million in 2007 and $4.6 million in 2006. Includes development fees related to ethanol joint venture formation of $1.3 million in 2008, and $5.4 million in 2007 and $1.9 million in 2006.2007. Includes $4.9 million in gain on available for sale securities in 2007.
(d)Excludes current portion of long-term debt.
(e)Represents the net of purchases of railcars offset by proceeds on sales of railcars.
(f)

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA, is a non-GAAP measure. We believeIt is one of the measures the Company uses to evaluate its liquidity. The Company believes that EBITDA provides additional information important to investors and others in determining ourthe ability to meet debt service obligations. EBITDA does not represent and

should not be considered as an alternative to net income or cash flow from operations as determined by generally accepted accounting principles, and EBITDA does not necessarily indicate whether cash flow will be sufficient to meet cash requirements, for debt service obligations or otherwise. Because EBITDA, as determined by us,the Company, excludes some, but not all, items that affect net income, it may not be comparable to EBITDA or similarly titled measures used by other companies.
(g)Earnings per share are calculated based on Income attributable to The Andersons, Inc.
(h)Calculated by dividing long-term debt by total year-end equity as stated under “Financial position.”

The following table sets forth (1) our calculation of EBITDA and (2) a reconciliation of EBITDA to our net cash flow provided by (used in) operations.

20


   For the years ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011  2010  2009  2008  2007 

Net income attributable to The Andersons, Inc.

  $95,106   $64,662   $38,351   $32,900   $68,784  

Add:

      

Provision for income taxes

   51,053    39,262    21,930    16,466    37,077  

Interest expense

   25,256    19,865    20,688    31,239    19,048  

Depreciation and amortization

   40,837    38,913    36,020    29,767    26,253  
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

EBITDA

   212,252    162,702    116,989    110,372    151,162  
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Add/(subtract):

      

Provision for income taxes

   (51,053  (39,262  (21,930  (16,466  (37,077

Interest expense

   (25,256  (19,865  (20,688  (31,239  (19,048

Realized gains on railcars and related leases

   (8,417  (7,771  (1,758  (4,040  (8,103

Deferred income taxes

   5,473    12,205    16,430    4,124    5,274  

Excess tax benefit from share-based payment arrangement

   (307  (876  (566  (2,620  (5,399

Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates, net of distributions received

   (23,591  (17,594  (15,105  19,307    (23,583

Noncontrolling interest in income (loss) of affiliates

   1,719    219    1,215    (2,803  (1,356

Changes in working capital and other

   179,445    (329,043  105,654    202,029    (220,265
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net cash provided by (used in) operations

  $290,265   $(239,285 $180,241   $278,664   $(158,395
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

                     
  For the years ended December 31, 
(in thousands) 2010  2009  2008  2007  2006 
   
Net income attributable to The Andersons, Inc. $64,662  $38,351  $32,900  $68,784  $36,347 
Add:                    
Provision for income taxes  39,262   21,930   16,466   37,077   18,122 
Interest expense  19,865   20,688   31,239   19,048   16,299 
Depreciation and amortization  38,913   36,020   29,767   26,253   24,737 
   
EBITDA  162,702   116,989   110,372   151,162   95,505 
   
Add/(subtract):                    
Provision for income taxes  (39,262)  (21,930)  (16,466)  (37,077)  (18,122)
Interest expense  (19,865)  (20,688)  (31,239)  (19,048)  (16,299)
Realized gains on railcars and related leases  (7,771)  (1,758)  (4,040)  (8,103)  (5,887)
Deferred income taxes  12,205   16,430   4,124   5,274   7,371 
Excess tax benefit from share-based payment arrangement  (876)  (566)  (2,620)  (5,399)  (5,921)
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates, net of distributions received  (17,594)  (15,105)  19,307   (23,583)  (4,340)
Minority interest in income (loss) of affiliates  219   1,215   (2,803)  (1,356)   
Changes in working capital and other  (329,043)  105,654   202,029   (220,265)  (106,590)
   
Net cash (used in) provided by operations $(239,285) $180,241  $278,664  $(158,395) $(54,283)
   
The Company has included its Computation of Earnings to Fixed Charges in Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules, and Reports on Form 8-K as Exhibit 12.

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition andResults of Operations

Forward Looking Statements

The following “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” contains forward-looking statements which relate to future events or future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You are urged to carefully consider these risks and factors, including those listed under Item 1A, “Risk Factors.” In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions. Actual events or results may differ materially. These forward-looking statements relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made and the Company undertakes no obligation, other than any imposed by law, to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements.

Executive Overview

Grain & Ethanol GroupBusiness

The Grain & Ethanol Groupbusiness operates grain elevators in various states, primarily in the U.S. Corn Belt. In addition to storage, merchandising and grain trading, the GroupGrain performs marketing, risk management, and othercorn origination services for its customers. During 2010, the Group increased its grain storage capacity by approximately 6.4 million bushels through business acquisitions and expansion at existing locations. The Group now has over 107 million bushels of storage capacity. The Group is a significant investor in three ethanol facilities located in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio with a nameplate capacity of 275 million gallons. In addition to its investment in these facilities, the Group operates the facilities under management contractscustomers and provides grain origination,affiliated ethanol and distillers dried grains (“DDG”) marketing and risk management services for which itproduction facilities. Grain is separately compensated. The Group is also a significant investor in Lansing Trade Group, LLC (“LTG”), an established commodity trading, grain handling and merchandising business with operations throughout the country and

21

with global trading/merchandising offices.


internationally. LTG continues to increase its capabilities, including ethanol trading, and is exposed to many of the same risks as the Company’s Grain & Ethanol Group. This investment provides the Group a further opportunity to expand outside of its traditional geographic regions.
The agricultural commodity-based business is one in which changes in selling prices generally move in relationship to changes in purchase prices. Therefore, increases or decreases in prices of the agricultural commodities that the Companybusiness deals in will have a relatively equal impact on sales and cost of sales and a minimalmuch less significant impact on gross profit. As a result, changes in sales for the period may not necessarily be indicative of the Group’s overall performance of the business and more focus should be placed on changes to merchandising revenues and service income.
The ethanol industry has been impacted by the rising corn prices during the year caused by global supply and demand. Several existing factors that contribute

Grain inventories on hand at December 31, 2011 were 77.5 million bushels, of which 0.4 million bushels were stored for others. This compares to greater ethanol production and use are tax credits for blending corn ethanol into gasoline and tariffs that limit the importation of sugar ethanol. In addition, subsequent to year-end, the EPA approved an increase in the use of ethanol blends from 10% to 15% for light vehicle models 2001 and newer. As the high demand for corn continues into 2011, the Company will continue to monitor the volatility in corn and ethanol prices and its impact68.1 million bushels on the ethanol LLCs closely.

Rail Group
The Rail Group buys, sells, leases, rebuilds and repairs various types of used railcars and rail equipment. The Group also provides fleet management services to fleet owners and operates a custom steel fabrication business. The Group has a diversified fleet of car types (boxcars, gondolas, covered and open top hoppers, tank cars and pressure differential cars) and locomotives and also serves a wide range of customers.
During the year, the Company purchased a 49.9% equity stake in the Iowa Northern Railway Company (“IANR”) and an affiliate, Zephyr Holding Company (“Zephyr”). IANR operates a 163-mile short line railroad that runs diagonally through Iowa from northwest to southeast. With a fleet of 21 locomotives and 500 railcars, IANR primarily serves agribusiness customers and moves more than 50,000 car load per year. Zephyr is involved in the development of storage and logistics terminals designed to aid the transloading of various products including ethanol and wind turbine components.
Railcars and locomotives under management (owned, leased or managed for financial institutions in non-recourse arrangements)hand at December 31, 2010, of which 20.0 million bushels were 22,475 comparedstored for others. At December 31, 2010, Grain had a significant number of bushels on delivery (bushels physically sold to 23,804a customer for which the Company no longer has ownership of) with the CME, which was not the case at December 31, 2009.2011.

During 2011, Grain increased its storage capacity by approximately 1.7 million bushels through grain merchandising and handling agreements and expansion at existing locations. The Group’s average utilization rate (railcars and locomotives under management that are in lease service, exclusivetotal storage capacity is approximately 109.0 million bushels as of railcars managed for third party investors) has decreased from 78.1% for the year ended December 31, 20092011 compared to 73.6% for the year ended107.3 million bushels at December 31, 2010. However,The Grain Group is currently constructing a grain shuttle loader facility in Anselmo, Nebraska. The 3.8 million bushel capacity grain elevator will primarily handle corn and soybeans and is expected to open in the fall of 2012.

Looking ahead, increased corn acres without a corresponding drop in yields will likely lead to lower corn and grain commodity prices. According to the February 9, 2012 USDA crop report, agricultural commodity prices decreased across the board.

Ethanol Business

The Ethanol business holds investments in the three ethanol production facilities. The business also offers facility operations, risk management, and ethanol and distillers dried grains (“DDG”) marketing to the ethanol plants it operates as well as third parties.

The E-85 blend is now being produced by all three ethanol LLCs. A combined total of 11.9 million gallons were sold by these facilities in 2011. In addition, the Ethanol Group endedhas entered into corn oil marketing agreements with TAME and TACE for which a commission is earned on each pound sold.

As is typical for this time of year, forward margins for ethanol are negative. There is not a significant amount of future production contracted for sale nor are required inputs contracted for. This puts the year with an improved utilization rate of 81.7%. After registering nearly a 20% drop during all of 2009, rail traffic during all of 2010 posted gains of over 7% compared to 2009, but still remains over 12% behind 2008. We expect the upward trend to continue as the U.S. and world economies continue their recovery .

Although the Company has experienced a decline in utilization in its railcar business,ethanol inventory at risk for potential market losses due to the nature of these long-lived assets (low carrying valuesongoing volatility in corn, DDG and 17 year average remaining useful lives), the current economic environment impacting the rail industry would have to persist on a long-term basis for the Company’s railcar assets to be impaired and the Company does not believe this will occur. The Company is optimistic about future utilization as the Group ended the year with an improved utilization rate of 81.7%. The Company also continues to evaluate its railcar portfolio to determine if it would be more cost effective to scrap certain cars rather than continue to incur storage costs. The Company is currently, and expects to continue to scrap additional railcars throughout 2011, however, the Company does not expect that this will have a significant financial impact to the Company’s results of operations.
ethanol prices.

Plant Nutrient GroupBusiness

The Company’s Plant Nutrient Groupbusiness is a leading manufacturer, distributor and retailer principally of agricultural and related plant nutrients and pelleted lime and gypsum products in the U.S. Corn Belt and Florida. It operates 30 facilities in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois,the Midwest, Florida Wisconsin, Minnesota and Puerto Rico. The Plant Nutrient Group provides warehousing, packaging and manufacturing services to basic manufacturers and other

22


distributors. The Groupbusiness also manufactures and distributes a variety of industrial products in the U.S. including nitrogen reagents for air pollution control systems used in coal-fired power plants, water treatment products, and de-icers and anti-icers for airport runways, roadways, and other commercial applications. The major nutrient products sold by the Companybusiness principally contain nitrogen, phosphate, potassium and sulfur.
The Group saw

Margins were strong in 2011 for the continuationPlant Nutrient business as a result of price appreciation resulting from strong world demand creating a tight pipeline for most major ingredients through thesupply situation. Volume was down due to a strong fourth quarter of 2010 due to high demand. Fall application for dry materials along with ammonia was significantly higher due to the early fall harvest, goodand extremely wet weather conditions throughout the spring and high grain prices. It is our belief thatfall of 2011 which reduced the strong fourth quarter volume will have limited downward impact on volumeability to apply nutrients in the first half of 2011.fields. Favorable weather in early 2012 should allow for nutrient application that did not occur in the prior quarter. We expect 20112012 volume to be a good volume yearstrong as the demand for nutrients is high and acres planted are expected to increase. Margins should beincrease and grain prices have been strong as well as a result of tight supplieswell.

On October 31, 2011, the Company completed the purchase of the basicFlorida based Immokalee Farmers Supply, Inc., which serves the specialty vegetable producers in Southwest Florida. Subsequent to year end, the Company announced the purchase of the Ohio based New Eezy Gro, Inc., which is a manufacturer and wholesale marketer of specialty agricultural nutrients and strong price trends.

industrial products.

Rail Business

The Rail business buys, sells, leases, rebuilds and repairs various types of used railcars and rail equipment. The business also provides fleet management services to fleet owners. Rail has a diversified fleet of car types (boxcars, gondolas, covered and open top hoppers, tank cars and pressure differential cars) and locomotives.

Railcars and locomotives under management (owned, leased or managed for financial institutions in non-recourse arrangements) at December 31, 2011 were 22,675 compared to 22,475 at December 31, 2010. The average utilization rate (railcars and locomotives under management that are in lease service, exclusive of railcars managed for third party investors) has increased from 73.6% for the year ended December 31, 2010 to 84.6% for the year ended December 31, 2011. Rail traffic in early 2012 is anticipated to slightly increase over 2011.

During the fourth quarter of 2011, the Rail Group offered a 1,400 car portfolio sale to potential buyers. One or more deals are expected to close on a portion of the cars in the first quarter of 2012 and could result in a gain of up to $9.0 million.

Turf & Specialty GroupBusiness

The Turf & Specialty Groupbusiness produces granular fertilizer products for the professional lawn care and golf course markets. It also sells consumer fertilizer and weed and turf pest control products for “do-it-yourself” application to mass merchandisers, small independent retailers and other lawn fertilizer manufacturers and performs contract manufacturing of fertilizer and weed and turf pest control products. The GroupTurf & Specialty is one of a limited number of processors of corncob-based products in the United States. These products primarily serve the chemicalweed and turf pest control and feed ingredient carrier, animal litter and industrial markets, and are distributed throughout the United States and Canada and into Europe and Asia. The turf products industry is highly seasonal, with the majority of sales occurring from early spring to early summer. Corncob-based products are sold throughout the year.

The Group continues to see positive results from its focus on proprietary products and expanded product lines. The Group has spent considerable time marketing the A+ program which will boost liquid and dispersible granular sales and is planning several other productivity initiatives in operations, including automation, which will likely lead to continued growth.

Retail GroupBusiness

The Retail Groupbusiness includes large retail stores operated as “The Andersons” and a specialty food market operated as “The Andersons Market”. The GroupIt also operates a sales and service facility for outdoor power equipment. The retail concept isMore for Your Home® and the conventional retail stores focus on providing significant product breadth with offerings in home improvement and other mass merchandise categories, as well as specialty foods, wine and indoor and outdoor garden centers.

The retail business is highly competitive. The Company competes with a variety of retail merchandisers, including home centers, department and hardware stores, as well as local and national grocers. Food reset projects were completed duringThe Retail Group continues to work on new departments and products to maximize the year in three of the stores, which we expect will increase traffic in the stores and increase sales.

profitability.

Other

The “Other” business segment of the Company represents corporate functions that provide support and services to the operating segments. The results contained within this segment include expenses and benefits not allocated back to the operating segments.

The Ohio Tax Credit Authority approved job retention tax credits and job creation tax credits for the Company in relation to upcoming capital projects. To earn these credits, the Company has committed to invest a minimum amount in new machinery and equipment and property renovations/improvements in the city of Maumee and surrounding areas. In addition to the capital investment, the Company will retain 636 and create a minimum of 20 full-time equivalent positions.

Operating Results

The following discussion focuses on the operating results as shown in the Consolidated Statements of Income with a separate discussion by segment. Additional segment information is included in Note 167 to the Company’s consolidated financial statementsConsolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

23


   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011   2010   2009 

Sales and merchandising revenues

  $4,576,331    $3,393,791    $3,025,304  

Cost of sales and merchandising revenues

   4,223,479     3,112,112     2,769,798  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

   352,852     281,679     255,506  

Operating, administrative and general expenses

   229,090     195,330     199,116  

Interest expense

   25,256     19,865     20,688  

Equity in earnings of affiliates

   41,450     26,007     17,463  

Other income, net

   7,922     11,652     8,331  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income before income taxes

   147,878     104,143     61,496  

Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

   1,719     219     1,215  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating income

  $146,159    $103,924    $60,281  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

             
  Year ended December 31, 
  2010  2009  2008 
   
Sales and merchandising revenues $3,393,791  $3,025,304  $3,489,478 
Cost of sales  3,112,112   2,769,798   3,231,649 
   
Gross profit  281,679   255,506   257,829 
Operating, administrative and general  195,330   199,116   190,230 
Interest expense  19,865   20,688   31,239 
Equity in earnings of affiliates  26,007   17,463   4,033 
Other income, net  11,652   8,331   6,170 
   
Operating income before noncontrolling interest  104,143   61,496   46,563 
(Income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interest  (219)  (1,215)  2,803 
   
Operating income $103,924  $60,281  $49,366 
   
Comparison of 20102011 with 2009
2010

Grain & Ethanol Group

         
  Year ended December 31, 
  2010  2009 
   
Sales and merchandising revenues $2,405,452  $2,153,978 
Cost of sales  2,286,962   2,047,174 
   
Gross profit  118,490   106,804 
Operating, administrative and general  57,301   64,643 
Interest expense  8,315   9,363 
Equity in earnings of affiliates  25,999   17,452 
Other income, net  2,733   2,319 
   
Operating income before noncontrolling interest  81,606   52,569 
(Income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interest  (219)  (1,215)
   
Operating income $81,387  $51,354 
   

   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011   2010 

Sales and merchandising revenues

  $2,849,358    $1,936,813  

Cost of sales and merchandising revenues

   2,705,745     1,833,097  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

   143,613     103,716  

Operating, administrative and general expenses

   69,258     50,861  

Interest expense

   13,277     6,686  

Equity in earnings of affiliates

   23,748     15,648  

Other income, net

   2,462     2,557  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating income

  $87,288    $64,374  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating results for the Grain &Group increased $22.9 million over 2010. Sales and merchandising revenues increased $912.5 million over 2010, primarily as a result of higher grain prices and the acquisition of B4 Grain, Inc. in December 2010 which accounts for $220.3 million of the increase.

Gross profit increased $39.9 million primarily as a result of substantial wheat basis appreciation and spread gains. Basis is the difference between the cash price of a commodity in one of the Company’s facilities and the nearest exchange traded futures price. Basis income was higher than 2010 by $43.1 million primarily due to wheat. The increase due to spread gains was $9.3 million higher in the current year. The increase was offset by a $10.4 million decrease in storage income as a result of having fewer bushels of wheat on delivery as compared to 2010.

Operating expenses increased by $18.4 million over 2010. A large portion of the increase is higher labor and benefits expenses due to necessary expansion of human resources as a result of business growth. Specifically, $1.8 million of the labor and benefits increase related to the acquisition noted above. Performance incentives expense was also up year-over-year due to strong financial performance.

Interest expense increased $6.6 million due to a greater need to cover margin deposits which were a result of higher grain prices in the first half of 2011, as well as more wheat bushels on delivery at the end of 2011 versus 2010 upon which short-term interest is calculated.

Equity in earnings of affiliates increased $8.1 million over 2010. Income from the Group’s investment in LTG increased $8.4 million due primarily to strong results in the core grain and point to point merchandising businesses. Other income did not fluctuate significantly from prior year.

Ethanol Group

   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011   2010 

Sales and merchandising revenues

  $641,546    $468,639  

Cost of sales and merchandising revenues

   626,524     453,865  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

   15,022     14,774  

Operating, administrative and general expenses

   6,785     6,440  

Interest expense

   1,048     1,629  

Equity in earnings of affiliates

   17,715     10,351  

Other income, net

   159     176  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income before income taxes

   25,063     17,232  

Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

   1,719     219  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating income

  $23,344    $17,013  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating results for the Ethanol Group increased $30$6.3 million over 2010. Sales and merchandising revenues increased $172.9 million and is the result of a 41% increase in the average price per gallon of ethanol sold, as volume was relatively unchanged year over year. Gross profit increased $0.2 million due to an increase in services provided to the ethanol industry.

Interest expense decreased $0.6 million from 2010 due to lower borrowings outstanding. Equity in earnings of affiliates increased $7.4 million over 2010 and represents higher earnings from the investment in three ethanol LLCs. There were no significant changes in operating expenses or other income.

Plant Nutrient Group

   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011  2010 

Sales and merchandising revenues

  $690,631   $619,330  

Cost of sales and merchandising revenues

   593,437    539,793  
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Gross profit

   97,194    79,537  

Operating, administrative and general expenses

   56,101    46,880  

Interest expense

   3,517    3,901  

Equity in (loss) earnings of affiliates

   (13  8  

Other income, net

   704    1,298  
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Operating income

  $38,267   $30,062  
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Operating results for the Plant Nutrient Group increased $8.2 million over its 2010 results. Sales were $71.3 million higher due to a 30.8% increase in average price per ton sold for the year offset by a 14.7% decrease in volume. Volume was below last year due to extremely wet weather conditions throughout the spring and fall of 2011 which reduced the ability to apply nutrients during this time and a strong fourth quarter of 2010 where significant tonnage was sold and applied earlier than most years. Gross profit increased $17.7 million over prior year as a result of the impact of price escalation experienced the majority of the year, offset by a $3.1 million lower-of-cost-or-market inventory adjustment taken in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Operating expenses increased $9.2 million and includes asset impairment charges in the amount of $1.7 million. The remaining increase in operating expenses relates to higher labor, benefits and performance incentives. There were no significant changes in interest expense, equity in earnings of affiliates, or other income.

Rail Group

   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011   2010 

Sales and merchandising revenues

  $107,459    $94,816  

Cost of sales and merchandising revenues

   82,709     81,437  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

   24,750     13,379  

Operating, administrative and general expenses

   12,161     12,846  

Interest expense

   5,677     4,928  

Other income, net

   2,866     4,502  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating income

  $9,778    $107  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating results for the Rail Group increased $9.7 million over 2010. Revenues related to car sales, repairs and fabrication increased $4.9 million and leasing revenues increased $7.7 million for a total increase in sales and merchandising revenues of $12.6 million. Gross profit for Rail increased $11.4 million in total and includes gains on sales of railcars and related leases of $8.4 million. Gross profit from the leasing business was $4.0 higher than the prior year due to higher utilization and average lease rates.

Operating expenses decreased by $0.7 million from prior year due to lower bad debt expense along with a decrease in various other expense categories. Interest expense increased $0.7 million due to increased working capital use for railcar purchases. Other income was higher in 2010 primarily due to settlements received from customers for railcars returned at the end of a lease that were not in the required operating condition, as well as gains from the sale of certain assets.

Turf & Specialty Group

   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011   2010 

Sales and merchandising revenues

  $129,716    $123,549  

Cost of sales and merchandising revenues

   103,481     96,612  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

   26,235     26,937  

Operating, administrative and general expenses

   23,734     23,225  

Interest expense

   1,381     1,604  

Other income, net

   880     1,335  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating income

  $2,000    $3,443  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating results for the Turf & Specialty Group decreased $1.4 million from its 2010 results. Sales increased $6.2 million. Sales in the lawn fertilizer business increased $5.2 million due to a 5% increase in the average price per ton sold. Sales in the cob business increased $1.0 million as the average price per ton sold was up nearly 7%. Gross profit for Turf & Specialty decreased $0.7 million primarily due to a 7.8% increase in the average cost per ton due to higher raw material costs.

Operating expenses increased $0.5 million over the prior year due to a variety of variable expenses. There were no significant fluctuations in interest expense or other income.

Retail Group

   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011  2010 

Sales and merchandising revenues

  $157,621   $150,644  

Cost of sales and merchandising revenues

   111,583    107,308  
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Gross profit

   46,038    43,336  

Operating, administrative and general expenses

   47,297    45,439  

Interest expense

   899    1,039  

Other income, net

   638    608  
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Operating loss

  $(1,520 $(2,534
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Operating results for the Retail Group improved $1.0 million over its 2010 results. Sales increased $7.0 million over 2010. While the average sale per customer increased by 6.5%, customer counts decreased by almost 2%. Gross profit increased $2.7 million due to the increased sales as well as a slight increase in gross margin percentage.

Operating expenses for Retail increased $1.9 million mainly due to higher labor, benefits and performance incentives due to overall company performance. There were no significant changes in interest expense or other income.

Other

   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011  2010 

Sales and merchandising revenues

  $—     $—    

Cost of sales and merchandising revenues

   —      —    
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Gross profit

   —      —    

Operating, administrative and general expenses

   13,754    9,639  

Interest expense

   (543  78  

Equity in earnings of affiliates

   —      —    

Other income, net

   213    1,176  
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Operating loss

  $(12,998 $(8,541
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

The Corporate operating loss (costs not allocated back to the business units) increased $4.5 million over 2010 and relates primarily to an increase in performance incentives due to favorable operating performance and an increase in charitable contributions.

As a result of the operating performances noted above, income attributable to The Andersons, Inc. of $95.1 million for 2011 was 47% higher than the income attributable to The Andersons, Inc. of $64.7 million in 2010. Income tax expense of $51.1 million was provided at 34.5%. In 2010, income tax expense of $39.3 million was provided at 37.7%. The higher effective tax rate for 2010 was due primarily to the impact of Federal legislation on Medicare Part D. The 2011 effective tax rate also benefited from the permanent tax deduction related to domestic production activities.

Comparison of 2010 with 2009

Grain Group

   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2010   2009 

Sales and merchandising revenues

  $1,936,813    $1,734,574  

Cost of sales and merchandising revenues

   1,833,097     1,641,567  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

   103,716     93,007  

Operating, administrative and general expenses

   50,861     58,341  

Interest expense

   6,686     8,735  

Equity in earnings of affiliates

   15,648     5,816  

Other income, net

   2,557     2,030  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating income before noncontrolling interest

  $64,374    $33,777  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating results for Grain increased $30.6 million over 2009. Sales of grain increased $174 million, or 10.5%, over 2009 and is the result of an 11% increase in volume. Sales of ethanol increased $80.4 million, or 20%, and is the result of an increase in the overall volume by 7 million gallons and a 16.5% increase in the average price per gallon sold. Fees for services provided to the ethanol industry increased $0.9 million, or 4.2%.

Gross profit increased $11.7$10.7 million, or 11%12%, for the Group.Grain. Basis income was higher than 2009 by $18.6 million due to earlier than normal 2010 harvest causing significant basis appreciation. Position income increased by $7.9 million from 2009 to 2010 primarily as a result of the growth of the ingredient trading area. The harvest occurred earlier in 2010 than 2009 and grain was drier which resulted in $11.5 million less service fees than prior year from drying and mixing services (when wet grain is received into the elevator and dried to an acceptable moisture level). In addition, the market value adjustment for customer credit exposure was $4.6 million higher for 2010 due to higher grain prices.

Operating expenses for the Group decreased $7.3$7.5 million, or 11%13%, from 2009. Bad debt expense decreased approximately $14.6 million due to reductions in amounts reserved for customer receivables and the net reversal of $6.7 million of reserves following the settlement of a long standing collection matter. Approximately $2.7 million of the decrease in operating expenses is the result of a decline in utilities expense due to the early and dry harvest in comparison with 2009. These expense decreases were partially offset by increases in labor, benefits, and depreciation and amortization expenseexpenses due to the acquisition of O’Malley Grain during the second quarter of 2010. Performance incentives expense was also up year-over-year due to higher overall division earnings.

Interest expense for the Group decreased $1.0$2.0 million, or 11%23%, from 2009 due to lower rates on outstanding borrowings.

24


Equity in earnings of affiliates increased $8.5$9.8 million or 49%,over 2009 and relates to income from the investment in LTG.

Ethanol Group

   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2010   2009 

Sales and merchandising revenues

  $468,639    $419,404  

Cost of sales and merchandising revenues

   453,865     405,607  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

   14,774     13,797  

Operating, administrative and general expenses

   6,440     6,302  

Interest expense

   1,629     628  

Equity in earnings of affiliates

   10,351     11,636  

Other income, net

   176     289  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income before income taxes

   17,232     18,792  

Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

   219     1,215  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating income

  $17,013    $17,577  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating results for Ethanol decreased $0.6 million from 2009. Total sales and merchandising revenues increased $49.2 million over 2009. IncomeSales of ethanol increased as a result of an increase in the overall volume by 7 million gallons and a 16.5% increase in the average price per gallon sold. Fees for services provided to the ethanol industry increased $0.4 million. Gross profit increased $1.0 million over 2009 and relates to an increase in ethanol service fee income.

There were no significant changes in operating expenses or other income from the Group’s investment2009 to 2010. Interest expense increased $1.0 million over 2009 due to an increase in LTG increased $9.4 million. Income fromshort-term borrowings.

Equity in earnings of affiliates relates to the Group’s investment in the three ethanol LLCsLLCs. Earnings decreased $1.3 million, or 11%, from 2009 primarily as a result of rising corn prices.

Plant Nutrient Group

   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2010   2009 

Sales and merchandising revenues

  $619,330    $491,293  

Cost of sales and merchandising revenues

   539,793     431,874  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

   79,537     59,419  

Operating, administrative and general expenses

   46,880     45,955  

Interest expense

   3,901     3,933  

Equity in earnings of affiliates

   8     8  

Other income, net

   1,298     1,755  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating income

  $30,062    $11,294  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating results for the Plant Nutrient Group increased $18.8 million over its 2009 results. Sales increased $128 million, or 26%, over 2009 due to an increase in tons sold by 31% offset by a 3% decrease in average price per ton sold for the year.

Volume increased almost twenty percent in the fourth quarter alone due to excellent fall application conditions and the continued restocking of the retail fertilizer pipeline. The overall margin per ton was approximately 6% higher than prior year.

Operating expenses increased $1.0 million over prior year due to incremental expenses relating to an August 2009 acquisition.

Rail Group

         
  Year ended December 31, 
  2010  2009 
   
Sales and merchandising revenues $94,816  $92,789 
Cost of sales  81,437   75,973 
   
Gross profit  13,379   16,816 
Operating, administrative and general  12,846   13,867 
Interest expense  4,928   4,468 
Other income, net  4,502   485 
   
Operating income (loss) $107  $(1,034)
   

   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2010   2009 

Sales and merchandising revenues

  $94,816    $92,789  

Cost of sales and merchandising revenues

   81,437     75,973  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

   13,379     16,816  

Operating, administrative and general expenses

   12,846     13,867  

Interest expense

   4,928     4,468  

Other income, net

   4,502     485  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating income (loss)

  $107    $(1,034
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating results for the Rail Group increased $1.1 million over 2009. Sales of railcars increased $12.6 million, which includes $4.3 million related to intentional scrapping of railcars, nearly offset by leasing revenues which decreased $12.5 million. Sales relating to the repair and fabrication businesses increased $1.9 million. Gross profit for the Group decreased $3.4 million, or 20%, and is the result of more idle cars and increased storage costs during the first half of 2010 coupled with increased freight and maintenance costs, as cars were repaired and moved into service during the second half of 2010. Storage expenses for the Group increased $1.1 million in 2010 compared to 2009.

Other income increased by $4.0 million over 2009 primarily due to $2.2 million in settlements received from customers for railcars returned at the end of a lease that were not in the required operating condition. These settlements may be negotiated in lieu of a customer performing the required repairs. In addition, IANR dividends began accruing in May 2010 and amounted to approximately $1.1 million at year end.

Plant Nutrient Group
         
  Year ended December 31, 
  2010  2009 
   
Sales and merchandising revenues $619,330  $491,293 
Cost of sales  539,793   431,874 
   
Gross profit  79,537   59,419 
Operating, administrative and general  46,880   45,955 
Interest expense  3,901   3,933 
Equity in earnings of affiliates  8   8 
Other income, net  1,298   1,755 
   
Operating income $30,062  $11,294 
   
Operating results for the Plant Nutrient Group increased $18.8 million over its 2009 results. Sales increased $128 million, or 26%, over 2009 due to an increase in tons sold by 31% offset by a 3% decrease in average price per ton sold for the year. Volume increased almost twenty percent in the fourth quarter alone due to excellent fall application conditions and the continued restocking of the retail fertilizer pipeline. The overall margin per ton was approximately 6% higher than prior year.
Operating expenses increased $1.0 million over prior year due to incremental expenses relating to an August 2009 acquisition.

25


Turf & Specialty Group
         
  Year ended December 31, 
  2010  2009 
   
Sales and merchandising revenues $123,549  $125,306 
Cost of sales  96,612   99,849 
   
Gross profit  26,937   25,457 
Operating, administrative and general  23,225   20,424 
Interest expense  1,604   1,429 
Other income, net  1,335   1,131 
   
Operating income $3,443  $4,735 
   

   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2010   2009 

Sales and merchandising revenues

  $123,549    $125,306  

Cost of sales and merchandising revenues

   96,612     99,849  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

   26,937     25,457  

Operating, administrative and general expenses

   23,225     20,424  

Interest expense

   1,604     1,429  

Other income, net

   1,335     1,131  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating income

  $3,443    $4,735  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating results for the Turf & Specialty Group decreased $1.3 million from its 2009 results. Sales decreased $1.8 million, or 1%. Sales in the lawn fertilizer business decreased $5.6 million, or 5%, due to a 3% decrease in volume along with a 2% decrease in average price per ton sold. Sales in the cob business increased $3.7 million, or 24% as tonnage sold was up 24% over 2009. Gross profit for the Group increased $1.5 million, or 6% due to an overall increase in volume and margin.

Operating expenses for the Group increased $2.8 million, or 14%, from 2009, and is primarily related to the 2009 recognition of a pension curtailment gain that was not repeated in 2010 and more maintenance projects in 2010.

Retail Group

         
  Year ended December 31, 
  2010  2009 
   
Sales and merchandising revenues $150,644  $161,938 
Cost of sales  107,308   114,928 
   
Gross profit  43,336   47,010 
Operating, administrative and general  45,439   49,575 
Interest expense  1,039   961 
Other income, net  608   683 
   
Operating (loss) $(2,534) $(2,843)
   

   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2010  2009 

Sales and merchandising revenues

  $150,644   $161,938  

Cost of sales and merchandising revenues

   107,308    114,928  
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Gross profit

   43,336    47,010  

Operating, administrative and general expenses

   45,439    49,575  

Interest expense

   1,039    961  

Other income, net

   608    683  
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Operating loss

  $(2,534 $(2,843
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Operating results for the Retail Group increased $0.3 million over its 2009 results. Sales decreased $11.4 million, or 7%, from 2009 and were experienced in all of the Group’s market areas, but the majority was due to the Lima store closing in late 2009. Customer counts decreased 3% and the average sale per customer decreased by nearly 5%. Gross profit decreased $3.7 million, or 8%, due to the decreased sales as well as a slight decrease in gross margin percentage.

Operating expenses for the Group decreased $4.1 million, or 8%. As noted above, the Lima, Ohio store was closed in the fourth quarter of 2009 which contributed to the decrease in both sales and expenses year-over-year.

Other

         
  Year ended December 31, 
  2010  2009 
   
Sales and merchandising revenues $  $ 
Cost of sales      
   
Gross profit      
Operating, administrative and general  9,639   4,652 
Interest expense  78   534 
Equity in earnings of affiliates     3 
Other income, net  1,176   1,958 
   
Operating (loss) $(8,541) $(3,225)
   

26


   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2010  2009 

Sales and merchandising revenues

  $—     $—    

Cost of sales and merchandising revenues

   —      —    
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Gross profit

   —      —    

Operating, administrative and general expenses

   9,639    4,652  

Interest expense

   78    534  

Equity in earnings of affiliates

   —      3  

Other income, net

   1,176    1,958  
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Operating loss

  $(8,541 $(3,225
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

The Corporate operating loss (costs not allocated back to the business units) increased $5.3 million, or 165%, over 2009 and relates primarily to an increase in performance incentives due to favorable operating performance, an increase in charitable contributions, and increased expenses for the Company’s deferred compensation plan.

As a result of the operating performances noted above, income attributable to The Andersons, Inc. of $64.7 million for 2010 was 69% higher than the income attributable to The Andersons, Inc. of $38.4 million in 2009. Income tax expense of $39.3 million was recorded in 2010 at an effective rate of 37.7% which is an increase from the 2009 effective rate of 35.7% due primarily to the impact of Federal legislation on Medicare Part D.

Comparison of 2009 with 2008
Grain & Ethanol Group
         
  Year ended December 31, 
  2009  2008 
   
Sales and merchandising revenues $2,153,978  $2,411,144 
Cost of sales  2,047,174   2,300,190 
   
Gross profit  106,804   110,954 
Operating, administrative and general  64,643   60,281 
Interest expense  9,363   18,667 
Equity in earnings of affiliates  17,452   4,027 
Other income, net  2,319   4,751 
   
Operating income before noncontrolling interest  52,569   40,784 
(Income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interest  (1,215)  2,803 
   
Operating income $51,354  $43,587 
   
Operating results for the Grain & Ethanol Group increased $7.8 million over 2008. Sales of grain decreased $234.7 million, or 12%, over 2008 and is the result of a 16% decrease in the average price per bushel sold, partially offset by a 4% increase in volume. Sales of ethanol decreased $52.5 million, or 12%, and is the result of a 15% decrease in the average price per gallon sold, partially offset by a 4% increase in volume. Services provided to the ethanol industry increased $1.0 million, or 5%.
Gross profit decreased $4.2 million, or 4%, for the Group, and is the result of decreased commodity derivative activity in the amount of $6.5 million in the Company’s majority owned subsidiary The Andersons Ethanol Investment LLC (“TAEI”) (which is 34% owned by another entity), partially offset by increased storage income as the Company had more wheat bushels in storage and had more delayed price bushels (grain that the Company has purchased but the purchase price has yet to be established) as compared to 2008. TAEI’s commodity derivatives are being used to economically hedge price risk related to The Andersons Marathon Ethanol LLCs (“TAME”) corn purchases and ethanol sales. The late wet harvest allowed the Group to significantly benefit from drying and mixing income, which is income earned when wet grain is received into the elevator and dried to an acceptable moisture level, however, this was offset by lower margins on grain sales.
Operating expenses for the Group increased $4.4 million, or 7%, over 2008. Approximately $2.5 million of this increase is the result of the two new facilities the Group acquired in 2008 (one through a purchase and the other through a leasing arrangement). Those facilities were acquired in September of 2008 and therefore the prior year expenses only include four months for those facilities compared to a full year for 2009. Another $1.2 million of the increase is due to increased cost to dry the wet grain received during the fall harvest. The remainder of the increase is spread across several expense items and are primarily

27


employee related costs and costs associated with growth. These expense increases were partially offset by a $2.5 million decrease in bad debt expense resulting from reserves taken in 2008 against specific customer receivables for contracts where grain was not delivered and the contracts were subsequently cancelled.
Interest expense for the Group decreased $9.3 million, or 50%, over 2008. The significant increase in commodity prices in 2008 required the Company to increase short-term borrowings to cover margin calls which was the main driver for the increased interest costs for the Group last year.
Equity in earnings of affiliates increased $13.4 million, or 333%, from 2008. Income from the Group’s investment in the three ethanol LLCs increased $16.5 million, primarily as a result of the significantly improved performance of TAME as decreasing corn and natural gas prices have improved margins for that entity. In addition, the Company’s share of income from The Andersons Albion Ethanol LLC’s business interruption claim from a fire at its facility was $1.3 million. Income from the Group’s investment in Lansing Trade Group LLC (“LTG”) decreased $3.0 million.
Rail Group
         
  Year ended December 31, 
  2009  2008 
   
Sales and merchandising revenues $92,789  $133,898 
Cost of sales  75,973   96,843 
   
Gross profit  16,816   37,055 
Operating, administrative and general  13,867   13,645 
Interest expense  4,468   4,154 
Other income, net  485   526 
   
Operating (loss) income $(1,034) $19,782 
   
Operating results for the Rail Group decreased $20.8 million over 2008. Leasing revenues decreased $14.6 million, or 16%, due to the significant decrease in utilization. Sales of railcars decreased $20.1 million, or 74%, over 2008. With so many cars in the industry idled, there is not the demand for cars that there was in 2008 and with fewer cars on the rail lines overall, the opportunities for business in the repair and fabrication shops has significantly decreased resulting in a $6.4 million decrease in sales in that business. Gross profit for the Group decreased $20.2 million, or 55%, and is the result of the decreased sales coupled with significantly increased storage costs as many cars remain idle. Storage expenses for the Group increased $3.0 million in 2009 compared to 2008.
Operating expenses remained relatively flat year-over-year. Interest expense for the Group increased slightly.
Plant Nutrient Group
         
  Year ended December 31, 
  2009  2008 
   
Sales and merchandising revenues $491,293  $652,509 
Cost of sales  431,874   618,519 
   
Gross profit  59,419   33,990 
Operating, administrative and general  45,955   41,598 
Interest expense  3,933   5,616 
Equity in earnings of affiliates  8   6 
Other income, net  1,755   893 
   
Operating income (loss) $11,294  $(12,325)
   
Operating results for the Plant Nutrient Group increased $23.6 million over its 2008 results. Sales decreased $161.2 million, or 25%, over 2008 due to early 2008 price appreciation in fertilizer which caused the average price per ton sold for the year to be 33% higher than it was in 2009. As prices started to decline toward the end of 2008, and sales volume began to decrease, the Company was left with a large

28


inventory position valued higher than the market. This resulted in lower-of-cost or market and contract adjustments in the amount of $97.2 million in 2008. As a result of these significant write-downs in 2008, the Group’s 2009 gross profit is a $25.4 million improvement over the prior year. Volume also increased 12% over 2008.
Operating expenses for the Group increased $4.4 million, or 10%, over 2008 due to the added expenses from the Group’s acquisitions during 2008 and 2009. Excluding the expenses from these three businesses, expenses decreased $2.7 million, primarily in bad debt expense, uninsured losses and performance incentives.
Interest expense decreased $1.7 million, or 30%, as the drop in fertilizer prices have resulted in less borrowing needs to cover working capital.
Other income for the Group increased $0.9 million over 2008 as a result of forfeited customer prepayments.
Turf & Specialty Group
         
  Year ended December 31, 
  2009  2008 
   
Sales and merchandising revenues $125,306  $118,856 
Cost of sales  99,849   94,152 
   
Gross profit  25,457   24,704 
Operating, administrative and general  20,424   21,307 
Interest expense  1,429   1,522 
Other income, net  1,131   446 
   
Operating income $4,735  $2,321 
   
Operating results for the Turf & Specialty Group increased $2.4 million over its 2008 results. Sales increased $6.5 million, or 5%. Sales in the lawn fertilizer business increased $6.4 million, or 6%, due to a 20% increase in volume, partially offset by an 11% decrease in the average price per ton sold. Sales in the cob business remained flat. Gross profit for the Group increased $0.8 million, or 3%.
Operating expenses for the Group decreased $0.9 million, or 4%, over 2008, and is primarily related to decreased pension expense as a result of the freezing of the Company’s defined benefit plan.
Retail Group
         
  Year ended December 31, 
  2009  2008 
   
Sales and merchandising revenues $161,938  $173,071 
Cost of sales  114,928   121,945 
   
Gross profit  47,010   51,126 
Operating, administrative and general  49,575   50,089 
Interest expense  961   886 
Other income, net  683   692 
   
Operating (loss) income $(2,843) $843 
   
Operating results for the Retail Group decreased $3.7 million over its 2008 results. Sales decreased $11.1 million, or 6%, over 2008 and were experienced in all of the Group’s market areas. Customer counts decreased 2% and the average sale per customer decreased 4%. Gross profit decreased $4.1 million, or 8%, due to the decreased sales as well as a half a point decrease in gross margin percentage. As mentioned previously, the Group closed its Lima, Ohio store in the fourth quarter of 2009.
Operating expenses for the Group decreased $0.5 million, or 1%, in spite of $0.8 million in severance costs related to the closing of the Lima, Ohio store.

29


Other
         
  Year ended December 31, 
  2009  2008 
   
Sales and merchandising revenues $  $ 
Cost of sales      
   
Gross profit      
Operating, administrative and general  4,652   3,310 
Interest expense  534   394 
Equity in earnings of affiliates  3     
Other income (loss), net  1,958   (1,138)
   
Operating (loss) $(3,225) $(4,842)
   
Corporate operating, administrative and general expenses (costs not allocated back to the business units) increased $1.3 million, or 41%, over 2008 and relates primarily to increased charitable contributions and increased expenses for the Company’s deferred compensation plan. These increases were partially offset by a reduction of expenses related to the Company’s defined benefit plan as a result of the pension freeze announced during the third quarter of 2009. The increase in expenses related to the deferred compensation plan is offset by increases to other income as the assets invested in the plan performed better than the prior year.
As a result of the operating performances noted above, income attributable to The Andersons, Inc. of $38.4 million for 2009 was 17% higher than the income attributable to The Andersons, Inc. of $32.9 million in 2008. Income tax expense of $21.9 million was recorded in 2009 at an effective rate of 35.7% which is an increase from the 2008 effective rate of 33.4% due primarily to certain Indiana state tax credits related to TACE that were a benefit to the Company in 2008.

30


Liquidity and Capital Resources

Working Capital

At December 31, 2010,2011, the Company had working capital of $301.8$313.0 million, a decreasean increase of about $5.9$11.2 million from the prior year. This decreaseincrease was attributable to changes in the following components of current assets and current liabilities (in thousands):

             
  2010  2009  Variance 
   
Current Assets:
            
Cash and cash equivalents $29,219  $145,929  $(116,710)
Restricted cash  12,134   3,123   9,011 
Accounts and notes receivables, net  152,227   137,195   15,032 
Margin deposits  20,259   27,012   (6,753)
Inventories  647,189   407,845   239,344 
Commodity derivative assets — current  226,216   24,255   201,961 
Deferred income taxes  16,813   13,284   3,529 
Prepaid expenses and other current assets  34,501   28,180   6,321 
   
   1,138,558   786,823   351,735 
Current Liabilities:
            
Borrowing under short-term line of credit $241,100     $241,100 
Accounts payable for grain  274,596   234,396   40,200 
Other accounts payable  111,501   110,658   843 
Customer prepayments and deferred revenue  78,550   56,698   21,852 
Commodity derivative liabilities — current  57,621   24,871   32,750 
Accrued expenses  48,851   41,563   7,288 
Current maturities of long-term debt  24,524   10,935   13,589 
   
   836,743   479,121   357,622 
   
Working capital
 $301,815  $307,702  $(5,887)
   
liabilities:

(in thousands)  2011   2010   Variance 

Current assets:

      

Cash and cash equivalents

  $20,390    $29,219    $(8,829

Restricted cash

   18,651     12,134     6,517  

Accounts receivable, net

   167,640     152,227     15,413  

Inventories

   760,459     647,189     113,270  

Commodity derivative assets – current

   83,950     246,475     (162,525

Deferred income taxes

   21,483     16,813     4,670  

Other current assets

   34,649     34,501     148  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total current assets

   1,107,222     1,138,558     (31,336

Current liabilities:

      

Borrowing under short-term line of credit

  $71,500    $241,100    $(169,600

Accounts payable for grain

   391,905     274,596     117,309  

Other accounts payable

   142,762     111,501     31,261  

Customer prepayments and deferred revenue

   79,557     78,550     1,007  

Commodity derivative liabilities – current

   15,874     57,621     (41,747

Other current liabilities

   60,445     48,851     11,594  

Current maturities of long-term debt

   32,208     24,524     7,684  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total current liabilities

   794,251     836,743     (42,492
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Working capital

  $312,971    $301,815    $11,156  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

In comparison to the prior year-end, current assets increaseddecreased largely as a result higher inventories andof lower commodity derivative assets driven by risingfalling commodity prices in the fourth quarter. Current liabilities increased primarilysecond half of 2011. This decrease was partially offset by higher inventories for the Grain and Plant Nutrient businesses. Grain inventories are up $76.4 million over prior year due to owning the majority of the wheat in our facilities rather than storing it for others as a resultin the prior year along with an increase in ownership bushels in beans. Plant Nutrient inventories are up $28.5 million over prior year due to higher volumes and cost of borrowings on our short-term lineraw materials. Trade receivables fluctuate with timing of credit. We also saw large increasessales along with variations in prices of commodities. The increase in accounts payable for grainreceivable is consistent with the increase in sales and commodity derivative liabilitiesmerchandising revenues. Restricted cash increased due to rising commodity prices.a new industrial development revenue bond. See the discussion below on sources and uses of cash for an understanding of the significant decrease in cash from prior year.

Current liabilities decreased primarily as a result of lower borrowings on our short-term line of credit used to fund other components of working capital. Commodity derivative liabilities also decreased due to falling commodity prices in the second half of 2011. These decreases were partially offset by a large increase in accounts payable for grain attributed to higher hold pay for corn (grain we have purchased but not yet paid for) and the increase in other accounts payable which is consistent with the increase in cost of sales and merchandising revenues. Other current liabilities increased primarily due to the increase in performance incentive accruals.

Borrowings and Credit Facilities

On December 17, 2010,5, 2011, the Company entered into a restated loan agreement (“the agreement”) with several financial institutions, including U.S. Bank National Association, acting as agent. The agreement provides the Company with $513$735 million (“Line A) of short-term borrowing capacity and $387$115 million (“Line C”B”) of short-termlong-term borrowing capacity. Due to the fact that we were oversubscribed on the renewal of the syndicate revolvers, the Company entered into an agreement to amend Line A, increasing the total amount of the line by an additional $92 million to $605 million subsequent to year end. The Company plans to use the lines to fund components of working capital and margin call requirements, as necessary, if commodity prices continue to increase into 2011.

On September 30, 2010, the Company entered into a new loan agreement with the same syndicate of banks referred to above. This agreement provides for $115 million (“Line B”) of borrowing capacity.
2012. Total borrowing capacity for the Company under Lines A B, and CB is currently at $1.1 billion.

31$743.4 million.


Sources and Uses of Cash

Operating Activities and Liquidity

The Company’s operations provided cash of $290.3 million in 2011, an increase of $529.6 million from cash used cashin operations of $239.3 million in 2010, a decrease of $419.5 million from cash provided by operations of $180.2 million in 2009.2010. The significant amount of operating cash flows used in 20102011 relates primarily to an increasethe changes in the commodity prices as noted in the discussionworking capital (before short-term borrowings) discussed above on working capital.

Thealong with higher earnings.

In 2011, the Company paid income taxes of $48.9 million compared to $24.8 million in 2010. Income tax refunds of $24.2 million were received in 2009. The Company makes quarterly estimated tax payments based on full-year estimated income. Through the first nine months of 2008, the Company anticipated significantly higher earnings and was making quarterly income payments accordingly. In the fourth quarter of 2008, the market price of fertilizer decreased dramatically requiring the Company to record lower-of-cost-or market adjustments on its inventory and purchase commitmentsThe significant increase in the amount of $97.2 million. The significantly decreased earnings resulted in lower income taxes paid from 2010 to 2011 is primarily due to the increase in pre-tax book income and asmaking payments of December 31, 2008 the Company had over-paid its income2010 taxes with tax liability for the year. The majority of this over-payment was refundedreturn extension requests filed in the first quarter of 2009.

2011.

Investing Activities

Investing activities used $89.0$86.0 million, which is $25.6$3.0 million moreless than wasthe amount used in 2009.2010. The largest portion of the spending relates to business acquisitions in the amount of $39.3 million, capital spending of $30.9 million, and investment in convertible preferred securities of $13.1 million. In addition, purchases of railcars in the amount of $18.4$44.2 million nearlyand $64.2 million, respectively. Purchases of railcars were partially offset by proceeds from the sale of railcars in the amount of $20.1$30.4 million.

Capital spending for 2011 on property, plant and equipment includes: Grain – $24.3 million; Plant Nutrient – $13.3 million; Rail – $1.5 million; Turf & Specialty – $2.1 million; Retail – $1.2 million and $1.8 million in corporate purchases.

The Company spent more on business acquisitions in previous years than in 2011. On October 31, 2011, the Company completed the purchase of Immokalee Farmers Supply, Inc., which serves the specialty vegetable producers in Southwest Florida, for a purchase price of $3.0 million. $2.4 million in cash was paid at closing with the remaining portion of the purchase price accrued as it is contingent upon future performance. On May 1, 2010, the Company acquired two grain cleaning and storage facilities from O’Malley Grain, Inc. for a purchase price of $7.8 million. On December 31, 2010, the Company completed the purchase of grain storage facilities in Nebraska from B4 Grain, Inc. for approximatelywith a cash payment of $31.5 million. These acquisitions were another step westward for the Company and we see it as a great opportunity to be positioned along the high production area of Nebraska.

Total capital spending for 2010 on property, plant and equipment within the Company’s base business was $30.9 million, which includes $7.6 million in the Plant Nutrient Group, $10.3 million in the Grain & Ethanol Group, $2.2 million in the Turf & Specialty Group, $8.8 million in the Retail Group, $0.9 million in the Rail Group and $0.9 million in corporate purchases.

On May 25, 2010, the Company paid $13.1 million to acquire 100% of newly issued cumulative convertible preferred shares of IANR and Zephyr. As a result of this investment, the Company has a 49.9% voting interest in IANR, with dividends accruing at a rate of 14% annually whether or not declared by IANRannually. The Company recorded dividend income of $1.7 million and are cumulative in nature.

$1.1 million as of December 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010, respectively.

The Company expects to spend approximately $74$123 million in 20112012 on conventional property, plant and equipment, including additions and enhancementswhich includes amounts for an acquisition that occurred subsequent to existing facilities, and anyear end but prior to the filing of this Form 10-K. On January 31, 2012, the Company purchased New Eezy Gro, Inc. for a purchase price of $15.5 million plus working capital in the amount of $1.4 million. An additional $90$90.0 million foris estimated to be spent on the purchase and capitalized modifications of railcars with related sales or financings of $75$96.4 million.

Included in the above number is estimated 2012 spending for a project to replace current technology with an enterprise resource planning system to begin in 2012.

Financing Arrangements

Net cash used in financing activities was $213.1 million in 2011, compared to $211.6 million cash provided by financing activities was $211.6in 2010. A combination of reduced borrowings due to a drop in commodity prices, increasing earnings and working capital, and lower capital spending than originally planned resulted in pay down of a significant amount of long-term debt in the second half of the year. Payments of long-term debt totaled $104.0 million in 2010, compared to $52.6 million cash used by financing activities in 2009.

for 2011.

The Company has significant committed short-term lines of credit available to finance working capital, primarily inventories, margin calls on commodity contracts and accounts receivable. As noted above, the Company is party to a borrowing arrangement with a syndicate of banks, which was amended in December 2010,2011, to provide the Company with $387 million and $513$735 million in short-term lines of credit. The Company had drawn $241.1$71.5 million on its short-term line of credit at December 31, 2011 compared to $241.1 million at December 31, 2010. Peak borrowing on the line of credit during 2011 and 2010 were $601.5 million and 2009 was $305.0 million, and $92.7 million, respectively. Typically,

32


the Company’s highest borrowing occurs in the spring due to seasonal inventory requirements in the fertilizer and retail businesses, credit sales of fertilizer and a customary reduction in grain payables due to the cash needs and market strategies of grain customers.

Certain of the Company’s long-term borrowings include covenants that, among other things, impose minimum levels of equity and limitations on additional debt. The Company was in compliance with all such covenants at December 31, 2010.2011. In addition, certain of the Company’s long-term borrowings are collateralized by first mortgages on various facilities or are collateralized by railcar assets. The Company’s non-recourse long-term debt is collateralized by railcar and locomotive assets.

The Company paid $6.6$8.2 million in dividends in 20102011 compared to $6.3$6.6 million in 2009.2010. The Company paid $0.0850$0.0875 per common share for the dividends paid in January 2009, $0.0875 per common share for the dividends paid in April, July and October 2009 and January 2010, $0.090$0.0900 per common share for the dividends paid in April, July and October 2010, and declared a dividend of $0.11$0.1100 per common share for the dividends paid in January, 2011.

April, July and September 2011, and declared a dividend of $0.15 per common share for the dividends paid in January 2012.

Proceeds from the sale of treasury shares to employees and directors were $0.8 million and $1.3 million for 2011 and $0.8 million for 2010, and 2009, respectively. During 2010,2011, the Company issued approximately 157,000137,000 shares to employees and directors under its share compensation plans.

In addition, the Company repurchased treasury shares in the amount of $3.0 million.

Because the Company is a significant consumer of short-term debt in peak seasons and the majority of this is variable rate debt, increases in interest rates could have a significant impact on the profitability of the Company. In addition, periods of high grain prices and / or unfavorable market conditions could require the Company to make additional margin deposits on its exchange traded futures contracts. Conversely, in periods of declining prices, the Company receives a return of cash.

The volatility in the capital and credit markets has had a significant impact on the economy in the past few years. Despite the volatile and challenging economic environment, the Company has continued to have good access to the credit markets. In the unlikely event that the Company was faced with a situation where it was not able to access the capital markets (including through the renewal of its line of credit), the Company believes it could successfully implement contingency plans to maintain adequate liquidity such as expanding or contracting the amount of its forward grain contracting, which will reduce the impact of grain price volatility on its daily margin calls. Additionally, the Company could begin to liquidate its stored grain inventory as well as execute sales contracts with its customers that align the timing of the receipt of grain from its producers to the shipment of grain to its customers (thereby freeing up working capital that is typically utilized to store the grain for extended periods of time). WeThe Company could also believe that we could raise equity through other portions of the capital market. The Company believes that its operating cash flow, the marketability of its grain inventories, other liquidity contingency plans and its access to sufficient sources of liquidity, will enable it to meet its ongoing funding requirements. At December 31, 2010,2011, the Company had $760.8$743.4 million available under its lines of credit.

33


Contractual Obligations

Future payments due under contractual obligations at December 31, 20102011 are as follows:

                     
  Payments Due by Period 
Contractual Obligations Less than 1          After 5    
(in thousands) year  1-3 years  3-5 years  years  Total 
   
Long-term debt (a) $21,683  $76,661  $108,948  $78,066  $285,358 
Long-term debt non-recourse (a)  2,841   12,373   777      15,991 
Interest obligations (b)  14,993   24,632   15,659   9,651   64,935 
Uncertain tax positions  311   160         471 
Operating leases (c)  22,739   25,431   14,105   17,851   80,126 
Purchase commitments (d)  1,748,062   157,450   1,311      1,906,823 
Other long-term liabilities (e)  4,196   2,559   2,787   7,567   17,109 
   
Total contractual cash obligations $1,814,825  $299,266  $143,587  $113,135  $2,370,813 
   

   Payments Due by Period 

Contractual Obligations

(in thousands)

  Less than 1
year
   1-3 years   3-5 years   After 5
years
   Total 

Long-term debt (a)

  $32,051    $56,799    $86,450    $94,839    $270,139  

Long-term debt non-recourse (a)

   157     797     —       —       954  

Interest obligations (b)

   9,961     20,755     11,326     15,675     57,717  

Uncertain tax positions

   288     11     —       —       299  

Operating leases (c)

   17,188     21,052     14,762     12,070     65,072  

Purchase commitments (d)

   1,309,610     140,221     909     —       1,450,740  

Other long-term liabilities (e)

   4,211     2,606     2,859     8,137     17,813  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total contractual cash obligations

  $1,373,466    $242,241    $116,306    $130,721    $1,862,734  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

(a)The Company is subject to various loan covenants as highlighted previously.covenants. Although the Company is in compliance with its covenants, noncompliance could result in default and acceleration of long-term debt payments. The Company does not anticipate noncompliance with its covenants.
(b)Future interest obligations are calculated based on interest rates in effect as of December 31, 20102011 for the Company’s variable rate debt and do not include any assumptions on expected borrowings, if any, under the short-term line of credit.
(c)Approximately 82%78% of the operating lease commitments above relate to 6,827 railcars and 18 locomotives that the Company leases from financial intermediaries. See “Off-Balance Sheet Transactions” below.
(d)Includes the amounts related to purchase obligations in the Company’s operating units, including $1,405$1,062 million for the purchase of grain from producers and $385$297 million for the purchase of ethanol from ourthe ethanol joint ventures. There are also forward grain and ethanol sales contracts to consumers and traders and the net of these forward contracts are offset by exchange-traded futures and options contracts or over-the-counter contracts. See the narrative description of businessbusinesses for the Grain &and Ethanol GroupGroups in Item 1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further discussion.
(e)Other long-term liabilities include estimated obligations under our retiree healthcare programs and the estimated 20112012 contribution to our defined benefit pension plan. Obligations under the retiree healthcare programs are not fixed commitments and will vary depending on various factors, including the level of participant utilization and inflation. Our estimates of postretirement payments through 20152016 have considered recent payment trends and actuarial assumptions. We have not estimated pension contributions beyond 20112012 due to the significant impact that return on plan assets and changes in discount rates might have on such amounts.

The Company had standby letters of credit outstanding of $14.1$35.1 million at December 31, 2010.

2011.

Off-Balance Sheet Transactions

The Company’s Rail Group utilizes leasing arrangements that provide off-balance sheet financing for its activities. The Company leases railcars from financial intermediaries through sale-leaseback transactions, the majority of which involve operating leasebacks. Railcars owned by the Company, or leased by the Company from a financial intermediary, are generally leased to a customer under an operating lease. The Company also arranges non-recourse lease transactions under which it sells railcars or locomotives to a financial intermediary, and assigns the related operating lease to the financial intermediary on a non-recourse basis. In such arrangements, the Company generally provides ongoing railcar maintenance and management services for the financial intermediary, and receives a fee for such services. On most of the railcars and locomotives, the Company holds an option to purchase these assets at the end of the lease.

34


The following table describes the Company’s railcar and locomotive positions of the Rail Group at December 31, 2010.
2011.

Method of Control

 

Financial Statement

 Units 
Method of ControlFinancial StatementNumber

Owned-railcars available for sale

 On balance sheet current  1062  

Owned-railcar assets leased to others

 On balance sheet non-current  13,40715,593  

Railcars leased from financial intermediaries

 Off balance sheet  6,8275,211  

Railcars non-recourse arrangements

 Off balance sheet  2,1091,685  

Total Railcars

  22,551  
Total Railcars
  

22,353

 
Locomotive assets

Owned-containers leased to others

 On balance sheet non-current  40639  

Total Containers

639

Locomotive assets leased to others

On balance sheet – non-current44

Locomotives leased from financial intermediaries

 Off balance sheet  4  

Locomotives leased from financial intermediaries under limited recourse arrangements

 Off balance sheet    

Locomotives non-recourse arrangements

 Off balance sheet  7876  

Total Locomotives

  124  
Total Locomotives
  

122

 

In addition, the Company manages approximately 761342 railcars for third-party customers or owners for which it receives a fee.

The Company has future lease payment commitments aggregating $65.5$51.0 million for the railcars leased by the Company from financial intermediaries under various operating leases. Remaining lease terms vary with none exceeding fifteen years. The Company prefersutilizes non-recourse lease transactions,arrangements whenever possible in order to minimize its credit risk. Refer to Note 1211 to the Company’s consolidated financial statementsConsolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 for more information on the Company’s leasing activities.

In addition to the railcar counts above, the Grain & Ethanol Group owns 150 railcars which it leases to third parties under operating leases. These cars are included in railcar assets leased to others in the consolidated balance sheets.

Critical Accounting Estimates

The process of preparing financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. The Company evaluates these estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Estimates and assumptions are based on the Company’s historical experience and management’s knowledge and understanding of current facts and circumstances. Actual results, under conditions and circumstances different from those assumed, may change from estimates.

Certain of the Company’s accounting estimates are considered critical, as they are important to the depiction of the Company’s financial statements and/and / or require significant or complex judgment by management. There are other items within our financial statements that require estimation, however, they are not deemed critical as defined above. Note 1 to the consolidated financial statementsConsolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 describes our significant accounting policies which should be read in conjunction with our critical accounting estimates.

The Company believes that accounting for allowance for accounts and notes receivable, fair value adjustment for counter-partycounterparty risk, grain inventories and commodity derivative contracts, lower-of-cost-or-market inventory adjustments and impairment of long-lived assets and equity method investments income taxes, and employee benefit plans involve significant estimates and assumptions in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements.

Allowance for Accounts and Notes Receivable
The allowance for doubtful accounts and notes receivable relate to trade receivables and the current portion of notes receivable and is reviewed in detail by the Company on a quarterly basis. The allowance is based

35

Consolidated Financial Statements.


both on specific identification of problem accounts and some base level of reserve for small and unidentified issues. For those customers that are thought to be at higher risk, the Company makes assumptions as to collectability based on past history and facts about the current situation.
Fair Value Adjustment for Counter-PartyCounterparty Risk

The Company records quarterly estimated fair value adjustments to its commodity contracts.contracts on a quarterly basis. These market value adjustments for customer credit exposure are based on internal projections, the Compay’sCompany’s historical experience with its producers and customers and the Company’s knowledge of theirthe counterparties business. In addition, the adjustments to contract fair values tends to fluctuate with the rise and fall of commodity prices.

Grain Inventories and Commodity Derivative Contracts

The Company marks to market all grain inventory, forward purchase and sale contracts for grain and ethanol, over-the-counter grain and ethanol contracts, and exchange-traded futures and options contracts. The overall market for grain inventories is very liquid and active; market value is determined by reference to prices for identical commodities on the CME (adjusted primarily for transportation costs); and the Company’s grain inventories may be sold without significant additional processing. The Company uses forward purchase and sale contracts and both exchange traded and over-the-counter contracts (such as derivatives generally used by the International Swap Dealers Association). Management estimates fair value based on exchange-quoted prices, adjusted for differences in local markets, as well as counter-party non-performance risk in the case of forward and over-the-counter contracts. The amount of risk, and therefore the impact to the fair value of the contracts, varies by type of contract and type of counter-party. With the exception of specific customers thought to be at higher risk, the Company looks at the contracts in total, segregated by contract type, in its assessment of nonperformancenon-performance risk. For those customers that are thought to be at higher risk, the Company makes assumptions as to performance based on past history and facts about the current situation. Changes in fair value are recorded as a component of sales and merchandising revenues in the statement of income.

Lower-of-Cost-or-Market Inventory Adjustments

The Company records its non-grain inventory at the lower of cost or market. Whenever changing conditions warrant, the Company evaluates the carrying value of its inventory compared to the current market. Market price is determined using both external data, such as current selling prices by third parties and quoted trading prices for the same or similar products, and internal data, such as the Company’s current ask price and expectations on normal margins. If the evaluation indicates that the Company’s inventory is being carried at values higher than the current market can support, the Company will write down its inventory to its best estimate of net realizable value.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Equity Method Investments

The Company’s business segments are each highly capital intensive and require significant investment in facilities and / or railcars. Fixed assets are tested for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be recoverable. This is done by evaluating the recoverability based on undiscounted projected cash flows, excluding interest and taxes.interest. If an asset group is considered impaired, the impairment loss to be recognized is measured as the amount by which the asset group’s carrying amount exceeds its fair value.

We also annually review the balance of goodwill for impairment in the fourth quarter. TheseHistorically, these reviews for impairment takehave taken into account our quantitative estimates of future undiscounted, and as appropriate discounted, cash flows. Our estimates of future cash flows are based upon a number of assumptions including lease rates, lease terms, operating costs, life of the assets, potential disposition proceeds, budgets and long-range plans. The majority of our goodwill is in the Grain and Ethanol and Plant Nutrient Groups.businesses. Based on the strength of current performance in both of these groups, we do not anticipate anya qualitative goodwill impairment issuesassessment was performed in the near future.

current year versus the traditional quantitative assessment. Key factors considered in the qualitative assessment included, but were not limited to industry and market specific factors, the competitive environment, comparison of the prior-year actual results relative to budgeted performance, current financial performance, and managements forecast for future financial performance. These factors are discussed in more detail in Note 12, Goodwill and Intangible Assets.

In addition, the Company holds investments in limited liability companies that are accounted for using the equity method of accounting. The Company reviews its investments to determine whether there has been a decline in the estimated fair value of the investment that is below the Company’s carrying value which is other than temporary.

36


Income Taxes
On a quarterly basis, the income tax provision is based primarily on the expected annual effective tax rate. In the event there is a significant or unusual item recognized in our quarterly operating results, the tax attributable to that item is separately calculated Other than consideration of past and recorded at the same time as that item. Our annual tax rate is based on our income, statutory tax rates and tax planning opportunities available to us in the various jurisdictions incurrent performance, these reviews take into account forecasted earnings which we operate. Significant judgment is required in determining our annual tax rate and in evaluating our tax positions. We establish reserves when, despite our belief that our tax return positions are fully supportable, we believe that certain positions are likely to be challenged and that we may not prevail. We adjust these reserves in light of changing facts and circumstances, such as the progress of a tax audit. We have limited reserves for uncertain tax positions and most will be eliminated in the near future as the years available for audit are closing.
Employee Benefit Plans
The Company provides all full-time, non-retail employees hired before July 1, 2010 with pension benefits and full-time employees hired before January 1, 2003 with postretirement health care benefits. In order to measure the expense and funded status of these employee benefit plans, management makes several estimates and assumptions, including rates of return on assets set aside to fund these plans, rates of compensation increases, employee turnover rates, anticipated mortality rates and anticipated future healthcare cost trends. These estimates and assumptions are based on the Company’s historical experience combined with management’s knowledge and understandingestimates of current facts and circumstances. The selection of the discount rate is not a matter of judgment but based on an index given projected plan payouts. With the freeze of the pension and supplemental retirement plan, the volatility of the assumption has been reduced.
future performance.

Item 7a. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

The market risk inherent in the Company’s market risk-sensitive instruments and positions is the potential loss arising from adverse changes in commodity prices and interest rates as discussed below.

Commodity Prices

The availability and price of agricultural commodities are subject to wide fluctuations due to unpredictable factors such as weather, plantings, government (domestic and foreign) farm programs and policies, changes in global demand created by population growth and higher standards of living, and global production of similar and competitive crops. To reduce price risk caused by market fluctuations in purchase and sale commitments for grain and grain held in inventory, the Company enters into exchange-traded futures and options contracts that function as economic hedges. The market value of exchange-traded futures and options used for economic hedging has a high, but not perfect correlation, to the underlying market value of grain inventories and related purchase and sale contracts. The less correlated portion of inventory and purchase and sale contract market value (known as basis) is much less volatile than the overall market value of exchange-traded futures and tends to follow historical patterns. The Company manages this less volatile risk using its daily grain position report to constantly monitor its position relative to the price changes in the market. In addition, inventory values are affected by the month-to-month spread relationships in the regulated futures markets, as the Company carries inventories over time. These spread relationships are also less volatile than the overall market value and tend to follow historical patterns but also represent a risk that cannot be directly offset. The Company’s accounting policy for its futures and options, as well as the underlying inventory positions and purchase and sale contracts, is to mark them to the market price daily and include gains and losses in the statement of income in sales and merchandising revenues.
A sensitivity analysis has been prepared to estimate the Company’s exposure to market risk of its commodity position (exclusive of basis risk).

The Company’s daily net commodity position consists of

37


inventories, related purchase and sale contracts and exchange-traded futures and over-the-counter contracts. The fair value of the position is a summation of the fair values calculated for each commodity by valuing each net position at quoted futures market prices. The Company has established controls to manage risk exposure, which consists of daily review of position limits and effects of potential market prices moves on those positions.

A sensitivity analysis has been prepared to estimate the Company’s exposure to market risk of its commodity position. Market risk is estimated as the potential loss in fair value resulting from a hypothetical 10% adverse change in suchquoted market prices. The result of this analysis, which may differ from actual results, is as follows:

         
  December 31, 
(in thousands) 2010  2009 
   
Net (short) long position $(2,105) $3,848 
Market risk  (211)  385 

   December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011   2010 

Net position

  $5,984    $2,105  

Market risk

   598     211  

Interest Rates

The fair value of the Company’s long-term debt is estimated using quoted market prices or discounted future cash flows based on the Company’s current incremental borrowing rates and credit ratings for similar types of borrowing arrangements. In addition, the Company has derivative interest rate contracts recorded in its balance sheet at their fair value. The fair value of these contracts is estimated based on quoted market termination values. Market risk, which is estimated as the potential increase in fair value resulting from a hypothetical one-half percent decrease in interest rates, is summarized below:

         
  December 31, 
(in thousands) 2010  2009 
   
Fair value of long-term debt and interest rate contracts $307,865  $327,412 
Fair value in excess of carrying value  4,359   6,688 
Market risk  (8,091)  (3,344)

38


   December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011   2010 

Fair value of long-term debt

  $279,001    $305,708  

Fair value in excess of carrying value

   7,908     4,359  

Market risk

   3,454     4,200  

Actual results may differ. The estimated fair value and market risk will vary from year to year depending on the total amount of long-term debt and the mix of variable and fixed rate debt.


Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

The management of The Andersons, Inc. (the “Company”) is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. The Company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of the Company’s financial statements for external reporting purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Management assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2010.2011. In making this assessment, it used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission inInternal Control Integrated Framework. Based on the results of this assessment and on those criteria, management concluded that, as of December 31, 2010,2011, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was effective.

The Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, has audited the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2010,2011, as stated in their report which follows in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

40


Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Shareholders and Board of Directors
of

Of The Andersons, Inc.:

In our opinion, based on our audits and the report of other auditors, the consolidated financial statements listed in the accompanying index present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of The Andersons, Inc. and its subsidiaries at December 31, 20102011 and December 31, 2009,2010, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 20102011 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. In addition, in our opinion, the financial statement schedule listed in the accompanying index presents fairly, in all material respects, the information set forth therein when read in conjunction with the related consolidated financial statements. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2010,2011, based on criteria established inInternal Control - Integrated Frameworkissued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). The Company’s management is responsible for these financial statements and financial statement schedule, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express opinions on these financial statements, on the financial statement schedule, and on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our integrated audits. We did not audit the consolidated financial statements of Lansing Trade Group, LLC, an entity in which The Andersons, Inc.inc. has an investment in and accounts for under the equity method of accounting, and for which The Andersons, Inc. recorded $23.6 million, $15.1 million, $5.8 million and $8.8$5.8 million of equity in earnings of affiliates for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.2011. The financial statements of Lansing Trade Group, LLC as of December 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009 and for each of the years ended December 31, 2010, December 31, 2009 and December 31, 2008 were audited by other auditors whose report thereon has been furnished to us, and our opinion on the financial statements of The Andersons, Inc. as of December 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009 and for the years ended December 31, 2010, December 31, 2009 and December 31, 2008 expressed herein, insofar as it relates to the amounts included for Lansing Trade Group, LLC, is based solely on the report of the other auditors. We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audits of the financial statements included examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits and the report of other auditors provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Toledo, Ohio
March 1, 2011

41


February 27, 2012

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

Lansing Trade Group, LLC

Overland Park, Kansas

We have audited the consolidated balance sheets of Lansing Trade Group, LLC and Subsidiaries as of December 31, 20102011 and 20092010 and the related consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income, members’ equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 20102011 (not included herein). These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. Our audit included consideration of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 20102011 and 2009,2010, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2010,2011, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

Crowe Chizek LLP
Crowe Chizek LLP

Elkhart, Indiana

February 21, 2011

4223, 2012


The Andersons, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Income

             
  Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands, except per common share data) 2010  2009  2008 
   
Sales and merchandising revenues $3,393,791  $3,025,304  $3,489,478 
Cost of sales and merchandising revenues  3,112,112   2,769,798   3,231,649 
   
Gross profit  281,679   255,506   257,829 
             
Operating, administrative and general expenses  195,330   199,116   190,230 
Interest expense  19,865   20,688   31,239 
Other income:            
Equity in earnings of affiliates  26,007   17,463   4,033 
Other income — net  11,652   8,331   6,170 
   
Income before income taxes  104,143   61,496   46,563 
Income tax provision  39,262   21,930   16,466 
   
Net income  64,881   39,566   30,097 
Net (income) loss attributable to the noncontrolling interest  (219)  (1,215)  2,803 
   
Net income attributable to The Andersons, Inc. $64,662  $38,351  $32,900 
   
             
Per common share:
            
Basic earnings attributable to The Andersons, Inc. common shareholders $3.51  $2.10  $1.82 
   
Diluted earnings attributable to The Andersons, Inc. common shareholders $3.48  $2.08  $1.79 
   
Dividends paid $0.3575  $0.3475  $0.325 
   

   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands, except per common share data)  2011   2010   2009 

Sales and merchandising revenues

  $4,576,331    $3,393,791    $3,025,304  

Cost of sales and merchandising revenues

   4,223,479     3,112,112     2,769,798  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

   352,852     281,679     255,506  

Operating, administrative and general expenses

   229,090     195,330     199,116  

Interest expense

   25,256     19,865     20,688  

Other income:

      

Equity in earnings of affiliates

   41,450     26,007     17,463  

Other income - net

   7,922     11,652     8,331  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income before income taxes

   147,878     104,143     61,496  

Income tax provision

   51,053     39,262     21,930  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income

   96,825     64,881     39,566  

Net income attributable to the noncontrolling interest

   1,719     219     1,215  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income attributable to The Andersons, Inc.

  $95,106    $64,662    $38,351  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Per common share:

      

Basic earnings attributable to The Andersons, Inc. common shareholders

  $5.13    $3.51    $2.10  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Diluted earnings attributable to The Andersons, Inc. common shareholders

  $5.09    $3.48    $2.08  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Dividends paid

  $0.4400    $0.3575    $0.3475  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

The Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements are an integral part of these statements.

43


The Andersons, Inc.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

         
  December 31, 
(in thousands) 2010  2009 
   
Assets
        
Current assets:        
Cash and cash equivalents $29,219  $145,929 
Restricted cash  12,134   3,123 
Accounts and notes receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts of $5,684 in 2010; $8,753 in 2009  152,227   137,195 
Margin deposits, net  20,259   27,012 
Inventories  647,189   407,845 
Commodity derivative assets — current  226,216   24,255 
Deferred income taxes  16,813   13,284 
Other current assets  34,501   28,180 
   
Total current assets  1,138,558   786,823 
Other assets:        
Commodity derivative assets — noncurrent  18,113   3,137 
Other assets and notes receivable, less allowance for doubtful notes receivable of $254 in 2010; $7,950 in 2009  47,855   25,629 
Equity method investments  175,349   157,360 
   
   241,317   186,126 
Railcar assets leased to others, net  168,483   179,154 
Property, plant and equipment, net  151,032   132,288 
   
Total assets $1,699,390  $1,284,391 
   
         
Liabilities and Shareholders’ equity
        
Current liabilities:        
Borrowings under short-term line of credit $241,100  $ 
Accounts payable for grain  274,596   234,396 
Other accounts payable  111,501   110,658 
Customer prepayments and deferred revenue  78,550   56,698 
Commodity derivative liabilities — current  57,621   24,871 
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities  48,851   41,563 
Current maturities of long-term debt  24,524   10,935 
   
Total current liabilities  836,743   479,121 
Other long-term liabilities  25,183   16,051 
Commodity derivative liabilities — noncurrent  3,279   830 
Employee benefit plan obligations  30,152   24,949 
Long-term debt, less current maturities  276,825   308,026 
Deferred income taxes  62,649   49,138 
   
Total liabilities  1,234,831   878,115 
         
Shareholders’ equity:        
Common shares, without par value, 42,000 shares authorized; 19,198 shares issued  96   96 
Preferred shares, without par value, 1,000 shares authorized; none issued      
Additional paid-in capital  177,875   175,477 
Treasury shares, at cost (762 in 2010; 918 in 2009)  (14,058)  (15,554)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss  (28,799)  (25,314)
Retained earnings  316,317   258,662 
   
Total shareholders’ equity of The Andersons, Inc.  451,431   393,367 
Noncontrolling interest  13,128   12,909 
   
Total shareholders’ equity  464,559   406,276 
   
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity $1,699,390  $1,284,391 
   

   December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011  2010 

Assets

   

Current assets:

   

Cash and cash equivalents

  $20,390   $29,219  

Restricted cash

   18,651    12,134  

Accounts receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts of $4,799 in 2011; $5,684 in 2010

   167,640    152,227  

Inventories

   760,459    647,189  

Commodity derivative assets – current

   83,950    246,475  

Deferred income taxes

   21,483    16,813  

Other current assets

   34,649    34,501  
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total current assets

   1,107,222    1,138,558  

Other assets:

   

Commodity derivative assets – noncurrent

   2,289    18,113  

Other assets, net

   53,327    47,855  

Equity method investments

   199,061    175,349  
  

 

 

  

 

 

 
   254,677    241,317  

Railcar assets leased to others, net

   197,137    168,483  

Property, plant and equipment, net

   175,087    151,032  
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total assets

  $1,734,123   $1,699,390  
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Liabilities and equity

   

Current liabilities:

   

Borrowings under short-term line of credit

  $71,500   $241,100  

Accounts payable for grain

   391,905    274,596  

Other accounts payable

   142,762    111,501  

Customer prepayments and deferred revenue

   79,557    78,550  

Commodity derivative liabilities – current

   15,874    57,621  

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

   60,445    48,851  

Current maturities of long-term debt

   32,208    24,524  
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total current liabilities

   794,251    836,743  

Other long-term liabilities

   43,014    25,183  

Commodity derivative liabilities – noncurrent

   1,519    3,279  

Employee benefit plan obligations

   52,972    30,152  

Long-term debt, less current maturities

   238,885    276,825  

Deferred income taxes

   64,640    62,649  
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total liabilities

   1,195,281    1,234,831  

Commitments and contingencies (Note 11)

   

Shareholders’ equity:

   

Common shares, without par value, 42,000 shares authorized; 19,198 shares issued

   96    96  

Preferred shares, without par value, 1,000 shares authorized; none issued

   —      —    

Additional paid-in capital

   179,463    177,875  

Treasury shares, at cost (697 in 2011; 762 in 2010)

   (14,997  (14,058

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

   (43,090  (28,799

Retained earnings

   402,523    316,317  
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total shareholders’ equity of The Andersons, Inc.

   523,995    451,431  

Noncontrolling interest

   14,847    13,128  
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total equity

   538,842    464,559  
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total liabilities and equity

  $1,734,123   $1,699,390  
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

The Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements are an integral part of these statements.

44


The Andersons, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

             
  Year ended December 31 
(in thousands) 2010  2009  2008 
   
Operating activities
            
Net income $64,881  $39,566  $30,097 
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:            
Depreciation and amortization  38,913   36,020   29,767 
Bad debt (recovery) expense  (8,716)  4,973   8,710 
Equity in (earnings) loss of unconsolidated affiliates, net of distributions received  (17,594)  (15,105)  19,307 
Gains on sales of railcars and related leases  (7,771)  (1,758)  (4,040)
Excess tax benefit from share-based payment arrangement  (876)  (566)  (2,620)
Deferred income taxes  12,205   16,430   4,124 
Gain from pension plan curtailment     (4,132)   
Stock based compensation expense  2,589   2,747   4,050 
Lower of cost or market inventory and contract adjustment     2,944   97,268 
Impairment of property, plant and equipment  1,682   304    
Other  215   186   58 
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:            
Accounts and notes receivable  (848)  (15,259)  (23,460)
Inventories  (214,171)  32,227   3,074 
Commodity derivatives and margin deposits  (158,183)  2,211   102,818 
Prepaid expenses and other assets  (3,970)  61,938   (56,939)
Accounts payable for grain  20,703   18,089   72,648 
Other accounts payable and accrued expenses  31,656   (574)  (6,198)
   
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities  (239,285)  180,241   278,664 
Investing activities
            
Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired  (39,293)  (30,480)  (18,920)
Purchases of property, plant and equipment  (30,897)  (16,560)  (20,315)
Purchases of railcars  (18,354)  (24,965)  (97,989)
Investment in convertible preferred securities  (13,100)      
Proceeds from sale of railcars  20,102   8,453   68,456 
Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment and other  1,942   540   180 
Proceeds received from minority interest        2,278 
Change in restricted cash  (9,010)  803   (201)
Investment in affiliates  (395)  (1,200)  (41,450)
   
Net cash used in investing activities  (89,005)  (63,409)  (107,961)
Financing activities
            
Net increase (decrease) in short-term borrowings  241,100      (245,500)
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt  18,986   9,523   220,827 
Payments of long-term debt  (36,598)  (52,349)  (82,090)
Payment of debt issuance costs  (7,508)  (4,500)  (2,283)
Purchase of treasury stock     (229)  (924)
Proceeds from sale of treasury shares to employees and directors  1,305   750   1,914 
Excess tax benefit from share-based payment arrangement  876   566   2,620 
Dividends paid  (6,581)  (6,346)  (5,885)
   
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities  211,580   (52,585)  (111,321)
   
             
(Decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents  (116,710)  64,247   59,382 
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year  145,929   81,682   22,300 
   
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year $29,219  $145,929  $81,682 
   

   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011  2010  2009 

Operating activities

    

Net income

  $96,825   $64,881   $39,566  

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:

    

Depreciation and amortization

   40,837    38,913    36,020  

Bad debt expense (recovery)

   187    (8,716  4,973  

Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates, net of distributions received

   (23,591  (17,594  (15,105

Gains on sales of railcars and related leases

   (8,417  (7,771  (1,758

Excess tax benefit from share-based payment arrangement

   (307  (876  (566

Deferred income taxes

   5,473    12,205    16,430  

Gain from pension plan curtailment

   —      —      (4,132

Stock based compensation expense

   4,071    2,589    2,747  

Lower of cost or market inventory and contract adjustment

   3,142    —      2,944  

Impairment of property, plant and equipment

   1,704    1,682    304  

Other

   254    215    186  

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

    

Accounts receivable

   (15,708  (848  (15,259

Inventories

   (114,427  (214,171  32,227  

Commodity derivatives

   134,309    (158,183  2,211  

Other assets

   (1,104  (3,970  61,938  

Accounts payable for grain

   117,309    20,703    18,089  

Other accounts payable and accrued expenses

   49,708    31,656    (574
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

   290,265    (239,285  180,241  

Investing activities

    

Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired

   (2,365  (39,293  (30,480

Purchases of property, plant and equipment

   (44,162  (30,897  (16,560

Purchases of railcars

   (64,161  (18,354  (24,965

Investment in convertible preferred securities

   —      (13,100  —    

Proceeds from sale of railcars

   30,398    20,102    8,453  

Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment and other

   931    1,942    540  

Change in restricted cash

   (6,517  (9,010  803  

Investment in affiliates

   (121  (395  (1,200
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net cash used in investing activities

   (85,997  (89,005  (63,409

Financing activities

    

Net change in short-term borrowings

   (169,600  241,100    —    

Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt

   73,752    18,986    9,523  

Payments of long-term debt

   (104,008  (36,598  (52,349

Payment of debt issuance costs

   (3,170  (7,508  (4,500

Purchase of treasury stock

   (3,040  —      (229

Proceeds from sale of treasury shares to employees and directors

   815    1,305    750  

Excess tax benefit from share-based payment arrangement

   307    876    566  

Dividends paid

   (8,153  (6,581  (6,346
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities

   (213,097  211,580    (52,585
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

(Decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents

   (8,829  (116,710  64,247  

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year

   29,219    145,929    81,682  
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of year

  $20,390   $29,219   $145,929  
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

The Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements are an integral part of these statements.

45


The Andersons, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity

                             
              Accumulated          
      Additional      Other          
  Common  Paid-in  Treasury  Comprehensive  Retained  Noncontrolling    
(in thousands, except per share data) Shares  Capital  Shares  Loss  Earnings  Interest  Total 
   
Balances at January 1, 2008  96   168,286   (16,670)  (7,197)  199,849   12,219   356,583 
                            
Net income (loss)                  32,900   (2,803)  30,097 
Other comprehensive income:                            
Unrecognized actuarial loss and prior service costs (net of income tax of $12,968)              (22,328)          (22,328)
Cash flow hedge activity (net of income tax of $0.3)              (521)          (521)
                            
Comprehensive income                          7,248 
Purchase of treasury shares (77 shares)          (924)              (924)
Proceeds received from minority investor                      2,278   2,278 
Stock awards, stock option exercises, and other shares issued to employees and directors, net of income tax of $2,485 (203 shares)      5,107   857               5,964 
Dividends declared ($0.3325 per common share)                  (6,042)      (6,042)
   
Balances at December 31, 2008  96   173,393   (16,737)  (30,046)  226,707   11,694   365,107 
                            
Net income                  38,351   1,215   39,566 
Other comprehensive income:                            
Unrecognized actuarial gain and prior service costs (net of income tax of $2,431)              4,491           4,491 
                             
Cash flow hedge activity (net of income tax of $0.1)              241           241 
                            
Comprehensive income                          44,298 
Purchase of treasury shares (20 shares)          (229)              (229)
Stock awards, stock option exercises, and other shares issued to employees and directors, net of income tax of $826 (171 shares)      2,084   1,412               3,496 
Dividends declared ($0.3475 per common share)                  (6,396)      (6,396)
   
Balances at December 31, 2009  96   175,477   (15,554)  (25,314)  258,662   12,909   406,276 
                            
Net income                  64,662   219   64,881 
Other comprehensive income:                            
Unrecognized actuarial loss and prior service costs (net of income tax of $3,116)              (4,992)          (4,992)
Increase in estimated fair value of investment in debt securities (net of income tax of $1,004)              1,685           1,685 
Cash flow hedge activity (net of income tax of $0.1)              (178)          (178)
                            
Comprehensive income                          61,396 
Stock awards, stock option exercises, and other shares issued to employees and directors, net of income tax of $1,076 (157 shares)      2,398   1,496               3,894 
Dividends declared ($0.3575 per commonshare)                  (7,007)      (7,007)
   
Balances at December 31, 2010 $96  $177,875  $(14,058) $(28,799) $316,317  $13,128  $464,559 
   

(in thousands, except per share data) Common
Shares
  Additional
Paid-in
Capital
  Treasury
Shares
  Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Loss
  Retained
Earnings
  Noncontrolling
Interest
  Total 

Balances at January 1, 2009

 $96   $173,393   $(16,737 $(30,046 $226,707   $11,694   $365,107  
       

 

 

 

Net income

      38,351    1,215    39,566  

Other comprehensive income:

       

Unrecognized actuarial gain and prior service costs (net of income tax of $2,431)

     4,491      4,491  

Cash flow hedge activity (net of income tax of $134)

     241      241  
       

 

 

 

Comprehensive income

        44,298  

Purchase of treasury shares (20 shares)

    (229     (229

Stock awards, stock option exercises, and other shares issued to employees and directors, net of income tax of $826 (171 shares)

   2,084    1,412       3,496  

Dividends declared ($0.3475 per common share)

      (6,396   (6,396
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Balances at December 31, 2009

  96    175,477    (15,554  (25,314  258,662    12,909    406,276  
       

 

 

 

Net income

      64,662    219    64,881  

Other comprehensive income:

       

Unrecognized actuarial loss and prior service costs (net of income tax of $3,116)

     (4,992    (4,992

Increase in estimated fair value of investment in debt securities (net of income tax of $1,004)

     1,685      1,685  

Cash flow hedge activity (net of income tax of $112)

     (178    (178
       

 

 

 

Comprehensive income

        61,396  

Stock awards, stock option exercises, and other shares issued to employees and directors, net of income tax of $1,076 (157 shares)

   2,398    1,496       3,894  

Dividends declared ($0.3575 per common share)

      (7,007   (7,007
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Balances at December 31, 2010

  96    177,875    (14,058  (28,799  316,317    13,128    464,559  
       

 

 

 

Net income

      95,106    1,719    96,825  

Other comprehensive income:

       

Unrecognized actuarial loss and prior service costs (net of income tax of $10,293)

     (17,120    (17,120

Increase in estimated fair value of investment in debt securities (net of income tax of $1,710)

     2,860      2,860  

Cash flow hedge activity (net of income tax of $21)

     (31    (31
       

 

 

 

Comprehensive income

        82,534  
       

 

 

 

Purchase of treasury shares (85 shares)

    (3,039     (3,039

Stock awards, stock option exercises, and other shares issued to employees and directors, net of income tax of $1,197 (150 shares)

   1,588    2,100       3,688  

Dividends declared ($0.4810 per common share)

      (8,900   (8,900
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Balances at December 31, 2011

 $96   $179,463   $(14,997 $(43,090 $402,523   $14,847   $538,842  
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

The Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements are an integral part of these statements.

46


The Andersons, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

1. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Consolidation

These consolidated financial statementsConsolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of The Andersons, Inc. and its majoritywholly owned and controlled subsidiaries (the “Company”). All significant intercompany accounts and transactions are eliminated in consolidation.

Investments in unconsolidated entities in which the Company has significant influence, but not control, are accounted for using the equity method of accounting.

In the opinion of management, all adjustments consisting of normal recurring items, considered necessary for a fair presentation of the results of operations for the periods indicated, have been made.

During

Certain balance sheet items have been reclassified from their prior presentation to conform to the first quartercurrent year presentation. These reclassifications are not considered material and had no effect on the statement of 2010, ASU 2009-17 became effective for the Company. ASU 2009-17 provides guidance for identifying entities for which analysisincome, statement of voting interests, and the holding of those voting interests, is not effective in determining whether a controlling financial interest exists. These entities are considered variable interest entities (“VIEs”). The Company holds investments in four equity, method investments that were evaluated under ASU 2009-17 to determine whether they were considered VIEs of the Company and subject to consolidation under this standard. The Company concluded that these entities were not VIEs and therefore not subject to consolidation under this standard. During the second quarter of 2010, the Company made an investment in an entity that is considered a VIE. See Note 3 for further information.

current assets, current liabilities or operating cash flows as previously reported.

Use of Estimates and Assumptions

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include cash and short-term investments with an initial maturity of three months or less. The carrying values of these assets approximate their fair values.

A significant portion of restricted cash is held in escrow for certain of the Company’s debtindustrial development revenue bonds described in Note 9.

10.

Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

Trade accounts receivable are recorded at the invoiced amount and may bear interest if past due. The allowance for doubtful accounts is ourthe best estimate of the amount of probable credit losses in our existing accounts receivable. We review ourThe allowance for doubtful accounts is reviewed quarterly. Past due balances over 90 days,The allowance is based both on specific identification of potentially uncollectible accounts and greater thanthe application of a specified amount,consistent policy to estimate the allowance necessary for the remaining accounts receivable. For those customers that are reviewed individually for collectability. All other balances are reviewedthought to be at higher risk, the Company makes assumptions as to collectability based on a pooled basis.

past history and facts about the current situation. Account balances are charged off against the allowance when it becomes more certain that the receivable will not be recovered. In 2010, the Company benefited from the net reversal of $6.7 million of reserves following the settlement of a long standing collection matter.

47


Inventories and Commodity Derivatives
and Inventories

The Company’s operating results can be affected by changes to commodity prices. The Grain and Ethanol businesses have established “unhedged” position limits (the amount of a commodity, either owned or contracted for, that does not have an offsetting derivative contract to mitigate the price risk associated with those contracts and inventory). To reduce the exposure to market price risk on graincommodities owned and forward grain and ethanol purchase and sale contracts, the Company enters into regulatedexchange traded commodity futures and options contracts as well asand over-the-counter forward and option contracts for ethanol, corn, soybeans, wheat and oats. All of thesewith various counterparties.

The exchange traded contracts are considered derivatives. primarily via the regulated Chicago Mercantile Exchange (the “CME”). The forward purchase and sale contracts are for physical delivery of the commodity in a future period. Contracts to purchase commodities from producers generally relate to the current or future crop years for delivery periods quoted by regulated commodity exchanges. Contracts for the sale of commodities to processors or other commercial consumers generally do not extend beyond one year.

The Company records these commodity contracts on the balance sheet as assets or liabilities as appropriate, and accounts for themits commodity derivatives at fair value, using a daily mark-to-market method, the same method it uses to value grain inventory. The estimated fair value of the commodity derivative contracts that require the receipt or posting of cash collateral is recorded on a net basis (offset against cash collateral posted or received, also known as margin deposits) within commodity derivative assets or liabilities. Management determines fair value based on exchange-quoted prices and in the case of its forward purchase and sale contracts, estimated fair value is adjusted for differences in local markets and in the case of derivatives, also considers non-performance risk. Company policy limits the Company’s “unhedged” grain position (the amount of grain, either owned or contracted for, that is not offset by a derivative contract for the sale of grain). While the Company considers its commodity contracts to be effective economic hedges, the Company does not designate or account for its commodity contracts as hedges. Realized and unrealized gains and losses in the value of commodity contracts (whether due to changes in commodity prices, changes in performance or credit risk, or due to sale, maturity or extinguishment of the commodity contract) and grain inventories are included in sales and merchandising revenues in the statementsConsolidated Statements of income. The forward contracts require performance in future periods. Contracts to purchase grain from producers generally relate to the current or future crop years for delivery periods quoted by regulated commodity exchanges. Contracts for the sale of grain to processors or other consumers generally do not extend beyond one year. The terms of contracts for the purchase and sale of grain are consistent with industry standards.Income. Additional information about the fair value of the Company’s commodity derivatives is presented in Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements.

Consolidated Financial Statements.

All other inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market. Cost is determined by the average cost method.

Additional information about inventories is presented in Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Derivatives – Master Netting Arrangements

Generally accepted accounting principles permit a party to a master netting arrangement to offset fair value amounts recognized for derivative instruments against the right to reclaim cash collateral or obligation to return cash collateral under the same master netting arrangement. The Company has master netting arrangements for its exchange traded futures and options contracts and certain over-the-counter contracts. When the Company enters into a futures, options or an over-the-counter contract, an initial margin deposit may be required by the counterparty. The amount of the margin deposit varies by commodity. If the market price of a future, option or an over-the-counter contract moves in a direction that is adverse to the Company’s position, an additional margin deposit, called a maintenance margin, is required. The Company nets, by counterparty, its futures and over-the-counter positions against the cash collateral provided or received. The net position is recorded within margin deposits or other accounts payable depending on whether the net position is an asset or a liability. At December 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009, the margin deposit assets and margin deposit liabilities consisted ofare included in short-term commodity derivative assets or liabilities, as appropriate, in the following:

                 
  December 31, 2010  December 31, 2009 
  Margin  Margin  Margin  Margin 
  deposit  deposit  deposit  deposit 
(in thousands) assets  liabilities  assets  liabilities 
   
Collateral paid $166,589  $  $40,190  $2,228 
Fair value of derivatives  (146,330)     (13,178)  (4,193)
         
Balance at end of period $20,259  $  $27,012  $(1,965)
         
Marketing Agreement
The Company has negotiated a marketing agreement that covers certain of its grain facilities (some of which are leased from Cargill). Under this five-year amended and restated agreement (endingConsolidated Balance Sheets. Additional information about the Company’s master netting arrangements is presented in May 2013),Note 4 to the Company sells grain from these facilities to Cargill at market prices. Income earned from operating the facilities (including buying, storing and selling grain and providing grain marketing services to its producer customers) over a specified threshold is shared equally with Cargill. Measurement of this threshold is made on a cumulative basis and cash is paid to Cargill (if required) at the end of the contract. The Company recognizes its share of income every month

48

Consolidated Financial Statements.


and accrues for any payment owed to Cargill. The payable balance was $16.7 million and $10.6 million as of December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively.
Derivatives Interest Rate and Foreign Currency Contracts

The Company periodically enters into interest rate contracts to manage interest rate risk on borrowing or financing activities. The Company has a long-term interest rate swap recorded in other long-term liabilities and a foreign currency collar recorded in other assets and has designated them as cash flow hedges; accordingly, changes in the fair value of these instruments are recognized in other comprehensive income. The Company has other interest rate contracts that are not designated as hedges. While the Company considers all of its derivative positions to be effective economic hedges of specified risks, these interest rate contracts for which we dohedge accounting is not apply hedge accountingapplied are recorded on the balance sheetConsolidated Balance Sheets in prepaid expenses andeither other current assets or liabilities (if short-term in nature) or in other assets or current andother long-term liabilities as appropriate,(if non-current in nature), and changes in fair value are recognized currently in income as interest expense. Upon termination of a derivative instrument or a change in the hedged item, any remaining fair value recorded on the balance sheet is recorded as interest expense consistent with the cash flows associated with the underlying hedged item.

Information regarding the nature and terms of the Company’s interest rate derivatives is presented in Note 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Marketing Agreement

The Company has a marketing agreement that covers certain of its grain facilities, some of which are leased from Cargill, Incorporated (“Cargill”). Under the five-year amended and restated agreement (ending in May 2013), the Company sells grain from these facilities to Cargill at market prices. Income earned from operating the facilities (including buying, storing and selling grain and providing grain marketing services to its producer customers) over a specified threshold is shared equally with Cargill. Measurement of this threshold is made on a cumulative basis and cash is paid to Cargill at the end of the contract. The Company recognizes its pro rata share of income every month and accrues for any payment owed to Cargill. The payable balance was $33.2 million and $16.7 million as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Railcars

The Company’s Rail Group purchases, leases, markets and manages railcars for third parties and for internal use. Railcars to which the Company holds title are shown on the balance sheet in one of two categories — prepaid expenses and other current assets (for railcars that are available for sale) or railcar assets leased to others. Railcars leased to others, both on short-short and long-term leases, are classified as long-term assets and are depreciated over their estimated useful lives.

Railcars have statutory lives of either 40 or 50 years, (measuredmeasured from the date built) depending on type and year built andbuilt. At the time of purchase, the remaining statutory life is used in determining useful lives which are depreciated based on 80% ofa straight-line basis. Additional information regarding railcar assets leased to others is presented in Note 3 to the railcars remaining useful life.

Consolidated Financial Statements.

Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment is carriedrecorded at cost. Repairs and maintenance are charged to expense as incurred, while betterments that extend useful lives are capitalized. Depreciation is provided over the estimated useful lives of the individual assets, principally by the straight-line method. Estimated useful lives are generally as follows: land improvements and– 16 years; leasehold improvements the shorter of the lease term or the estimated useful life of the improvement;improvement, ranging from 3 to 20 years; buildings and storage facilities 20 to 30 years; machinery and equipment 3 to 20 years; and software 3 to 10 years. The cost of assets retired or otherwise disposed of and the accumulated depreciation thereon are removed from the accounts, with any gain or loss realized upon sale or disposal credited or charged to operations.

Additional information regarding the Company’s property, plant and equipment is presented in Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Deferred Debt Issue Costs

Costs associated with the issuance of debt are capitalized. These costs are amortized using an interest-method equivalent over the earlier of the stated term of the debt or the period from the issue date through the first early payoff date without penalty, or the expected payoff if the loan does not contain a prepayment penalty. Capitalized costs associated with the short-termborrowing arrangement with a syndication agreementof banks are amortized over the term of the syndication.

agreement.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Intangible assets are recorded at cost, less accumulated amortization. Amortization of intangible assets is provided over their estimated useful lives (generally 5 to 10 years) on the straight-line method. Goodwill is not amortized but is subject to annual impairment tests or more often when events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of goodwill may be impaired. A goodwill impairment loss is recognized to the extent the carrying amount of goodwill exceeds the implied fair value of goodwill.

49 Additional information about the Company’s goodwill and intangible assets is presented in Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.


Impairment of Long-lived Assets

Long-lived assets, including intangible assets, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by comparing the carrying amount of the assets to the undiscounted future net cash flows the Company expects to generate with the asset. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the Company recognizes impairment expense for the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the assets.

Accounts Payable for Grain

Accounts payable for grain includes certain amounts related to grain purchases for which, even though we havethe Company has taken ownership and possession of the grain, the final purchase price has not been established (delayed price contracts). Amounts recorded for such delayed price contracts are determined on the basis of grain market prices at the balance sheet date in a similar manner for which we value our inventory. Atgrain inventory is valued and equated to $71.1 million and $37.8 million as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, and 2009, the amount of accounts payable for grain computed on the basis of market prices was $47.0 million and $56.9 million, respectively.

Stock-Based Compensation

Stock-based compensation expense for all stock-based compensation awards areis based on the estimated grant-date fair value. The Company recognizes these compensation costs on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the award.

award, adjusted for revisions to performance expectations. Additional information about the Company’s stock compensation plans is presented in Note 14 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Deferred Compensation Liability

Included in accrued expenses are $5.8$6.2 million and $5.3$5.8 million at December 31, 20102011 and 2009,2010, respectively, of deferred compensation for certain employees who, due to Internal Revenue Service guidelines, may not take full advantage of the Company’s qualified defined contribution plan. Assets funding this plan are recorded at fair value and are equal to the value of this liability. This plan has no impact on our results of operations as the changechanges in the fair value of the assets are offset on a one-for-one basis, by the change in the recorded amount of the deferred compensation liability.

Revenue Recognition

Sales of grain and ethanol are primarily recognized at the time of shipment, which is when title and risk of loss transfers to the customer. Direct ship grain sales (where the Company never takes physical possession of the grain) are recognized when the grain arrives at the customer’s facility. Revenues from other grain and ethanol merchandising activities are recognized as services are provided; gains and losses on the market value of grain inventory as well as commodity derivative gains and lossesderivatives are recognized into revenue on a daily basis when these positions are marked-to-market. Sales of other products are recognized at the time title and risk of loss transfers to the customer, which is generally at the time of shipment or, in the case of the retail store sales, when the customer takes possession of the goods. Revenues for all other services are recognized as the service is provided.

Certain of the Company’s operations provide for customer billings, deposits or prepayments for product that is stored at the Company’s facilities. The sales and gross profit related to these transactions are not recognized until the product is shipped in accordance with the previously stated revenue recognition policy and these amounts are classified as a current liability titled “Customer prepayments and deferred revenue.”

Rental revenues on operating leases are recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. Sales to financial intermediaries of owned railcars which are subject to an operating lease (with the Company being the lessor in such operating leases prior to the sale, referred to as a “non-recourse transaction”) are recognized as revenue on the date of sale if the Company does not maintain substantial risk of ownership in the sold railcars. Revenues recognized related to these non-recourse transactions totaled $2.9 million in 2010, $3.8 million in 2009 and $22.3 million in 2008. Revenue related to railcar servicing and maintenance contracts is recognized over the term of the lease or service contract.

Certain of the Company’s operations provide for customer billings, deposits or prepayments for product that is stored at the Company’s facilities. The sales and gross profit related to these transactions are not recognized until the

50


product is shipped in accordance with the previously stated revenue recognition policy and these amounts are classified as a current liability titled “Customer prepayments and deferred revenue.”
Sales returns and allowances are provided for at the time sales are recorded. Shipping and handling costs are included in cost of sales. Sales taxes and motor fuel taxes on ethanol sales are presented on a net basis and are excluded from revenues. In all cases, revenues are recognized only if collectability is reasonably assured at the time the revenue is recorded.

Rail Lease Accounting

In addition to the sale of railcars that the Company makes to financial intermediaries on a non-recourse basis and records as revenue as discussed above, the Company also acts as the lessor and/and / or the lessee in various leasing arrangements as described below.

The Company’s Rail Group leases railcars and locomotives to customers, manages railcars for third parties and leases railcars for internal use. The Company acts as the lessor in various operating leases of railcars that are owned by the Company, or leased by the Company from financial intermediaries and, in turn, leased by the Company to end-users of the railcars. The leases from financial intermediaries are generally structured as sale-leaseback transactions, with the leaseback by the Company being treated as an operating lease.

Certain of the Company’s leases include monthly lease fees that are contingent upon some measure of usage (“per diem” leases). This monthly usage is tracked, billed and collected by third party service providers and funds are generally remitted to the Company along with usage data three months after they are earned. Typically, the lease term related to per-diem leases is one year or less. The Company records lease revenue for these per diem arrangements based on recent historical usage patterns and records a true-up adjustment when the actual data is received. Such true-up adjustments were not significant for any period presented.

The Company expenses operating lease payments on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

Additional information about railcar leasing activities is presented in Note 11 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Income Taxes

Income tax expense for each period includes current tax expense (income taxesplus deferred expense, which is related to current year activity) plus the change in deferred income tax assets and liabilities. Deferred income taxes are provided for temporary differences between the financial reporting basis and the tax basis of assets and liabilities and are measured using enacted tax rates and laws governing periods in which the differences are expected to reverse. The Company evaluates the realizability of deferred tax assets and provides a valuation allowance for amounts that management does not believe are more likely than not to be recoverable, as applicable.

The annual effective tax rate is determined by income tax expense from continuing operations, described above, as a percentage of pretax book income. Differences in the effective tax rate and the statutory tax rate may be due to permanent items, tax credits, foreign tax rates and state tax rates in jurisdictions in which the Company operates, or changes in valuation allowances.

The Company records reserves for uncertain tax positions when, despite the belief that tax return positions are fully supportable, it is anticipated that certain tax return positions are likely to be challenged and that the Company may not prevail. These reserves are adjusted in light of changing facts and circumstances, such as the progress of a tax audit or the lapse of statutes of limitations.

Additional information about the Company’s income taxes is presented in Note 13 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Employee Benefit Plans

The Company provides all full-time, non-retail employees hired before July 1, 2010 with pension benefits and full-time employees hired before January 1, 2003 with postretirement health care benefits. In order to measure the expense and funded status of these employee benefit plans, management makes several estimates and assumptions, including rates of return on assets set aside to fund these plans, rates of compensation increases, employee turnover rates, anticipated mortality rates and anticipated future healthcare cost trends.

These estimates and assumptions are based on the Company’s historical experience combined with management’s knowledge and understanding of current facts and circumstances. The selection of the discount rate is based on an index given projected plan payouts.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss

The balance in accumulated other comprehensive loss at December 31, 20102011 and 20092010 consists of the following:

         
  December 31, 
  2010  2009 
   
Unrecognized actuarial loss and prior service costs $(29,362) $(24,370)
Cash flow hedges  (1,122)  (944)
Increase in estimated fair value of investment in debt securities  1,685    
   
  $(28,799) $(25,314)
     

51


   December 31, 
   2011  2010 

Unrecognized actuarial loss and prior service costs

  $(46,482 $(29,362

Cash flow hedges

   (1,154  (1,122

Increase in estimated fair value of investment in debt securities

   4,546    1,685  
  

 

 

  

 

 

 
  $(43,090 $(28,799
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Research and Development

Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. The Company’s research and development program is mainly involved with the development of improved products and processes, primarily for the Turf & Specialty Group.operating segment. The Company expended approximately $0.8 million, $1.8 million $1.4 million and $0.5$1.4 million on research and development activities during 2011, 2010 2009 and 2008,2009, respectively. In 2008, the Company, along with several partners, was awarded a $5 million grant from the Ohio Third Frontier Commission. The grant is for the development and commercialization of advanced granules and other emerging technologies to provide solutions for the economic health and environmental concerns of today’s agricultural industry. For the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 2009 and 2008,2009, the Company received $0.9$0.3 million, $0.9 million and $0.1$0.9 million, respectively, as part of this grant.

Advertising

Advertising costs are expensed as incurred. Advertising expense of $4.0 million, $4.1 million and $4.0 million in 2011, 2010, and $4.2 million in 2010, 2009, and 2008, respectively, is included in operating, administrative and general expenses.

New Accounting Standards

In May 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) updated Accounting Standards Code (“ASC”) Topic 820, to clarify requirements on fair value measurements and related disclosures. This update is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. The additional requirements in this update will be included in the note on fair value measurements upon adoption in the first quarter of 2012. The new standard will have no impact on financial condition or results of operations.

In June 2011, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2011-05, Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Presentation of Comprehensive Income (“ASU 2011-05”). The amendments in ASU 2011-05 eliminate the option to report other comprehensive income in the statement of equity and require entities to present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income, and the components of other comprehensive income either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. ASU 2011-05 is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. The adoption of this guidance will change financial statement presentation and require expanded disclosures in the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements but will not impact financial results.

In September 2011, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2011-08, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Testing Goodwill for Impairment (“ASU 2011-08”). ASU 2011-08 is intended to simplify the testing of goodwill for impairment by permitting an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform the two-step goodwill impairment test described in Topic 350. The amendments are effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011, although early adoption is permitted.

The Company implemented the requirements of ASU 2011-08 for the 2011 annual goodwill impairment analysis that was completed in the fourth quarter. See Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information on the analysis performed.

In December 2011, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2011-11, Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities (Topic 210). The new disclosure requirements mandate that entities disclose both gross and net information about instruments and transactions eligible for offset in the statement of financial position as well as instruments and transactions subject to an agreement similar to a master netting arrangement. In addition, the standard requires disclosure of collateral received and posted in connection with master netting agreements or similar arrangements. The amendments are effective for annual reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2013, and interim periods within those annual periods. The disclosures required by the amendments are required to be applied retrospectively for all comparative periods presented. The adoption of this amended guidance will require expanded disclosure in the notes to the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements but will not impact financial results.

2. Inventories

Major classes of inventories are as follows:

   December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011   2010 

Grain

  $570,337    $493,911  

Ethanol

   5,461     3,356  

Agricultural fertilizer and supplies

   118,716     90,182  

Lawn and garden fertilizer and corncob products

   37,001     32,954  

Retail merchandise

   25,612     24,416  

Railcar repair parts

   3,063     2,058  

Other

   269     312  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
  $760,459    $647,189  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

3. Property, Plant and Equipment

The components of property, plant and equipment are as follows:

   December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011   2010 

Land

  $17,655    $15,424  

Land improvements and leasehold improvements

   47,958     45,080  

Buildings and storage facilities

   150,461     141,349  

Machinery and equipment

   191,833     181,650  

Software

   10,861     10,306  

Construction in progress

   13,006     2,572  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
   431,774     396,381  

Less: accumulated depreciation and amortization

   256,687     245,349  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
  $175,087    $151,032  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Depreciation expense on property, plant and equipment amounted to $20.4 million, $18.7 million and $17.4 million in 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

Railcar assets leased to others

The components of railcar assets leased to others are as follows:

   December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011   2010 

Railcar assets leased to others

  $272,883    $234,667  

Less: accumulated depreciation

   75,746     66,184  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
  $197,137    $168,483  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Depreciation expense on railcar assets leased to others amounted to $13.8 million, $14.0 million and $14.1 million in 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

During the fourth quarter of 2010, a group of railcars were found to have major defects and were written down to scrap value which resulted in a $1.2 million loss. There were no significant impairment charges incurred in 2011.

4. Derivatives

The margin deposit assets and liabilities which were shown net on the face of the balance sheet in previous periods are now included in short-term commodity derivative assets and liabilities, as appropriate. Prior periods have been reclassified to conform to current year presentation. The change in presentation had no effect on current or total assets and liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

The Company’s operating results are affected by changes to commodity prices. The Grain and Ethanol businesses have established “unhedged” position limits (the amount of a commodity, either owned or contracted for, that does not have an offsetting derivative contract to lock in the price). To reduce the exposure to market price risk on commodities owned and forward grain and ethanol purchase and sale contracts, the Company enters into exchange traded commodity futures and options contracts and over the counter forward and option contracts with various counterparties. The exchange traded contracts are primarily via the regulated Chicago Mercantile Exchange. The Company’s forward purchase and sales contracts are for physical delivery of the commodity in a future period. Contracts to purchase commodities from producers generally relate to the current or future crop years for delivery periods quoted by regulated commodity exchanges. Contracts for the sale of commodities to processors or other commercial consumers generally do not extend beyond one year.

All of these contracts are considered derivatives. While the Company considers its commodity contracts to be effective economic hedges, the Company does not designate or account for its commodity contracts as hedges as defined under current accounting standards. The Company accounts for its commodity derivatives at estimated fair value, the same method it uses to value its grain inventory. The estimated fair value of the commodity derivative contracts that require the receipt or posting of cash collateral is recorded on a net basis (offset against cash collateral posted or received, also known as margin deposits) within commodity derivative assets or liabilities. Management determines fair value based on exchange-quoted prices and in the case of its forward purchase and sale contracts, estimated fair value is adjusted for differences in local markets and non-performance risk. For contracts for which physical delivery occurs, balance sheet classification is based on estimated delivery date. For futures, options and over-the-counter contracts in which physical delivery is not expected to occur but, rather, the contract is expected to be net settled, the Company classifies these contracts as current or noncurrent assets or liabilities, as appropriate, based on the Company’s expectations as to when such contracts will be settled.

Realized and unrealized gains and losses in the value of commodity contracts (whether due to changes in commodity prices, changes in performance or credit risk, or due to sale, maturity or extinguishment of the commodity contract) and grain inventories are included in sales and merchandising revenues.

The following table presents at December 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010, a summary of the estimated fair value of the Company’s commodity derivative instruments that require cash collateral and the associated cash posted/received as collateral.

   December 31, 2011   December 31, 2010 
(in thousands)  Net
derivative
asset
position
  Net
derivative
liability
position
   Net
derivative
asset

position
  Net
derivative
liability
position
 

Collateral paid

  $66,870   $—      $166,589   $—    

Collateral received

   —      —       —      —    

Fair value of derivatives

   (20,480  —       (146,330  —    
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

Balance at end of period

  $46,390   $—      $20,259   $—    
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

Certain contracts allow the Company to post grain inventory as collateral rather than cash. Grain inventory posted as collateral on derivative contracts are recorded in Inventories on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and the estimated fair value of such inventory was $1.0 million and $27.3 million as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

The following table presents the fair value of the Company’s commodity derivatives as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, and the balance sheet line item in which they are located:

   December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011  2010 

Forward commodity contracts included in Commodity derivative assets - current

  $37,560   $226,216  

Forward commodity contracts included in Commodity derivative assets - noncurrent

   2,289    18,113  

Forward commodity contracts included in Commodity derivative liabilities - current

   (15,874  (57,621

Forward commodity contracts included in Commodity derivative liabilities - noncurrent

   (1,519  (3,279

Regulated futures and options contracts included in Commodity derivatives (a)

   (23,367  (105,030

Over-the-counter contracts included in Commodity derivatives (a)

   2,887    (41,300
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total estimated fair value of commodity derivatives

  $1,976   $37,099  
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

(a)The fair value of futures, options and over-the-counter contracts are offset by cash collateral posted or received and included as a net amount in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

The gains included in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Income and the line items in which they are located for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 are as follows:

   December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011   2010 

Gains (losses) on commodity derivatives included in sales and merchandising revenues

  $131,209    $(53,942

At December 31, 2011, the Company had the following bushels of grain commodity derivative contracts and gallons of ethanol derivative contracts outstanding (on a gross basis):

Commodity

  Number of
bushels

(in thousands)
   Number of
tons
(in thousands)
   Number of
gallons

(in thousands)
 

Non-exchange traded:

      

Corn

   200,072     —       —    

Soybeans

   10,568     —       —    

Wheat

   6,593     —       —    

Oats

   11,581     —       —    

Ethanol

   —       —       239,240  

Other

   —       98     —    
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Subtotal

   228,814     98     239,240  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Exchange traded:

      

Corn

   96,500     —       —    

Soybeans

   16,570     —       —    

Wheat

   46,935     —       —    

Oats

   1,715     —       —    

Ethanol

   —       —       29,463  

Other

   —       —       10  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Subtotal

   161,720     —       29,473  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

   390,534     98     268,713  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Interest Rate Derivatives

The Company periodically enters into interest rate contracts to manage interest rate risk on borrowing or financing activities. One of the Company’s long-term interest rate swaps is recorded in other long-term liabilities and is designated as a cash flow hedge; accordingly, changes in the fair value of this instrument are recognized in other comprehensive income. The terms of the swap match the terms of the underlying debt instrument. The deferred derivative gains and losses on the interest rate swap are reclassified into income over the term of the underlying hedged items. For each of the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, the Company reclassified less than $0.1 million of accumulated other comprehensive loss into earnings. The Company expects to reclassify less than $0.1 million of accumulated other comprehensive loss into earnings in the next twelve months.

The Company has other interest rate contracts that are not designated as hedges. While the Company considers all of its interest rate derivative positions to be effective economic hedges of specified risks, these interest rate contracts are recorded on the balance sheet in other current assets or liabilities (if short-term in nature) or in other assets or other long-term liabilities (if non-current in nature) and changes in fair value are recognized currently in income as interest expense.

The following table presents the open interest rate contracts at December 31, 2011:

Interest Rate

Hedging

Instrument

  Year
Entered
  Year of
Maturity
  Initial
Notional
Amount

(in  millions)
   

Hedged Item

  Interest
Rate
Short-term          

Caps

  2011  2012  $80.0    

Interest rate component of debt – not accounted for as a hedge

  0.60% to 3.42%
Long-term          

Swap

  2005  2016  $4.0    

Interest rate component of an operating lease – not accounted for as a hedge

  5.23%

Swap

  2006  2016  $14.0    

Interest rate component of debt – accounted for as cash flow hedge

  5.95%

Cap

  2011  2014  $20.0    

Interest rate component of debt – not accounted for as a hedge

  1.36%

Cap

  2011  2013  $40.0    

Interest rate component of debt – not accounted for as a hedge

  1.62% to 1.65%

At December 31, 2011 and 2010, the Company had recorded the following amounts for the fair value of the Company’s interest rate derivatives:

   December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011  2010 
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments   

Interest rate contracts included in other assets

  $31   $6  

Interest rate contracts included in other long term liabilities

   (372  (368
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total fair value of interest rate derivatives not designated as hedging instruments

  $(341 $(362
  

 

 

  

 

 

 
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments   

Interest rate contract included in other long term liabilities

  $(1,856 $(1,768
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total fair value of interest rate derivatives designated as hedging instruments

  $(1,856 $(1,768
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

The losses included in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Income and the line item in which they are located for interest rate derivatives not designated as hedging instruments are as follows:

   Year ended
December 31,
 
(in thousands)  2011  2010 

Interest expense

  $(232 $(133

The losses included in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Equity and the line item in which they are located for interest rate derivatives designated as hedging instruments are as follows:

   Year ended
December 31,
 
(in thousands)  2011  2010 

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

  $(88 $(229

Foreign Currency Derivatives

The Company holds a zero cost foreign currency collar to hedge the change in conversion rate between the Canadian dollar and the U.S. dollar for railcar leases in Canada. This zero cost collar, which is being accounted for as a cash flow hedge, has an initial notional amount of $6.8 million and places a floor and ceiling on the Canadian dollar to U.S. dollar exchange rate at $0.9875 and $1.069, respectively. Changes in the fair value of this derivative are included as a component of other comprehensive income or loss. The terms of the collar match the underlying lease agreements and therefore any ineffectiveness is considered immaterial.

At December 31, 2011 and 2010, the Company had recorded the following amount for the fair value of the Company’s foreign currency derivatives:

   Year ended
December 31,
 
(in thousands)  2011   2010 

Foreign currency contract included in other assets

  $—      $(26

The gains (losses) included in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Equity and the line item in which they are located for foreign currency derivatives designated as hedging instruments are as follows:

   Year ended
December 31,
 
(in thousands)  2011   2010 

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

  $26    $(68

Swaptions

In 2011, the Company entered into two $10 million swaptions for Rail purchase options on sale leaseback transactions to manage the risk of higher interest rates in the future. The effective dates of the options to enter into a swap are September 28, 2012 and 2013. The swaptions are recorded at fair value and are marked-to-market each reporting period, with the change recorded in income as interest expense.

At December 31, 2011 and 2010, the Company had recorded the following amount for the fair value of the Company’s swaptions:

   December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011   2010 

Swaptions included in other assets

  $19    $—    

The losses included in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Income and the line item in which they are located for swaptions are as follows:

   December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011  2010 

Interest expense

  $(328 $—    

5. Earnings per Share

Unvested share-based payment awards that contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends are participating securities and shall beare included in the computation of earnings per share pursuant to the two-class method. The two-class method of computing earnings per share is an earnings allocation formula that determines earnings per share for common stock and any participating securities according to dividends declared (whether paid or unpaid) and participation rights in undistributed earnings. The Company’s nonvested restricted stock are considered participating securities since the share-based awards contain a non-forfeitable right to dividends irrespective of whether the awards ultimately vest. The two-class method became effective for the Company for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2008 and interim periods within those years. The adoption of the two class method did not impact the reported amounts of basic or diluted earnings per share for the year ended December 31, 2008.

             
  Year ended 
  December 31, 
(in thousands) 2010  2009  2008 
   
Net income attributable to The Andersons, Inc. $64,662  $38,351  $32,900 
Less: Distributed and undistributed earnings allocated to nonvested restricted stock  204   122   90 
   
Earnings available to common shareholders $64,458  $38,229  $32,810 
             
Earnings per share — basic:
            
Weighted average shares outstanding — basic  18,356   18,190   18,068 
Earnings per common share — basic $3.51  $2.10  $1.82 
             
Earnings per share — diluted:
            
Weighted average shares outstanding — basic  18,356   18,190   18,068 
Effect of dilutive options  151   179   295 
Weighted average shares outstanding — diluted  18,507   18,369   18,363 
Earnings per common share — diluted $3.48  $2.08  $1.79 

   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands, except per share data)  2011   2010   2009 

Net income attributable to The Andersons, Inc.

  $95,106    $64,662    $38,351  

Less: Distributed and undistributed earnings allocated to nonvested restricted stock

   369     204     122  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Earnings available to common shareholders

  $94,737    $64,458    $38,229  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Earnings per share – basic:

      

Weighted average shares outstanding – basic

   18,457     18,356     18,190  

Earnings per common share – basic

  $5.13    $3.51    $2.10  

Earnings per share – diluted:

      

Weighted average shares outstanding – basic

   18,457     18,356     18,190  

Effect of dilutive options

   162     151     179  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Weighted average shares outstanding – diluted

   18,619     18,507     18,369  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Earnings per common share – diluted

  $5.09    $3.48    $2.08  

There were no antidilutive equity instruments at December 31, 2011, 2010 2009 or 2008.

New Accounting Standards
ASC 820 —Improving Disclosures about Fair Value Measurementsbecame effective for the Company beginning with the first quarter of 2010. ASC 820 provides additional guidance and enhances the disclosures regarding fair

52

2009.


value measurements. ASC 820 also requires new disclosures regarding transfers between levels of fair value measurements. ASC 820 did not have a material impact on the Company’s disclosures.
FASB Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2009-13,Multiple-Deliverable Revenue Arrangements, significantly changes the accounting for revenue recognition arrangements with multiple deliverables. ASU 2009-13 is effective prospectively for revenue arrangements entered into or materially modified in fiscal years beginning on or after June 15, 2010. Management is currently assessing the impact the standard may have on revenue recognition for the Company.
2. Business Acquisitions
On May 1, 2010, the Company acquired two grain cleaning and storage facilities from O’Malley Grain, Inc. (“O’Malley”) for a purchase price of $7.8 million. O’Malley is a supplier of consistent, high quality food-grade corn to the snack food and tortilla industries with facilities in Nebraska and Illinois.
On December 31, 2010, the Company acquired the assets of B4 Grain, Inc. (“B4”), for a purchase price of $35.1 million, including cash paid through December 31, 2010 of $31.5 million. B4 has three grain elevators located in Nebraska, two of which are owned and have a combined storage capacity of 1.9 million bushels and another that is leased with storage capacity of 1.1 million bushels. B4’s focus is on their direct ship program, which complements the Company’s existing direct ship program that it is currently expanding.
The goodwill recognized as a result of the O’Malley and B4 acquisitions is $1.2 million and $2.9 million, respectively, and relates to expected synergies from combining operations.
The summarized preliminary purchase price allocation for these two acquisitions is as follows:
             
  B4  O’Malley  Total 
   
Current assets $44,428  $4,097  $48,525 
Intangible assets  350   1,375   1,725 
Goodwill  2,850   1,231   4,081 
Property, plant and equipment  1,879   5,959   7,838 
Other long-term assets  1,005   111   1,116 
Current liabilities  (15,383)  (4,864)  (20,247)
Other long-term liabilities     (126)  (126)
   
Total purchase price (a) $35,129  $7,783  $42,912 
       
(a)Of the $35.1 million purchase price for B4, $0.8 million remained in accounts payable and a $2.8 million earn-out provision remained in other-long term liabilities in the Company’s balance sheet at December 31, 2010.
Approximately $1.1 million of the O’Malley intangible assets (which include customer lists and a non-compete agreement) are being amortized over 5 years. The other $0.3 million (which consists of a grower’s list) is being amortized over 3 years.
The B4 intangible assets include $0.1 million for a non-compete agreement and $0.3 million for a customer list. The non-compete agreement is being amortized over 5 years and the customer list is being amortized over 3 years. The purchase agreement for B4 includes an earn-out provision. The prior owners of B4 have the ability to receive an additional $3.5 million if certain income levels are achieved over the next five years. The estimated fair value of this contingent liability is $2.8 million and is recorded in other long-term liabilities in the Company’s balance sheet. In addition to the $2.8 million of contingent consideration, there is an additional $0.8 million of the initial purchase price that remained unpaid at December 31, 2010. This is recorded in accounts payable in the Company’s balance sheet.
B4 had a processing agreement with Midwest Renewable Energy, LLC (“MRE”) that expired prior to the Company’s acquisition of B4 assets. The terms of this processing agreement stipulated that B4 supplies a sufficient quantity of grain to MRE to allow for ethanol processing at full capacity which B4 will then market. The Company

53


is in the process of negotiating a new agreement with MRE and, until that time, is honoring the terms of the expired agreement. The Company has evaluated all of the applicable criteria for an entity subject to consolidation under the provisions of ASC 810-10-15 and has concluded that MRE is considered a VIE. However, as the Company does not have the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact MRE’s economic performance, and does not have the obligation to absorb the losses or right to receive the benefits of MRE, it is not the primary beneficiary of MRE. Therefore, consolidation is not required under the Variable Interest Model. There is no significant risk of loss to the Company relating to this VIE as the Company does not have any equity at risk or obligation to provide additional financial support to MRE.
3. Related Parties
Equity Method Investments
The Company, directly or indirectly, holds investments in companies that are accounted for under the equity method. The Company’s equity in these entities is presented at cost plus its accumulated proportional share of income or loss, less any distributions it has received.
In January 2003, the Company became a minority investor in Lansing Trade Group LLC (“LTG”), which focuses on grain merchandising as well as trading related to the energy and biofuels industry. The Company has increased its investment in LTG over time. As a result of share redemptions by LTG, the Company’s ownership percentage in LTG increased to 52% during the second quarter of 2010. Even though the Company holds a majority of the outstanding shares, all major operating decisions of LTG are made by LTG’s Board of Directors and the Company does not have a majority of the board seats. In addition, based on the terms of the operating agreement between LTG and its owners, the minority shareholders have substantive participating rights that allow them to effectively participate in the decisions made in the ordinary course of business that are significant to LTG. Due to these factors, the Company does not have control over LTG and therefore accounts for this investment under the equity method.
In 2005, the Company became a minority investor in The Andersons Albion Ethanol LLC (“TAAE”). TAAE is a producer of ethanol and its co-product distillers dried grains (“DDG”) at its 55 million gallon-per-year ethanol production facility in Albion, Michigan. The Company operates the facility under a management contract and provides corn origination, ethanol and DDG marketing and risk management services for which it is separately compensated. The Company also leases its Albion, Michigan grain facility to TAAE. During the third quarter of 2010, the Company purchased 59 additional units of TAAE from one of its investors. This purchase gives the Company 5,001 units, or a 50.01% ownership interest. While the Company holds a majority of the outstanding units of TAAE, a super-majority vote is required for all major operating decisions of TAAE based on the terms of the Operating Agreement. The Company has concluded that the super-majority vote requirement gives the minority shareholders substantive participating rights and therefore consolidation for book purposes is not appropriate. The Company will continue to account for its investment in TAAE under the equity method of accounting.
In 2006, the Company became a minority investor in The Andersons Clymers Ethanol LLC (“TACE”). TACE is also a producer of ethanol and its co-product DDG at a 110 million gallon-per-year ethanol production facility in Clymers, Indiana. The Company operates the facility under a management contract and provides corn origination, ethanol and DDG marketing and risk management services for which it is separately compensated. The Company also leases its Clymers, Indiana grain facility to TACE.
In 2006, the Company became a 50% investor in The Andersons Marathon Ethanol LLC (“TAME”). TAME is also a producer of ethanol and its co-product DDG at a 110 million gallon-per-year ethanol production facility in Greenville, Ohio. In January 2007, the Company transferred its 50% share in TAME to The Andersons Ethanol Investment LLC (“TAEI”), a consolidated subsidiary of the Company, of which a third party owns 34% of the shares. The Company operates the facility under a management contract and provides corn origination, ethanol and DDG marketing and risk management services for which it is separately compensated. In 2009 TAEI invested an additional $1.1 million in TAME, retaining a 50% ownership interest.
The balance in retained earnings at December 31, 2010 that represents undistributed earnings of the Company’s equity method investments is $42.9 million.

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The Company has marketing agreements with three ethanol LLCs under which the Company purchases and markets the ethanol produced to external customers. As compensation for these marketing services, the Company earns a fee on each gallon of ethanol sold. For two of the LLCs, the Company purchases 100% of the ethanol produced and then sells it to external parties. For the third LLC, the Company buys only a portion of the ethanol produced. The Company acts as the principal in these ethanol sales transactions to external parties as the Company has ultimate responsibility of performance to the external parties. Substantially all of these purchases and subsequent sales are executed through forward contracts on matching terms and, outside of the fee the Company earns for each gallon sold, the Company does not recognize any gross profit on the sales transactions. For the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, revenues recognized for the sale of ethanol were $482.6 million, $402.1 million and $454.6 million, respectively. In addition to the ethanol marketing agreements, the Company holds corn origination agreements, under which the Company originates 100% of the corn used in production for each ethanol LLC. For this service, the Company receives a unit based fee. Similar to the ethanol sales described above, the Company acts as a principal in these transactions, and accordingly, records revenues on a gross basis. For the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, revenues recognized for the sale of corn under these agreements were $445.6 million, $404.2 million and $411.2 million, respectively. As part of the corn origination agreements, the Company also markets the ethanol DDG produced by the entities. For this service the Company receives a unit based fee. The Company does not purchase any of the DDG from the ethanol entities; however, as part of the agreement, the Company guarantees payment by the customer for DDG sales where the Company has identified the buyer. At December 31, 2010 and 2009, the three ethanol entities had a combined receivable balance for DDG of $6.8 million and $5.1 million, respectively, of which only $15 thousand and $9 thousand, respectively, was more than thirty days past due. The Company has concluded that the fair value of this guarantee is inconsequential.
The following table presents aggregate summarized financial information of LTG, TAAE, TACE and TAME as they qualified as significant subsidiaries for the previous periods. LTG was the only equity method investment that qualified as a significant subsidiary individually for the year ended December 31, 2010.
             
  December 31, 
(in thousands) 2010  2009  2008 
   
Sales $4,707,422  $3,436,192  $5,032,466 
Gross profit  133,653   106,755   86,522 
Income from continuing operations  59,046   37,439   16,935 
Net income  57,691   37,757   16,914 
             
Current assets  697,371   472,707     
Non-current assets  352,441   363,287     
Current liabilities  550,463   370,624     
Non-current liabilities  115,735   124,046     
Noncontrolling interest  31,294   25,059     
The following table summarizes income earned from the Company’s equity method investees by entity.
                 
  % ownership at           
  December 31, 2010      December 31,    
(in thousands) (direct and indirect)  2010  2009  2008 
   
The Andersons Albion Ethanol LLC  50% $3,916  $5,735  $2,534 
The Andersons Clymers Ethanol LLC  38%  5,318   2,965   8,112 
The Andersons Marathon Ethanol LLC  50%  1,117   2,936   (15,511)
Lansing Trade Group LLC  52%  15,133   5,781   8,776 
Other  7%-33%  523   46   122 
       
Total     $26,007  $17,463  $4,033 
       

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The following table presents the Company’s investment balance in each of its equity method investees by entity.
         
  December 31, 
(in thousands) 2010  2009 
   
The Andersons Albion Ethanol LLC $31,048  $28,911 
The Andersons Clymers Ethanol LLC  37,496   33,705 
The Andersons Marathon Ethanol LLC  34,929   33,813 
Lansing Trade Group LLC  70,143   59,648 
Other  1,733   1,283 
   
Total $175,349  $157,360 
   
Investment in Debt Securities
On May 25, 2010, the Company paid $13.1 million to acquire 100% of newly issued cumulative convertible preferred shares of Iowa Northern Railway Corporation (“IANR”). IANR operates a 163-mile short-line railroad that runs diagonally through Iowa from northwest to southeast from Manly to Cedar Rapids and a branch line from Waterloo to Oelwein. IANR has a fleet of 21 locomotives and approximately 500 railcars and serves primarily agribusiness customers. It is also involved in the development of logistics terminals designed to aid the transloading of various products, including ethanol and wind turbine components. As a result of this investment, the Company has a 49.9% voting interest in IANR, with the remaining 50.1% voting interest held by the common shareholders. The preferred shares purchased by the Company have certain rights associated with them, including voting, dividends, liquidation, redemption and conversion. Dividends accrue to the Company at a rate of 14% annually whether or not declared by IANR and are cumulative in nature. The Company can convert its preferred shares into common shares of IANR at any time, but the shares cannot be redeemed until after five years. This investment is accounted for as “available-for-sale” debt securities in accordance with ASC 320 and is carried at estimated fair value in “Other noncurrent assets” on the Company’s balance sheet. Subsequent to May 25, 2010, the estimated fair value of the Company’s investment in IANR increased by approximately $2.7 million, resulting in a fair value of $15.8 million at December 31, 2010. This change, net of tax, was recorded within “other comprehensive income”.
Based on the Company’s assessment, IANR is considered a VIE. Since the Company does not possess the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the entity’s economic performance, it is not considered to be the primary beneficiary of IANR and therefore does not consolidate IANR. The decisions that most significantly impact the economic performance of IANR are made by IANR’s Board of Directors. The Board of Directors has five directors; two directors from the Company, two directors from the common shareholders and one independent director who is elected by unanimous decision of the other four directors. The vote of four of the five directors is required for all key decisions.
The Company’s current maximum exposure to loss related to IANR is $14.2 million, which represents the Company’s investment plus unpaid accrued dividends to date of $1.1 million. The Company does not have any obligation or commitments to provide additional financial support to IANR.
In the ordinary course of business, the Company will enter into related party transactions with each of the investments described above. The following table sets forth the related party transactions entered into for the time periods presented:
             
  December 31, 
(in thousands) 2010  2009  2008 
   
Sales and revenues $531,452  $474,724  $541,448 
Purchases of product  454,314   411,423   428,067 
Lease income (a)  5,341   5,442   5,751 
Labor and benefits reimbursement (b)  10,760   10,195   9,800 
Accounts receivable at December 31 (c)  14,991   13,641   9,773 
Accounts payable at December 31 (d)  13,930   18,069   19,084 

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(a)Lease income includes the lease of the Company’s Albion, Michigan and Clymers, Indiana grain facilities as well as certain railcars to the various LLCs and IANR in which the Company has investments in.
(b)The Company provides all operational labor to the ethanol LLCs, and charges them an amount equal to the Company’s costs of the related services.
(c)Accounts receivable represents amounts due from related parties for sales of corn, leasing revenue and service fees.
(d)Accounts payable represents amounts due to related parties for purchases of ethanol.
From time to time, the Company enters into derivative contracts with certain of its related parties. At December 31, 2010 and 2009, the fair value of derivative contracts with related parties was a liability of $31.4 million and $0.2 million, respectively.
4. Fair Value Measurements
Generally accepted accounting principles defines fair value as an exit price and also establishes a framework for measuring fair value. An exit price represents the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. Fair value should be determined based on the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. As a basis for considering such assumptions, a three-tier fair value hierarchy is used, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value as follows:
Level 1 inputs: Quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets;
Level 2 inputs: Inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability either directly or indirectly; and
Level 3 inputs: Unobservable inputs (e.g., a reporting entity’s own data).
In many cases, a valuation technique used to measure fair value includes inputs from multiple levels of the fair value hierarchy. The lowest level of significant input determines the placement of the entire fair value measurement in the hierarchy.
The following table presents the Company’s assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis at December 31, 2010 and 2009.
                 
(in thousands) December 31, 2010 
Assets (liabilities) Level 1  Level 2  Level 3  Total 
 
Cash and cash equivalents $29,219  $  $  $29,219 
Commodity derivatives, net     171,023   12,406   183,429 
Net margin deposit assets  61,559   (41,300)     20,259 
Net margin deposit liabilities            
Convertible preferred securities        15,790   15,790 
Other assets and liabilities (a)  17,983      (2,156)  15,827 
   
Total $108,761  $129,723  $26,040  $264,524 
   
                 
(in thousands) December 31, 2009 
Assets (liabilities) Level 1  Level 2  Level 3  Total 
 
Cash and cash equivalents $145,929  $  $  $145,929 
Commodity derivatives, net     (257)  1,948   1,691 
Net margin deposit assets  28,836   (1,824)     27,012 
Net margin deposit liabilities     (1,965)     (1,965)
Other assets and liabilities (a)  8,441      (1,763)  6,678 
   
Total $183,206  $(4,046) $185  $179,345 
   
(a)Included in other assets and liabilities is restricted cash, interest rate and foreign currency derivatives and deferred compensation assets.

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A reconciliation of beginning and ending balances for the Company’s fair value measurements using Level 3 inputs is as follows:
                     
  2010  2009 
  Interest  Convertible  Commodity  Interest  Commodity 
  rate  Preferred  derivatives,  rate  derivatives, 
(in thousands) derivatives  Securities  net  derivatives  net 
      
Asset (liability) at December 31, $(1,763) $  $1,948  $(2,367) $5,114 
Investment in debt securities     13,100          
Unrealized gains (losses) included in earnings  (132)     (1,519)  158   (2,944)
Unrealized gain (loss) included in other comprehensive income  (297)        354    
Increase in estimated fair value of investment in debt securities included in other comprehensive income     2,690          
New contracts entered into  36         92    
Transfers from level 2        11,977      416 
Contracts cancelled, transferred to accounts receivable              (638)
      
Asset (liability) at December 31, $(2,156) $15,790  $12,406  $(1,763) $1,948 
The majority of the Company’s assets and liabilities measured at fair value are based on the market approach valuation technique. With the market approach, fair value is derived using prices and other relevant information generated by market transactions involving identical or comparable assets or liabilities.
The Company’s net commodity derivatives primarily consist of contracts with producers or customers under which the future settlement date and bushels of commodities to be delivered (primarily wheat, corn, soybeans and ethanol) are fixed and under which the price may or may not be fixed. Depending on the specifics of the individual contracts, the fair value is derived from the futures or options prices on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (“CME”) or the New York Mercantile Exchange (“NYMEX”) for similar commodities and delivery dates as well as observable quotes for local basis adjustments (the difference between the futures price and the local cash price). Although nonperformance risk, both of the Company and the counterparty, is present in each of these commodity contracts and is a component of the estimated fair values, based on the Company’s historical experience with its producers and customers and the Company’s knowledge of their businesses, the Company does not view nonperformance risk to be a significant input to fair value for the majority of these commodity contracts. However, in situations where the Company believes that nonperformance risk is higher (based on past or present experience with a customer or knowledge of the customer’s operations or financial condition), the Company classifies these commodity contracts as “level 3” in the fair value hierarchy and, accordingly, records estimated fair value adjustments based on internal projections and views of these contracts.
Net margin deposit assets reflect the fair value of the futures and options contracts that the Company holds, net of the cash collateral that the Company has in its margin account.
Net margin deposit liabilities reflect the fair value of the Company’s over-the-counter contracts in a liability position with various financial institutions, net of the cash collateral that the Company has in its margin account with them. While these contracts themselves are not exchange-traded, the fair value of these contracts is estimated by reference to similar exchange-traded contracts. We do not consider nonperformance risk or credit risk on these contracts to be material. This determination is based on credit default rates, credit ratings and other available information.

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5. Inventories
Major classes of inventories are as follows:
         
  December 31, 
(in thousands) 2010  2009 
   
Grain $497,267  $268,648 
Agricultural fertilizer and supplies  90,182   80,194 
Lawn and garden fertilizer and corncob products  32,954   32,036 
Retail merchandise  24,416   24,066 
Railcar repair parts  2,058   2,601 
Other  312   300 
   
  $647,189  $407,845 
   
6. Property, Plant and Equipment
The components of property, plant and equipment are as follows:
         
  December 31, 
(in thousands) 2010  2009 
   
Land $15,424  $15,191 
Land improvements and leasehold improvements  45,080   42,495 
Buildings and storage facilities  141,349   129,625 
Machinery and equipment  181,650   162,810 
Software  10,306   10,202 
Construction in progress  2,572   2,624 
   
   396,381   362,947 
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization  245,349   230,659 
   
  $151,032  $132,288 
   
Depreciation expense on property, plant and equipment amounted to $18.7 million, $17.4 million and $14.6 million in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.
Railcars
The components of Railcar assets leased to others are as follows:
         
  December 31, 
(in thousands) 2010  2009 
   
Railcar assets leased to others $234,667  $241,681 
Less accumulated depreciation  66,184   62,527 
   
  $168,483  $179,154 
   

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Depreciation expense on railcar assets leased to others amounted to $14.0 million, $14.1 million and $12.2 million in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.
During the fourth quarter of 2010, a group of railcars were found to have major defects and were written down to scrap value which resulted in a $1.2 million loss.
7. Goodwill and Intangible Assets
The Company has goodwill of $10.1 million included in other assets. Goodwill includes $4.2 million in the Grain & Ethanol Group, $5.2 million in the Plant Nutrient Group and $0.7 million in the Turf & Specialty Group. Goodwill is tested annually for impairment as of December 31 or whenever events or circumstances change that would indicate that an impairment of goodwill may be present. There have been no goodwill impairment charges historically, nor for any of the periods presented.
The Company’s intangible assets are included in other assets and are as follows:
               
        Accumulated    
(in thousands) Group Original Cost  Amortization  Net Book Value 
   
December 31, 2010
              
Amortized intangible assets              
Acquired customer list Rail $3,462  $3,299  $163 
Acquired customer list Plant Nutrient  3,846   670   3,176 
Acquired customer list Grain & Ethanol  1,250   150   1,100 
Acquired non-compete agreement Plant Nutrient  1,250   594   656 
Acquired non-compete agreement Grain & Ethanol  175   11   164 
Acquired marketing agreement Plant Nutrient  1,604   619   985 
Acquired supply agreement Plant Nutrient  4,846   926   3,920 
Acquired grower agreement Grain & Ethanol  300   75   225 
Patents and other Various  943   401   542 
Lease intangible Rail  1,673   633   1,040 
     
    $19,349  $7,378  $11,971 
     
December 31, 2009
              
Amortized intangible assets              
Acquired customer list Rail $3,462  $3,267  $195 
Acquired customer list Plant Nutrient  3,846   251   3,595 
Acquired non-compete agreement Plant Nutrient  1,250   344   906 
Acquired marketing agreement Plant Nutrient  1,604   439   1,165 
Acquired supply agreement Plant Nutrient  4,846   386   4,460 
Patents and other Various  943   275   668 
     
    $15,951  $4,962  $10,989 
     
Amortization expense for intangible assets was $2.4 million, $1.2 million and $1.1 million for 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively. Expected future annual amortization expense is as follows: 2011 — $2.6 million; 2012 — $2.1 million; 2013 — $1.8 million; 2014 — $1.3 million; and 2015 — $0.9 million.
8. Short-Term Borrowing Arrangements
The Company maintains a borrowing arrangement with a syndicate of banks, which was amended on December 17, 2010, and provides the Company with $513 million (Line A) and $387 million (Line C) in short-term lines of credit. It also provides the Company with $90 million in letters of credit. Any amounts outstanding on letters of credit will reduce the amount available on the lines of credit. The Company had standby letters of credit outstanding of $14.1 million at December 31, 2010. This agreement expires in December 2014. As of December 31, 2010, $241.1 million in borrowings was outstanding on Line A and there were no borrowings outstanding on Line C. Borrowings under the lines of credit bear interest at variable interest rates, which are based off LIBOR plus an applicable spread.

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On January 7, 2011, the new loan agreement was amended to increase the amount of Line A by an additional $92 million to $605 million.
On September 30, 2010, the Company entered into a new loan agreement with the same syndicate of banks (“Line B”). This new loan agreement provided for $110 million of long-term borrowing capacity on Line B expiring in five years. On October 7, 2010, the new loan agreement was amended to increase the amount of the long-term line from $110 million to $115 million. As of December 31, 2010, no borrowings were outstanding under this arrangement. Any borrowings under this arrangement will be due on September 30, 2015 and will be at a variable interest rate based off LIBOR plus an applicable spread.
At December 31, 2010, the Company had a total of $760.8 million available for borrowing under its lines of credit.
The following information relates to short-term borrowings:
             
      December 31,    
(in thousands, except percentages) 2010  2009  2008 
   
Maximum amount borrowed $305,000  $92,700  $666,900 
Weighted average interest rate  3.69%  2.89%  3.48%
9. Long-Term Debt
Recourse Debt
On February 26, 2010, the Company entered into an Amended and Restated Note Purchase Agreement for its Senior Guaranteed Notes. The Amended and Restated Note Purchase Agreement changed the maturity of the $92 million Series A note, which was originally due March 2011, into Series A — $17 million due March 2011; Series A-1 — $25 million due March 2012; Series A-2 — $25 million due March 2013; and Series A-3 — $25 million due March 2014.
Long-term debt consists of the following:
         
  December 31, 
(in thousands, except percentages) 2010  2009 
   
Note payable, 4.80%, payable at maturity, due 2011 $17,000  $92,000 
Note payable, 4.80%, payable at maturity, due 2012  25,000    
Note payable, 4.80% , payable at maturity, due 2013  25,000    
Note payable, 4.80%, payable at maturity, due 2014  25,000    
Note payable, 6.12%, payable at maturity, due 2015  61,500   61,500 
Note payable, 6.78%, payable at maturity due 2018  41,500   41,500 
Note payable, variable rate (2.82% at December 31, 2010), payable $110 monthly plus interest, due 2012 (a)  10,031   11,252 
Note payable, variable rate (1.88% at December 31, 2010), payable in increasing amounts ($875 annually at December 31, 2010) plus interest, due 2023 (a)  14,590   15,440 
Note payable, variable rate (1.06% at December 13, 2010), payable $58 monthly plus interest, due 2016 (a)  10,850   11,550 
Note payable, 6.48%, payable $291 quarterly, due 2016 (a)     6,607 
Note payable, 8.5%, payable $15 monthly, due 2016  1,242   1,309 
Industrial development revenue bonds:        
Variable rate (3.00% at December 31, 2010), due 2019 (a)  4,650   4,650 
Variable rate (3.03% at December 31, 2010), due 2025 (a)  3,100   3,100 
Variable rate (2.59% at December 31, 2010), due 2017 (a)  9,000    

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  December 31, 
(in thousands, except percentages) 2010  2009 
   
Debenture bonds, 4.00% to 6.50%, due 2011 through 2020  36,887   45,595 
Other notes payable and bonds  8   108 
   
   285,358   294,611 
Less current maturities  21,683   5,855 
   
  $263,675  $288,756 
   
(a)debt is collateralized by first mortgages on certain facilities and related equipment with a book value of $29.6 million
The Company called all debenture bonds earning a rate of interest of 7% or higher during the third quarter of 2010. The total amount called was $17.2 million. At December 31, 2010, the Company had $15.7 million of five-year term debenture bonds bearing interest at 4.0% and $8.7 million of ten-year term debenture bonds bearing interest at 5.0% available for sale under an existing registration statement.
The Company’s short-term and long-term borrowing agreements include both financial and non-financial covenants that, among other things, require the Company at a minimum to maintain:
tangible net worth of not less than $300 million
current ratio net of hedged inventory of not less than 1.25 to 1
debt to capitalization ratio of not more than 70%
asset coverage ratio of more than 70%
interest coverage ratio of not more than 2.75 to 1
The Company was in compliance with all covenants at and during the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009.
The aggregate annual maturities of long-term debt, including capital lease obligations, are as follows: 2011 — $21.7 million; 2012 — $42.1 million; 2013 — $34.6 million; 2014 — $36.8 million; 2015 — $72.2 million; and $77.9 million thereafter.
Non-Recourse Debt
The Company’s non-recourse long-term debt consists of the following:
         
  December 31, 
(in thousands, except percentages) 2010  2009 
   
Note Payable, 5.96%, payable $218 monthly plus interest, due 2013 $14,550  $21,641 
Note Payable, 6.37%, payable $24 monthly, due 2014  1,405   1,640 
Note Payable, 7.06%, payable $2 monthly, due 2011  36   1,069 
   
   15,991   24,350 
Less current maturities  2,841   5,080 
   
  $13,150  $19,270 
   
In 2005, The Andersons Rail Operating I (“TARO I”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, issued $41 million in non-recourse long-term debt for the purpose of purchasing 2,293 railcars and related leases from the Company. As of March 31, 2009, the Company had violated the utilization covenant and debt service coverage ratio covenant associated with this debt. This covenant violation did not trigger any cross default provisions under any other debt agreements. The Company received a waiver of this violation and in April 2009, the Company paid an additional $4.0 million to the bank in principal payments. Based on the arrangement with the lender, this additional payment resulted in the exclusion of idle cars from the utilization and debt service coverage ratio calculation. The Company received a modification from the bank of this debt agreement which reduces the debt service coverage

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ratio from 1.5 to 1.15. With the modification, the Company does not expect to violate this covenant in the future. TARO I is a bankruptcy remote entity and the debt holders have recourse only to the assets and related leases of TARO I which had a book value of $16.1 million and $20.8 million at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. The balance outstanding on the TARO I non-recourse long-term debt at December 31, 2010 and 2009 was $14.6 million and $21.6 million, respectively.
The Company’s non-recourse debt includes separate financial covenants relating solely to the collateralized assets. Triggering one or more of these covenants for a specified period of time could result in the acceleration in amortization of the outstanding debt. These maximum covenants include, but are not limited to, the following:
Monthly average lease rate greater than or equal to $200;
Monthly utilization rate greater than or equal to 80%; and
Coverage ratio greater than or equal to 1.15
The Company was in compliance with these debt covenants at December 31, 2010 and 2009.
The aggregate annual maturities of non-recourse, long-term debt are as follows: 2011 — $2.8 million; 2012 — $2.8 million; 2013 — $9.6 million and 2014 — $0.8 million.
Interest paid (including interest on short-term lines of credit) amounted to $20.0 million, $20.0 million and $28.1 million in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.
10. Income Taxes
Income tax provision applicable to continuing operations consists of the following:
             
  Year ended December 31 
(in thousands) 2010  2009  2008 
   
Current:            
Federal $22,288  $4,848  $11,441 
State and local  3,613   828   (31)
Foreign  1,156   (176)  932 
   
  $27,057  $5,500  $12,342 
   
             
Deferred:            
Federal $13,558  $15,638  $4,110 
State and local  595   1,833   (121)
Foreign  (1,948)  (1,041)  135 
   
  $12,205  $16,430  $4,124 
   
Total:            
Federal $35,846  $20,486  $15,551 
State and local  4,208   2,661   (152)
Foreign  (792)  (1,217)  1,067 
   
  $39,262  $21,930  $16,466 
   
Income before income taxes from continuing operations consists of the following:
             
  Year ended December 31 
(in thousands) 2010  2009  2008 
   
U.S. income $106,184  $64,359  $43,086 
Foreign  (2,041)  (2,863)  3,477 
   
  $104,143  $61,496  $46,563 
   

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A reconciliation from the statutory U.S. federal tax rate to the effective tax rate follows:
             
  Year ended December 31 
  2010  2009  2008 
   
Statutory U.S. federal tax rate  35.0%  35.0%  35.0%
Increase (decrease) in rate resulting from:            
Effect of qualified domestic production deduction  (1.1)  (0.4)  (0.2)
Effect of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act  1.4       
State and local income taxes, net of related federal taxes  2.5   2.8   (1.0)
Effect of noncontrolling interest in pass-through entity  (0.1)  (0.7)  2.1 
Other, net     (1.0)  (0.5)
   
Effective tax rate  37.7%  35.7%  35.4%
   
Income taxes paid in 2010 were $24.8 million. Income tax refunds of $24.2 million were received in 2009. Income taxes paid in 2008 were $49.7 million.
Significant components of the Company’s deferred tax liabilities and assets are as follows:
         
  December 31 
(in thousands) 2010  2009 
   
Deferred tax liabilities:        
Property, plant and equipment and railcar assets leased to others $(64,392) $(56,883)
Prepaid employee benefits  (12,724)  (11,172)
Investments  (20,242)  (16,511)
Other  (3,877)  (3,828)
   
   (101,235)  (88,394)
   
Deferred tax assets:        
Employee benefits  32,463   29,848 
Accounts and notes receivable  2,212   6,192 
Inventory  7,056   4,348 
Deferred expenses  10,036   7,176 
Net operating loss carryforwards  1,207   1,918 
Other  2,425   4,018 
   
Total deferred tax assets  55,399   53,500 
   
Valuation allowance     (960)
   
   55,399   52,540 
   
Net deferred tax liabilities $(45,836) $(35,854)
   
On December 31, 2010, the Company had $14.3 million in state net operating loss carryforwards that expire from 2017 to 2023. A deferred tax asset of $0.6 million has been established for the state net operating loss

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carryforwards. On December 31, 2009, the Company had recorded a $1.0 million deferred tax asset and a $1.0 million valuation allowance with respect to state net operating loss carryforwards. The Company released the full valuation allowance in the first quarter of 2010 because based on available evidence, the Company expects to fully realize the deferred tax asset related to the state net operating loss carryforwards.
On December 31, 2010, the Company had $2.4 million in cumulative Canadian net operating losses that expire from 2027 to 2031. A deferred tax asset of $0.6 million has been recorded with respect to the net operating loss carryforwards. No valuation allowance has been established because based on all available evidence, the Company concluded it is more likely than not that it will realize the deferred tax asset. On December 31, 2009, the Company had recorded a deferred tax asset, and no valuation allowance, of $1.0 million with respect to net operating loss carryforwards.
On December 31, 2010, the Company had $0.8 million in U.S. foreign tax credit carryforwards that expire in 2020 and 2021.
The Company has a $3.1 million pool of windfall tax benefits associated with stock-based compensation plans. The Company accounts for utilization of windfall tax benefits based on tax law ordering and considered only the direct effects of stock-based compensation for purposes of measuring the windfall at settlement of an award. The amount of cash resulting from the exercise of awards during 2010 was $0.2 million and the tax benefit the Company realized from the exercise of awards was $0.8 million. For 2009, the amount of cash resulting from the exercise of awards was $0.1 million and the tax benefit the Company realized from the exercise of awards was $0.3 million.
The Company or one of its subsidiaries files income tax returns in the U.S., various foreign jurisdictions and various state and local jurisdictions. The Company is no longer subject to examinations by U.S. tax authorities for years before 2007 and is no longer subject to examinations by foreign jurisdictions for years before 2005. During 2009, the Internal Revenue Service completed an examination of the Company’s U.S. income tax returns for the years 2006 and 2007, resulting in an additional payment of $2.5 million. Substantially all audit adjustments related to the timing of income recognition and expense deductions.
A reconciliation of the January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2010 amount of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows:
     
(in thousands)    
Balance at January 1, 2008 $1,332 
Additions based on tax positions related to the current year  66 
Additions based on tax positions related to prior years  204 
Reductions for settlements with taxing authorities  (361)
Reductions as a result of a lapse in statute of limitations  (514)
    
Balance at December 31, 2008  727 
     
Additions based on tax positions related to the current year  28 
Additions based on tax positions related to prior years  (25)
Reductions for settlements with taxing authorities  (153)
Reductions as a result of a lapse in statute of limitations  (259)
    
Balance at December 31, 2009  318 
     
Additions based on tax positions related to the current year  20 
Additions based on tax position related to prior years  474 
Reductions as a result of a lapse in statute of limitations  (198)
    
Balance at December 31, 2010 $614 
    
The unrecognized tax benefits at December 31, 2010 are associated with positions taken on state income tax returns, and would decrease the Company’s effective tax rate if recognized. The Company does not anticipate any significant changes during 2011 in the amount of unrecognized tax benefits.

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The Company has elected to classify interest and penalties as interest expense and penalty expense, respectively, rather than as income tax expense. The Company has $0.3 million accrued for the payment of interest and penalties at December 31, 2010. The net interest and penalties expense for 2010 is $0.1 million. The Company had $0.3 million accrued for the payment of interest and penalties at December 31, 2009. The net interest and penalties expense for 2009 was a $0.1 million benefit, due to the relief of previously recorded interest and penalties.
11. Stock Compensation Plans
The Company’s 2005 Long-Term Performance Compensation Plan, dated May 6, 2005 (the “LT Plan”), authorizes the Board of Directors to grant options, stock appreciation rights, performance shares and share awards to employees and outside directors for up to 400,000 of the Company’s common shares plus 426,000 common shares that remained available under a prior plan. In 2008, shareholders approved an additional 500,000 of the Company’s common shares to be available under the LT Plan. As of December 31, 2010, approximately 220,000 shares remain available for grant under the LT Plan. Options granted have a maximum term of 10 years.
Stock-based compensation expense for all stock-based compensation awards are based on the grant-date fair value. The Company recognizes these compensation costs on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the award. Total compensation expense recognized in the Consolidated Statement of Income for all stock compensation programs was $2.6 million, $2.7 million and $4.1 million in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.
Stock Only Stock Appreciation Rights (“SOSARs”) and Stock Options
Beginning in 2006, the Company discontinued granting options to directors and management and instead began granting SOSARs. SOSARs granted to directors and management personnel under the LT Plan beginning in 2008 have a term of five-years and have three year graded vesting. The SOSARs granted in 2006 and 2007 have a term of five years and vest after three years. SOSARs granted under the LT Plan are structured as fixed grants with the exercise price equal to the market value of the underlying stock on the date of the grant. The related compensation expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the service period. In 2010, there were 126,540 SOSARs granted to directors and management personnel.
The fair value for SOSARs was estimated at the date of grant, using a Black-Scholes option pricing model with the weighted average assumptions listed below. Volatility was estimated based on the historical volatility of the Company’s common shares over the past five years. The average expected life was based on the contractual term of the award and expected employee exercise and post-vesting employment termination trends. The risk-free rate is based on U.S. Treasury issues with a term equal to the expected life assumed at the date of grant. Forfeitures are estimated at the date of grant based on historical experience.
             
  2010  2009  2008 
   
Risk free interest rate  1.96%  1.89%  2.24%
Dividend yield  1.10%  3.18%  0.67%
Volatility factor of the expected market price of the Company’s common shares  .560   .520   .410 
Expected life for the options (in years)  4.10   4.10   4.10 

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A reconciliation of the number of SOSARs and stock options outstanding and exercisable under the Long-Term Performance Compensation Plan as of December 31, 2010, and changes during the period then ended is as follows:
                 
      Weighted-Average  Weighted-Average  Aggregate Intrinsic 
  Shares  Exercise  Remaining  Value 
  (000)’s  Price  Contractual Term  ($000) 
   
Options & SOSARs outstanding at January 1, 2010  907  $30.69         
SOSARs granted  127   32.75         
Options exercised  (151)  15.87         
Options & SOSARs cancelled / forfeited  (32)  37.34         
   
Options and SOSARs outstanding at December 31, 2010  851  $33.38   1.95  $5,406 
   
Vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2010  848  $33.40   1.95  $5,372 
   
Options exercisable at December 31, 2010  568  $37.15   1.16  $2,010 
   
             
  2010  2009  2008 
   
Total intrinsic value of options exercised during the year ended December 31 (000’s) $2,724  $2,127  $6,384 
   
Total fair value of shares vested during the year ended December 31 (000’s) $3,084  $4,145  $533 
   
Weighted average fair value of options granted during the year ended December 31 $13.75  $3.80  $15.26 
   
As of December 31, 2010, there was $0.9 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to stock options and SOSARs granted under the LT Plan. That cost is expected to be recognized over the next 1.17 years.
Restricted Stock Awards
The LT Plan permits awards of restricted stock. These shares carry voting and dividend rights; however, sale of the shares is restricted prior to vesting. Restricted shares have a three year vesting period. Total restricted stock expense is equal to the market value of the Company’s common shares on the date of the award and is recognized over the service period. In 2010, there were 19,007 shares issued to members of management.
A summary of the status of the Company’s nonvested restricted shares as of December 31, 2010, and changes during the period then ended, is presented below:
         
      Weighted-Average 
Nonvested Shares Shares (000)’s  Grant-Date Fair Value 
   
Nonvested at January 1, 2010  61  $28.07 
Granted  19   32.75 
Vested  (15)  40.92 
Forfeited  (1)  26.27 
   
Nonvested at December 31, 2010  64  $26.52 
   
             
  2010  2009  2008 
   
Total fair value of shares vested during the year ended December 31 (000’s) $566  $109  $20 
   
Weighted average fair value of restricted shares granted during the year ended December 31 $32.75  $11.02  $46.06 
   

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As of December 31, 2010, there was $0.5 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to nonvested restricted shares granted under the LT Plan. That cost is expected to be recognized over the next 2.0 years.
Performance Share Units (“PSUs”)
The LT Plan also allows for the award of PSUs. Each PSU gives the participant the right to receive common shares dependent on the achievement of specified performance results over a three calendar year performance period. At the end of the performance period, the number of shares of stock issued will be determined by adjusting the award upward or downward from a target award. Fair value of PSUs issued is based on the market value of the Company’s common shares on the date of the award. The related compensation expense is recognized over the performance period when achievement of the award is probable and is adjusted for changes in the number of shares expected to be issued if changes in performance are expected. In 2010 there were 35,849 PSUs issued to executive officers. Currently, the Company is accounting for the awards granted in 2009 and 2010 at 50% of the maximum amount available for issuance. The Company did not reach the minimum threshold earnings per share growth for issuance of any of the 2008 awards and therefore no stock compensation expense is being taken on these awards.
PSUs Activity
A summary of the status of the Company’s PSUs as of December 31, 2010, and changes during the period then ended, is presented below:
         
      Weighted-Average 
Nonvested Shares Shares (000)’s  Grant-Date Fair Value 
   
Nonvested at January 1, 2010  106  $27.10 
Granted  36   32.69 
Vested  (9)  41.68 
Forfeited  (9)  37.92 
   
Nonvested at December 31, 2010  124  $26.90 
   
             
  2010  2009  2008 
   
Weighted average fair value of PSUs granted during the year ended December 31 $32.69  $10.81  $46.24 
   
As of December 31, 2010, there was $0.5 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to nonvested PSUs granted under the LT Plan. That cost is expected to be recognized over the next 2.0 years.
Employee Share Purchase Plan (the “ESP Plan”)
The Company’s 2004 ESP Plan allows employees to purchase common shares through payroll withholdings. The Company has registered 306,674 common shares remaining available for issuance to and purchase by employees under this plan. The ESP Plan also contains an option component. The purchase price per share under the ESP Plan is the lower of the market price at the beginning or end of the year. The Company records a liability for withholdings not yet applied towards the purchase of common stock.
The fair value of the option component of the ESP Plan is estimated at the date of grant under the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following assumptions for the appropriate year. Expected volatility was estimated based on the historical volatility of the Company’s common shares over the past year. The average expected life

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was based on the contractual term of the plan. The risk-free rate is based on the U.S. Treasury issues with a one year term. Forfeitures are estimated at the date of grant based on historical experience.
             
  2010  2009  2008 
   
Employee Share Purchase Plan
            
Risk free interest rate  0.47%  0.37%  3.34%
Dividend yield  1.10%  2.06%  0.73%
Volatility factor of the expected market price of the Company’s common shares  .544   .673   .470 
Expected life for the options (in years)  1.00   1.00   1.00 
12. Commitments and Contingencies
Railcar leasing activities:
The Company is a lessor of railcars. The majority of railcars are leased to customers under operating leases that may be either net leases (where the customer pays for all maintenance) or full service leases (where the Company provides maintenance and fleet management services). The Company also provides such services to financial intermediaries to whom it has sold railcars and locomotives in non-recourse lease transactions. Fleet management services generally include maintenance, escrow, tax filings and car tracking services.
Many of the Company’s leases provide for renewals. The Company also generally holds purchase options for railcars it has sold and leased-back from a financial intermediary, and railcars sold in non-recourse lease transactions. These purchase options are for stated amounts which are determined at the inception of the lease and are intended to approximate the estimated fair value of the applicable railcars at the date for which such purchase options can be exercised.
Lease income from operating leases (with the Company as lessor) to customers (including month to month and per diem leases) and rental expense for railcar operating leases (with the Company as lessee) were as follows:
             
  Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands) 2010  2009  2008 
   
Rental and service income — operating leases $60,700  $73,575  $87,445 
   
Rental expense $20,023  $24,271  $23,695 
   
Lease income recognized under per diem arrangements (described in Note 1) totaled $2.6 million, $3.9 million and $9.1 million, in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively, and is included in the amounts above.

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Future minimum rentals and service income for all noncancelable railcar operating leases greater than one year are as follows:
         
  Future Rental and  Future 
  Service Income -  Minimum Rental 
(in thousands) Operating Leases  Payments 
| Year ended December 31,   |
2011 $45,618  $18,507 
2012  30,595   11,828 
2013  20,867   8,244 
2014  13,533   5,795 
2015  10,030   5,619 
Future years  20,431   15,484 
   
  $141,074  $65,477 
   
The Company also arranges non-recourse lease transactions under which it sells railcars or locomotives to financial intermediaries and assigns the related operating lease on a non-recourse basis. The Company generally provides ongoing railcar maintenance and management services for the financial intermediaries, and receives a fee for such services when earned. Management and service fees earned in 2010, 2009 and 2008 were $2.9 million, $3.0 million and $3.1 million, respectively.
Other leasing activities:
The Company, as a lessee, leases real property, vehicles and other equipment under operating leases. Certain of these agreements contain lease renewal and purchase options. The Company also leases excess property to third parties. Net rental expense under these agreements was $5.6 million, $5.1 million and $4.7 million in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively. Future minimum lease payments (net of sublease income commitments) under agreements in effect at December 31, 2010 are as follows: 2011 — $3.8 million; 2012 — $3.0 million; 2013 — $1.8 million; 2014 — $1.2 million; 2015 — $1.1 million; and $2.0 million thereafter.
In addition to the above, the Company leases its Albion, Michigan and Clymers, Indiana grain elevators under operating leases to two of its ethanol joint ventures. The Albion, Michigan grain elevator lease expires in 2056. The initial term of the Clymers, Indiana grain elevator lease ends in 2014 and provides for 5 renewals of 7.5 years each. Lease income for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008 was $1.8 million in each year.
Litigation activities:
The Company is party to litigation, or threats thereof, both as defendant and plaintiff with some regularity, although individual cases that are material in size occur infrequently. As a defendant, the Company establishes reserves for claimed amounts that are considered probable, and capable of estimation. If those cases are resolved for lesser amounts, the excess reserve can be taken into income and, conversely, if those cases are resolved for amounts incremental to what the Company has accrued, the Company records a charge to income. The Company believes it is unlikely that the results of its current legal proceedings for which it is the defendant, even if unfavorable, will be material. As a plaintiff, amounts that are collected can also result in sudden, non-recurring income. Litigation results depend upon a variety of factors, including the availability of evidence, the credibility of witnesses, the performance of counsel, the state of the law, and the impressions of judges and jurors, any of which can be critical in importance, yet difficult, if not impossible, to predict. Consequently, cases currently pending, or future matters, may result in unexpected, and non-recurring losses, or income, from time to time. In that regard, the Company currently is involved in a certain dispute matter which may result in significant gains and it is reasonably possible that the Company could recognize material gains from the dispute over the next 12 months, although for all the reasons cited above neither the likelihood of success, nor the amounts or collection of any settlement or verdict, can be predicted, estimated or assured.

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13. Employee Benefit Plan Obligations

The Company provides full-time employees with pension benefits under defined benefit and defined contribution plans. The measurement date for all plans is December 31. The Company’s expense for its defined contribution plans amounted to $7.8 million in 2011, $5.3 million in 2010 and $3.3 million in 2009 and $2.7 million in 2008.2009. The Company also provides certain health insurance benefits to employees as well as retirees.

The Company has both funded and unfunded noncontributory defined benefit pension plans. The plans provide defined benefits based on years of service and average monthly compensation using a career average formula. During the third quarter of 2009, the Company announced that it would be freezing its defined benefit plan as of July 1, 2010 for all of its non-retail line of business employees. Pension benefits for the retail line of business employees were frozen at December 31, 2006. As a resultPension benefits for the non-retail line of this curtailment, the Company recorded a gain of $4.1 million to pension expense in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Income in 2009. The net gain consisted of $4.3 million of remaining prior service cost and a $0.2 million curtailment loss thatbusiness employees were recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss.

frozen at July 1, 2010.

The Company also has postretirement health care benefit plans covering substantially all of its full time employees hired prior to January 1, 2003. These plans are generally contributory and include a cap on the Company’s share for most retirees.

In March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“PPACA”) was signed into law. One of the provisions of the PPACA eliminates the tax deductibility of retiree health care costs to the extent of federal subsidies received by plan sponsors that provide retiree prescription drug benefits equivalent to Medicare Part D coverage. As a result, the Company was required to make an adjustment to its deferred tax asset associated with its postretirement benefit plan in the amount of $1.4 million.million for the year ended December 31, 2010. The offset to this adjustment iswas included in the provision for income taxes on the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Income.

Based on preliminary analysis, the Health Care Reform legislation is not expected to have a material impact on the Plans.

Obligation and Funded Status

Following are the details of the obligation and funded status of the pension and postretirement benefit plans:

                 
  Pension  Postretirement 
  Benefits  Benefits 
(in thousands) 2010  2009  2010  2009 
   
Change in benefit obligation
                
Benefit obligation at beginning of year $74,875  $67,686  $21,294  $19,792 
Service cost  1,614   2,861   465   412 
Interest cost  4,339   4,001   1,213   1,155 
Actuarial (gains)/losses  12,120   6,739   2,383   654 
Participant contributions        444   382 
Retiree drug subsidy received        118   87 
Benefits paid  (2,345)  (2,050)  (1,324)  (1,188)
Plan curtailment     (4,362)      
   
Benefit obligation at end of year $90,603  $74,875  $24,593  $21,294 
   
                 
Change in plan assets                
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year $70,423  $51,209  $  $ 
Actual gains (loss) on plan assets  9,852   15,214       
Company contributions  6,167   6,050   880   806 
Participant contributions        444   382 
Benefits paid  (2,345)  (2,050)  (1,324)  (1,188)
   
Fair value of plan assets at end of year $84,097  $70,423  $  $ 
   
                 
   
Funded status of plans at end of year $(6,506) $(4,452) $(24,593) $(21,294)
   

71


(in thousands)

  Pension Benefits  Postretirement Benefits 
Change in benefit obligation  2011  2010  2011  2010 

Benefit obligation at beginning of year

  $90,603   $74,875   $24,593   $21,294  

Service cost

   —      1,614    555    465  

Interest cost

   4,578    4,339    1,285    1,213  

Actuarial (gains)/losses

   16,363    12,120    6,020    2,383  

Participant contributions

   —      —      478  �� 444  

Retiree drug subsidy received

   —      —      202    118  

Benefits paid

   (1,568  (2,345  (1,575  (1,324
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Benefit obligation at end of year

  $109,976   $90,603   $ 31,558   $ 24,593  
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

(in thousands)  Pension Benefits  Postretirement Benefits 
Change in plan assets  2011  2010  2011  2010 

Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year

  $84,097   $70,423   $—     $—    

Actual gains (loss) on plan assets

   (91  9,852    —      —    

Company contributions

   5,167    6,167    1,097    880  

Participant contributions

   —      —      478    444  

Benefits paid

   (1,568  (2,345  (1,575  (1,324
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Fair value of plan assets at end of year

  $87,605   $84,097   $—     $—    
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Funded status of plans at end of year

  $(22,371 $(6,506 $(31,558 $(24,593
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Amounts recognized in the consolidated balance sheetsConsolidated Balance Sheets at December 31, 20102011 and 20092010 consist of:
                 
  Pension Benefits  Postretirement Benefits 
(in thousands) 2010  2009  2010  2009 
   
Accrued expenses $(210) $(72) $(1,196) $(1,163)
Employee benefit plan obligations  (6,296)  (4,380)  (23,397)  (20,131)
   
Net amount recognized $(6,506) $(4,452) $(24,593) $(21,294)
   

   Pension Benefits  Postretirement Benefits 
(in thousands)  2011  2010  2011  2010 

Accrued expenses

  $(213 $(210 $(1,211 $(1,196

Employee benefit plan obligations

   (22,158  (6,296  (30,347  (23,397
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net amount recognized

  $(22,371 $(6,506 $(31,558 $(24,593
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Following are the details of the pre-tax amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive loss at December 31, 2010:

                 
  Pension  Postretirement 
  Benefits  Benefits 
  Unamortized  Unamortized  Unamortized  Unamortized 
  Actuarial  Prior Service  Actuarial  Prior Service 
(in thousands) Net Losses  Costs  Net Losses  Costs 
   
Balance at beginning of year $33,259  $  $9,066  $(3,580)
Amounts arising during the period  7,719      2,383    
Amounts recognized as a component of net periodic benefit cost  (1,817)     (688)  510 
   
Balance at end of year $39,161  $  $10,761  $(3,070)
   
2011:

   Pension Benefits   Postretirement Benefits 
(in thousands)  Unamortized
Actuarial
Net Losses
  Unamortized
Prior
Service

Costs
   Unamortized
Actuarial
Net Losses
  Unamortized
Prior
Service

Costs
 

Balance at beginning of year

  $39,161   $—      $10,761   $(3,070

Amounts arising during the period

   22,691    —       6,020    —    

Amounts recognized as a component of net periodic benefit cost

   (940  —       (901  543  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

Balance at end of year

  $60,912   $—      $15,880   $(2,527
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

The amounts in accumulated other comprehensive loss that are expected to be recognized as components of net periodic benefit cost during the next fiscal year are as follows:

             
(in thousands) Pension  Postretirement  Total 
   
Prior service cost $  $(540) $(540)
Net actuarial loss  893   840   1,733 

(in thousands)  Pension   Postretirement  Total 

Prior service cost

  $—      $(543 $(543

Net actuarial loss

   1,799     1,306    3,105  

The accumulated benefit obligations related to the Company’s defined benefit pension plans are $90.4$110.0 million and $74.3$90.4 million as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, and 2009, respectively.

Amounts applicable to the Company’s defined benefit plans with accumulated benefit obligations in excess of plan assets are as follows:

         
(in thousands) 2010  2009 
   
Projected benefit obligation $90,603  $74,875 
   
Accumulated benefit obligation $90,357  $74,267 
   

72


   December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011   2010 

Projected benefit obligation

  $109,976    $90,603  

Accumulated benefit obligation

  $109,976    $90,357  

The combined benefits expected to be paid for all Company defined benefit plans over the next ten years (in thousands) are as follows:
             
  Expected Pension  Expected Postretirement  Medicare Part D 
Year Benefit Payout  Benefit Payout  Subsidy 
 
2011 $5,444  $1,349  $(154)
2012  5,968   1,426   (177)
2013  5,521   1,515   (204)
2014  5,865   1,598   (228)
2015  6,145   1,675   (259)
2016-2020  30,221   9,419   (1,853)
 

Year

 Expected
Pension
Benefit Payout
   Expected
Postretirement
Benefit Payout
   Medicare
Part D

Subsidy
 

2012

 $3,784    $1,372    $(161

2013

  3,980     1,455     (187

2014

  4,346     1,547     (209

2015

  5,036     1,638     (236

2016

  5,279     1,723     (267

2017-2021

  31,164     10,040     (1,903

Following are components of the net periodic benefit cost for each year:

                         
  Pension Benefits  Postretirement Benefits 
(in thousands) 2010  2009  2008  2010  2009  2008 
   
Service cost $1,614  $2,861  $2,666  $465  $412  $374 
Interest cost  4,339   4,001   3,614   1,213   1,155   1,125 
Expected return on plan assets  (5,451)  (4,356)  (5,037)         
Amortization of prior service cost     (392)  (619)  (511)  (511)  (511)
Recognized net actuarial loss  1,817   3,503   945   691   624   611 
Curtailment gain     (4,132)            
   
Net periodic benefit cost $2,319  $1,485  $1,569  $1,858  $1,680  $1,599 
   
Assumptions
                         
  Pension Benefits  Postretirement Benefits 
Weighted Average Assumptions 2010  2009  2008  2010  2009  2008 
   
Used to Determine Benefit Obligations at Measurement Date
                        
Discount rate (a)  5.20%  5.70%  6.10%  5.30%  5.80%  6.10%
Rate of compensation increases  3.50%  3.50%  4.50%         
Used to Determine Net Periodic Benefit Cost for Years ended December 31
                        
Discount rate (b)  5.70%  6.10%  6.30%  5.80%  6.10%  6.40%
Expected long-term return on plan assets  8.00%  8.25%  8.25%         
Rate of compensation increases  3.50%  4.50%  4.50%         

   Pension Benefits  Postretirement Benefits 
(in thousands)  2011  2010  2009  2011  2010  2009 

Service cost

  $—     $1,614   $2,861   $555   $465   $412  

Interest cost

   4,578    4,339    4,001    1,285    1,213    1,155  

Expected return on plan assets

   (6,236  (5,451  (4,356  —      —      —    

Amortization of prior service cost

   —      —      (392  (543  (511  (511

Recognized net actuarial loss

   940    1,817    3,503    901    691    624  

Curtailment gain

   —      —      (4,132  —      —      —    
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net periodic benefit cost

  $(718 $2,319   $1,485   $2,198   $1,858   $1,680  
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Following are weighted average assumptions of pension and postretirement benefits for each year:

   Pension Benefits  Postretirement Benefits 
   2011  2010  2009  2011  2010  2009 

Used to Determine Benefit Obligations at Measurement Date

       

Discount rate (a)

   4.30  5.20  5.70  4.30  5.30  5.80

Rate of compensation increases

   N/A    3.50  3.50  —      —      —    

Used to Determine Net Periodic Benefit Cost for Years ended December 31

       

Discount rate (b)

   5.20  5.70  6.10  5.30  5.80  6.10

Expected long-term return on plan assets

   7.75  8.00  8.25  —      —      —    

Rate of compensation increases

   3.50  3.50  4.50  —      —      —    

(a)In 2011, 2010 and 2009, the calculated discount rate for the unfunded pension plan was different than the defined benefit pension plan. The calculated rate for the supplemental employee retirement plan was 3.20%, 4.20% and 6.00% in 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.
(b)In 2011 and 2010, the calculated discount rate for the unfunded pension plan was different than the defined benefit pension plan. The calculated rate for the supplemental employee retirement plan was 4.20% and 6.00% in 20102011 and 2009,2010, respectively.
(b)In 2010, the calculated discount rate for the unfunded pension plan was different than the defined benefit pension plan. The calculated rate for the supplemental employee retirement plan was 6.00%.

73


The discount rate is calculated based on projecting future cash flows and aligning each year’s cash flows to the Citigroup Pension Discount Curve and then calculating a weighted average discount rate for each plan. The Company has elected to use the nearest tenth of a percent from this calculated rate.

The expected long-term return on plan assets was determined based on the current asset allocation and historical results from plan inception. OurThe expected long-term rate of return on plan assets is based on a target allocation of assets, which is based on oura goal of earning the highest rate of return while maintaining risk at acceptable levels and is disclosed in the Plan Assets section of this Note. The plan strives to have assets sufficiently diversified so that adverse or unexpected results from one security class will not have an unduly detrimental impact on the entire portfolio.

Assumed Health Care Cost Trend Rates at Beginning of Year

         
  2010  2009 
   
Health care cost trend rate assumed for next year  8.0%  8.5%
Rate to which the cost trend rate is assumed to decline (the ultimate trend rate)  5.0%  5.0%
Year that the rate reaches the ultimate trend rate  2017   2017 

    2011  2010 

Health care cost trend rate assumed for next year

   7.5  8.0

Rate to which the cost trend rate is assumed to decline (the ultimate trend rate)

   5.0  5.0

Year that the rate reaches the ultimate trend rate

   2017    2017  

The assumed health care cost trend rate has an effect on the amounts reported for postretirement benefits. A one-percentage-point change in the assumed health care cost trend rate would have the following effects:

         
  One-Percentage-Point 
(in thousands) Increase  Decrease 
   
Effect on total service and interest cost components in 2010 $(19) $17 
Effect on postretirement benefit obligation as of December 31, 2010  (146)  121 
To partially fund self-insured health care and other employee benefits, the Company made payments to a trust. This trust was closed in December 2009 after all of the remaining cash was used to fund benefits.

   One-Percentage-Point 
(in thousands)  Increase  Decrease 

Effect on total service and interest cost components in 2011

  $(18 $16  

Effect on postretirement benefit obligation as of December 31, 2011

   (164  140  

Plan Assets

The Company’s pension plan weighted average asset allocations at December 31 by asset category, are as follows:

         
Asset Category 2010  2009 
   
Equity securities  68%  74%
Fixed income securities  31%  24%
Cash and equivalents  1%  2%
   
   100%  100%

Asset Category  2011  2010 

Equity securities

   57  68

Fixed income securities

   41  31

Cash and equivalents

   2  1
  

 

 

  

 

 

 
   100  100
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

The plan assets are allocated within the broader asset categories in investments that focus on more specific sectors. Within equity securities, subcategories include large cap growth, large cap value, small cap growth, small cap value, and internationally focused investment funds. These funds are judged in comparison to benchmark indexes that best match their specific category. Within fixed income securities, the funds are invested in a broad cross section of securities to ensure diversification. These include treasury, government agency, corporate, securitization, high yield, global, emerging market and other debt securities.

The investment policy and strategy for the assets of the Company’s funded defined benefit plan includes the following objectives:

ensure superior long-term capital growth and capital preservation;
reduce the level of the unfunded accrued liability in the plan; and
offset the impact of inflation.

ensure superior long-term capital growth and capital preservation;

74

reduce the level of the unfunded accrued liability in the plan; and


offset the impact of inflation.

Risks of investing are managed through asset allocation and diversification. Investments are given extensive due diligence by an impartial third party investment firm. All investments are monitored and re-assessed by the Company’s pension committee on a semi-annual basis. Available investment options include U.S. Government and agency bonds and instruments, equity and debt securities of public corporations listed on U.S. stock exchanges, exchange listed U.S. mutual funds and institutional portfolios investing in equity and debt securities of publicly traded domestic or international companies and cash or money market securities. In order to reduce risk and volatility, the Company has placed the following portfolio market value limits on its investments, to which the investments must be rebalanced after each quarterly cash contribution. Note that the single security restriction does not apply to mutual funds or institutional investment portfolios. No securities are purchased on margin, nor are any derivatives used to create leverage. The overall expected long-term rate of return is determined by using long-term historical returns for equity and fixed income securities in proportion to their weight in the investment portfolio.
             
  Percentage of Total Portfolio Market Value 
  Minimum  Maximum  Single Security 
   
Equity based  30%  70%  <5%
Fixed income based  20%  70%  <5%
Cash and equivalents  1%  5%  <5%
Alternative Investments  0%  20%  <5%

   Percentage of Total Portfolio Market
Value
 
   Minimum  Maximum  Single
Security
 

Equity based

   30  70  <5

Fixed income based

   20  70  <5

Cash and equivalents

   1  5  <5

Alternative investments

   0  20  <5

The following table presents the fair value of the assets (by asset category) in the Company’s defined benefit pension plan at December 31, 2010.

                 
(in thousands)            
Assets Level 1  Level 2  Level 3  Total 
 
Mutual funds $12,119  $  $  $12,119 
Money market fund     793      793 
Equity funds     45,502      45,502 
Fixed income funds     25,683      25,683 
   
Total $12,119  $71,978  $  $84,097 
2011 and 2010:

December 31, 2011

$00,000$00,000$00,000$00,000

(in thousands)

Assets

  Level 1   Level 2   Level 3   Total 

Mutual funds

  $10,773    $—      $—      $10,773  

Money market fund

   —       1,659     —       1,659  

Equity funds

   —       39,573     —       39,573  

Fixed income funds

   —       35,600     —       35,600  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

  $10,773    $76,832    $—      $87,605  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

December 31, 2010

$00,000$00,000$00,000$00,000

(in thousands)

Assets

  Level 1   Level 2   Level 3   Total 

Mutual funds

  $12,119    $—      $—      $12,119  

Money market fund

   —       793     —       793  

Equity funds

   —       45,502     —       45,502  

Fixed income funds

   —       25,683     —       25,683  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

  $12,119    $71,978    $—      $84,097  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

There is no equity or debt of the Company included in the assets of the defined benefit plan.

Cash Flows

The Company expects to make contributions to the defined benefit pension plan of up to $3.0 million in 2011.2012. The Company reserves the right to contribute more or less than this amount. For the year ended December 31, 2010,2011, the Company contributed $6.0$5.0 million to the defined benefit pension plan.

7. Segment Information

During the first quarter of 2011, management separated the segment previously reported as Grain & Ethanol into two separate reportable segments for external financial reporting. The Company evaluated the impact of this change on the recoverability of goodwill and no impairment charge was necessary. Corresponding items of segment information for earlier periods have been reclassified to conform to current year presentation.

The Company’s operations include six reportable business segments that are distinguished primarily on the basis of products and services offered. The Grain business includes grain merchandising, the operation of terminal grain elevator facilities and the investment in Lansing Trade Group, LLC (“LTG”). The Ethanol business purchases and sells ethanol and also manages the ethanol production facilities organized as limited liability companies (“ethanol LLCs”) in which the Company has investments and various service contracts for these investments.

Rail operations include the leasing, marketing and fleet management of railcars and locomotives, railcar repair and metal fabrication. The Plant Nutrient business manufactures and distributes agricultural inputs, primarily fertilizer, to dealers and farmers. Turf & Specialty operations include the production and distribution of turf care and corncob-based products. The Retail business operates large retail stores, a specialty food market, a distribution center and a lawn and garden equipment sales and service shop. Included in “Other” are the corporate level amounts not attributable to an operating segment.

The segment information below includes the allocation of expenses shared by one or more operating segments. Although management believes such allocations are reasonable, the operating information does not necessarily reflect how such data might appear if the segments were operated as separate businesses. Inter-segment sales are made at prices comparable to normal, unaffiliated customer sales. Capital expenditures include additions to property, plant and equipment, software and intangible assets.

$0,000,000$0,000,000$0,000,000
   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011   2010   2009 

Revenues from external customers

      

Grain

  $2,849,358    $1,936,813    $1,734,574  

Ethanol

   641,546     468,639     419,404  

Plant Nutrient

   690,631     619,330     491,293  

Rail

   107,459     94,816     92,789  

Turf & Specialty

   129,716     123,549     125,306  

Retail

   157,621     150,644     161,938  

Other

   —       —       —    
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

  $4,576,331    $3,393,791    $3,025,304  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

$0,000,000$0,000,000$0,000,000
   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011   2010   2009 

Inter-segment sales

      

Grain

  $2    $3    $9  

Ethanol

   —       —       —    

Plant Nutrient

   16,527     13,517     12,245  

Rail

   593     637     634  

Turf & Specialty

   2,062     1,636     1,504  

Retail

   —       —       —    

Other

   —       —       —    
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

  $     19,184    $     15,793    $     14,392  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

$0,000,000$0,000,000$0,000,000
   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011  2010   2009 

Equity in earnings (loss) of affiliates

     

Grain

  $23,748   $15,648    $5,816  

Ethanol

   17,715    10,351     11,636  

Plant Nutrient

   (13  8     8  

Rail

   —      —       —    

Turf & Specialty

   —      —       —    

Retail

   —      —       —    

Other

   —      —       3  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

  $     41,450   $     26,007    $     17,463  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

 

   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011   2010   2009 

Other income, net

      

Grain

  $2,462    $2,557    $2,030  

Ethanol

   159     176     289  

Plant Nutrient

   704     1,298     1,755  

Rail

   2,866     4,502     485  

Turf & Specialty

   880     1,335     1,131  

Retail

   638     608     683  

Other

   213     1,176     1,958  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

  $       7,922    $     11,652    $       8,331  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011  2010   2009 

Interest expense (income)

     

Grain

  $13,277   $6,686    $8,735  

Ethanol

   1,048    1,629     628  

Plant Nutrient

   3,517    3,901     3,933  

Rail

   5,677    4,928     4,468  

Turf & Specialty

   1,381    1,604     1,429  

Retail

   899    1,039     961  

Other

   (543  78     534  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

  $     25,256   $     19,865    $     20,688  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

 

   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011  2010  2009 

Income (loss) before income taxes

    

Grain

  $87,288   $64,374   $33,777  

Ethanol

   23,344    17,013    17,577  

Plant Nutrient

   38,267    30,062    11,294  

Rail

   9,778    107    (1,034

Turf & Specialty

   2,000    3,443    4,735  

Retail

   (1,520  (2,534  (2,843

Other

   (12,998  (8,541  (3,225

Noncontrolling interest

   1,719    219    1,215  
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total

  $   147,878   $   104,143   $     61,496  
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

   December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011   2010   2009 

Identifiable assets

      

Grain

  $883,395    $978,273    $451,056  

Ethanol

   148,975     121,207     145,985  

Plant Nutrient

   240,543     208,548     205,968  

Rail (b) (c)

   246,188     196,149     194,748  

Turf & Specialty

   69,487     62,643     63,353  

Retail

   52,018     52,430     45,696  

Other

   93,517     80,140     177,585  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

  $1,734,123    $1,699,390    $1,284,391  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

(a)

Rail acquired 100% of newly issued cumulative convertible preferred shares in the amount of $13.1 million in 2010.

(b)

Rail also had purchases of railcars in the amount of $64.2 million, $18.4 million and $25.0 million in 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011   2010   2009 

Capital expenditures

      

Grain

  $24,284    $10,343    $6,129  

Ethanol

   —       —       16  

Plant Nutrient

   13,296     7,631     6,610  

Rail

   1,478     927     297  

Turf & Specialty

   2,089     2,237     1,305  

Retail

   1,230     8,827     1,157  

Other

   1,785     932     1,046  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

  $44,162    $30,897    $16,560  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011   2010   2009 

Cash invested in affiliates

      

Ethanol

  $—      $395    $1,100  

Plant Nutrient

   21     —       —    

Other

   100     —       100  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

  $     121    $     395    $  1,200  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011   2010   2009 

Acquisition of businesses

      

Grain

  $—      $39,293    $—    

Plant Nutrient

   2,365     —       30,480  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

  $  2,365    $39,293    $30,480  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011   2010   2009 

Depreciation and amortization

      

Grain

  $9,625    $7,580    $5,161  

Ethanol

   382     371     371  

Plant Nutrient

   9,913     10,225     8,665  

Rail

   14,780     15,107     15,967  

Turf & Specialty

   1,801     2,032     2,314  

Retail

   2,770     2,400     2,286  

Other

   1,566     1,198     1,256  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

  $40,837    $38,913    $36,020  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Grain sales for export to foreign markets amounted to $164.8 million, $267.3 million and $312.7 million in 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Revenues from leased railcars in Canada totaled $13.3 million, $9.1 million and $12.4 million in 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. The net book value of the leased railcars at December 31, 2011 and 2010 was $29.0 million and $22.0 million, respectively. Lease revenue on railcars in Mexico totaled $0.4 million in 2011, $0.3 million in 2010 and $0.3 million in 2009.

8. Related Parties

Equity Method Investments

The Company, directly or indirectly, holds investments in companies that are accounted for under the equity method. The Company’s equity in these entities is presented at cost plus its accumulated proportional share of income or loss, less any distributions it has received.

In January 2003, the Company became a minority investor in LTG, which focuses on grain merchandising as well as trading related to the energy and biofuels industry. The Company has increased its investment in LTG over time. As a result of share redemptions by LTG, the Company’s ownership percentage in LTG increased to 52% during the second quarter of 2010. Even though the Company holds a majority of the outstanding shares, all major operating decisions of LTG are made by LTG’s Board of Directors and the Company does not have a majority of the board seats. In addition, based on the terms of the operating agreement between LTG and its owners, the minority shareholders have substantive participating rights that allow them to effectively participate in the decisions made in the ordinary course of business that are significant to LTG. Due to these factors, the Company does not have control over LTG and therefore accounts for this investment under the equity method. The Company sells and purchases both grain and ethanol with LTG in the ordinary course of business on terms similar to sales and purchases with unrelated customers.

In 2005, the Company became a minority investor in The Andersons Albion Ethanol LLC (“TAAE”). TAAE is a producer of ethanol and its co-product distillers dried grains (“DDG”) at its 55 million gallon-per-year ethanol production facility in Albion, Michigan. The Company operates the facility under a management contract and provides corn origination, ethanol and DDG marketing and risk management services for which it is separately compensated. The Company also leases its Albion, Michigan grain facility to TAAE. During the third quarter of 2010, the Company purchased 59 additional units of TAAE from one of its investors. This purchase gives the Company 5,001 units, or a 50.01% ownership interest. While the Company holds a majority of the outstanding units of TAAE, a super-majority vote is required for all major operating decisions of TAAE based on the terms of the Operating Agreement. The Company has concluded that the super-majority vote requirement gives the minority shareholders substantive participating rights and therefore consolidation for book purposes is not appropriate. The Company accounts for its investment in TAAE under the equity method of accounting.

In 2006, the Company became a minority investor in The Andersons Clymers Ethanol LLC (“TACE”). TACE is also a producer of ethanol and its co-product DDG at a 110 million gallon-per-year ethanol production facility in Clymers, Indiana. The Company operates the facility under a management contract and provides corn origination, ethanol and DDG marketing and risk management services for which it is separately compensated. The Company also leases its Clymers, Indiana grain facility to TACE.

In 2006, the Company became a 50% investor in The Andersons Marathon Ethanol LLC (“TAME”). TAME is also a producer of ethanol and its co-product DDG at a 110 million gallon-per-year ethanol production facility in Greenville, Ohio. In January 2007, the Company transferred its 50% share in TAME to The Andersons Ethanol Investment LLC (“TAEI”), a consolidated subsidiary of the Company, of which a third party owns 34% of the shares. The Company operates the facility under a management contract and provides corn origination, ethanol and DDG marketing and risk management services for which it is separately compensated. In 2009 TAEI invested an additional $1.1 million in TAME, retaining a 50% ownership interest.

The Company has marketing agreements with the three ethanol LLCs under which the Company purchases and markets the ethanol produced to external customers. As compensation for these marketing services, the Company earns a fee on each gallon of ethanol sold. For two of the LLCs, the Company purchases 100% of the ethanol produced and then sells it to external parties. For the third LLC, the Company buys only a portion of the ethanol produced. The Company acts as the principal in these ethanol sales transactions to external parties as the Company has ultimate responsibility of performance to the external parties. Substantially all of these purchases and subsequent sales are executed through forward contracts on matching terms and, outside of the fee the Company earns for each gallon sold, the Company does not recognize any gross profit on the sales transactions. For the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, revenues recognized for the sale of ethanol purchased from related parties were $678.8 million, $482.6 million and $402.1 million, respectively. In addition to the ethanol marketing agreements, the Company holds corn origination agreements, under which the Company originates 100% of the corn used in production for each ethanol LLC.

For this service, the Company receives a unit based fee. Similar to the ethanol sales described above, the Company acts as a principal in these transactions, and accordingly, records revenues on a gross basis. For the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, revenues recognized for the sale of corn under these agreements were $706.6 million, $445.6 million and $404.2 million, respectively. As part of the corn origination agreements, the Company also markets the ethanol DDG produced by the entities. For this service the Company receives a unit based fee. The Company does not purchase any of the DDG from the ethanol entities; however, as part of the agreement, the Company guarantees payment by the customer for DDG sales where the Company has identified the buyer. At December 31, 2011 and 2010, the three ethanol entities had a combined receivable balance for DDG of $7.8 million and $6.8 million, respectively, of which only $3,000 and $15,000, respectively, was more than thirty days past due. The Company has concluded that the fair value of this guarantee is inconsequential.

From time to time, the Company enters into derivative contracts with certain of its related parties, including the ethanol LLCs and LTG, for the purchase and sale of corn and ethanol, for similar price risk mitigation purposes and on similar terms as the purchase and sale of derivative contracts it enters into with unrelated parties. At December 31, 2011, the fair value of derivative contracts with related parties was a gross asset and liability of $0.6 million and $1.9 million, respectively.

The following table presents aggregate summarized financial information of LTG, TAAE, TACE and TAME as they qualified as significant subsidiaries in the aggregate. LTG was the only equity method investment that qualified as a significant subsidiary individually for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010.

   December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011   2010   2009 

Sales

  $6,938,345    $4,707,422    $3,436,192  

Gross profit

   168,383     133,653     106,755  

Income from continuing operations

   90,510     59,046     37,439  

Net income

   87,673     57,691     37,757  

Current assets

   707,400     697,371    

Non-current assets

   336,554     352,441    

Current liabilities

   514,671     550,463    

Non-current liabilities

   100,315     115,735    

Noncontrolling interest

   26,799     31,294    

The following table summarizes income earned from the Company’s equity method investees by entity:

(in thousands)  % ownership at
December  31,
2011

(direct and
indirect)
 2011   December 31,
2010
   2009 

The Andersons Albion Ethanol LLC

  50% $5,285    $3,916    $5,735  

The Andersons Clymers Ethanol LLC

  38%  4,341     5,318     2,965  

The Andersons Marathon Ethanol LLC

  50%  8,089     1,117     2,936  

Lansing Trade Group, LLC

  52% *  23,558     15,133     5,781  

Other

  7%-33%  177     523     46  
   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

   $41,450    $26,007    $17,463  
   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

*This does not consider restricted management units which once vested will reduce the ownership percentage by approximately 2%.

Total distributions received from unconsolidated affiliates were $17.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2011. The balance in retained earnings at December 31, 2011 that represents undistributed earnings of the Company’s equity method investments is $66.5 million.

The following table presents the Company’s investment balance in each of its equity method investees by entity:

   December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011   2010 

The Andersons Albion Ethanol LLC

  $32,829    $31,048  

The Andersons Clymers Ethanol LLC

   40,001     37,496  

The Andersons Marathon Ethanol LLC

   43,019     34,929  

Lansing Trade Group, LLC

   81,209     70,143  

Other

   2,003     1,733  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

  $199,061    $175,349  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Investment in Debt Securities

During the second quarter of 2010, the Company paid $13.1 million to acquire 100% of newly issued cumulative convertible preferred shares of Iowa Northern Railway Corporation (“IANR”), which operates a short-line railroad in Iowa. As a result of this investment, the Company has a 49.9% voting interest in IANR, with the remaining 50.1% voting interest held by the common shareholders. The preferred shares purchased by the Company have certain rights associated with them, including voting, dividends, liquidation, redemption and conversion. Dividends accrue to the Company at a rate of 14% annually whether or not declared by IANR and are cumulative in nature. The Company can convert its preferred shares into common shares of IANR at any time, but the shares cannot be redeemed until after five years. This investment is accounted for as “available-for-sale” debt securities in accordance with ASC 320 and is carried at estimated fair value in other noncurrent assets on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets. The estimated fair value of the Company’s investment in IANR as of December 31, 2011 was $20.4 million. Dividends received for the year ended December 31, 2011 were $0.9 million.

Based on the Company’s assessment, IANR is considered a variable interest entity (VIE). Since the Company does not possess the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the entity’s economic performance, it is not considered to be the primary beneficiary of IANR and therefore does not consolidate IANR. The decisions that most significantly impact the economic performance of IANR are made by IANR’s Board of Directors. The Board of Directors has five directors; two directors from the Company, two directors from the common shareholders and one independent director who is elected by unanimous decision of the other four directors. The vote of four of the five directors is required for all key decisions.

The Company’s current maximum exposure to loss related to IANR is $22.3 million, which represents the Company’s investment at fair value plus unpaid accrued dividends to date of $1.9 million. The Company does not have any obligation or commitments to provide additional financial support to IANR.

In the ordinary course of business, the Company will enter into related party transactions with each of the investments described above, along with other related parties. The following table sets forth the related party transactions entered into for the time periods presented:

   December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011   2010   2009 

Sales and revenues

  $864,216    $531,452    $474,724  

Purchases of product

   636,144     454,314     411,423  

Lease income (a)

   6,128     5,431     5,442  

Labor and benefits reimbursement (b)

   10,784     10,760     10,195  

Other expenses (c)

   192     —       —    

Accounts receivable at December 31 (d)

   14,730     14,991     13,641  

Accounts payable at December 31 (e)

   24,530     13,930     18,069  

(a)Lease income includes the lease of the Company’s Albion, Michigan and Clymers, Indiana grain facilities as well as certain railcars to the various LLCs and IANR.
(b)The Company provides all operational labor to the ethanol LLCs and charges them an amount equal to the Company’s costs of the related services.
(c)Other expenses include payments to IANR for repair shop rent and use of their railroad reporting mark.
(d)Accounts receivable represents amounts due from related parties for sales of corn, leasing revenue and service fees.
(e)Accounts payable represents amounts due to related parties for purchases of ethanol.

The Company has a processing agreement with Midwest Renewable Energy, LLC (“MRE”) through its acquisition of B4 Grain, Inc. which was completed on December 31, 2010. The agreement stipulates that the Company supplies a sufficient quantity of corn to MRE to allow for ethanol processing at full capacity which the Company will then market on their behalf. The Company has evaluated all of the applicable criteria for an entity subject to consolidation under the provisions of ASC 810-10-15 and has concluded that MRE is considered a VIE. However, as the Company does not have the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact MRE’s economic performance, and does not have the obligation to absorb the losses or right to receive the benefits of MRE, it is not the primary beneficiary of MRE. Therefore, consolidation is not required under the variable interest model. There is no significant risk of loss to the Company relating to this VIE as the Company does not have any equity at risk or obligation to provide additional financial support to MRE.

9. Fair Value Measurements

Generally accepted accounting principles defines fair value as an exit price and also establishes a framework for measuring fair value. An exit price represents the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. Fair value should be determined based on the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. As a basis for considering such assumptions, a three-tier fair value hierarchy is used, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value as follows:

Level 1 inputs: Quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets;

14.

Level 2 inputs: Inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability either directly or indirectly; and

Level 3 inputs: Unobservable inputs (e.g., a reporting entity’s own data).

In many cases, a valuation technique used to measure fair value includes inputs from multiple levels of the fair value hierarchy. The lowest level of significant input determines the placement of the entire fair value measurement in the hierarchy.

The following table presents the Company’s assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis at December 31, 2011 and 2010.

(in thousands)  December 31, 2011 

Assets (liabilities)

  Level 1   Level 2   Level 3  Total 

Cash equivalents

  $183    $—      $—     $183  

Commodity derivatives, net

   43,503     22,876     2,467    68,846  

Convertible preferred securities (b)

   —       —       20,360    20,360  

Other assets and liabilities (a)

   24,875     —       (2,178  22,697  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total

  $68,561    $  22,876    $20,649   $112,086  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

(in thousands)  December 31, 2010 

Assets (liabilities)

  Level 1   Level 2   Level 3  Total 

Cash equivalents

  $213    $—      $—     $213  

Commodity derivatives, net

   61,559     129,723     12,406    203,688  

Convertible preferred securities (b)

   —       —       15,790    15,790  

Other assets and liabilities (a)

   17,983     —       (2,156  15,827  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total

  $79,755    $129,723    $26,040   $235,518  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

(a)Included in other assets and liabilities is restricted cash, interest rate and foreign currency derivatives, swaptions and deferred compensation assets.
(b)Recorded in “Other noncurrent assets” on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets

Level 1 commodity derivatives reflect the fair value of the futures and options contracts that the Company holds, net of the cash collateral that the Company has in its margin account.

A reconciliation of beginning and ending balances for the Company’s fair value measurements using Level 3 inputs is as follows:

   2011  2010 
(in thousands)  Interest
rate
derivatives
and
swaptions
  Convertible
preferred
securities
   Commodity
derivatives,
net
  Interest
rate
derivatives
  Convertible
preferred
securities
   Commodity
derivatives,
net
 

Asset (liability) at December 31,

  $(2,156 $15,790    $12,406   $(1,763 $—      $1,948  

Investment in debt securities

   —      —       —      —      13,100     —    

Gains (losses) included in earnings

   (560  —       (9,109  (132  —       (1,519

Unrealized gains (losses) included in other comprehensive income

   (62  —       —      (297  —       —    

Increase in estimated fair value of investment in debt securities included in other comprehensive income

   —      4,570     —      —      2,690     —    

New contracts entered into

   600    —       —      36    —       —    

Transfers to level 2

   —      —       (1,234  —      —       —    

Transfers from level 2

   —      —       404    —      —       11,977  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Asset (liability) at December 31,

  $(2,178 $20,360    $2,467   $(2,156 $15,790    $12,406  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

 

The majority of the Company’s assets and liabilities measured at fair value are based on the market approach valuation technique. With the market approach, fair value is derived using prices and other relevant information generated by market transactions involving identical or comparable assets or liabilities.

The Company’s convertible preferred securities are measured at fair value using a combination of the income and market approaches. Specifically, the income approach incorporates the use of the Discounted Cash Flow method, whereas the Market Approach incorporates the use of the Guideline Public Company method. Application of the Discounted Cash Flow method requires estimating the annual cash flows that the business enterprise is expected to generate in the future. The assumptions input into this method are estimated annual cash flows for a specified estimation period, the discount rate, and the terminal value at the end of the estimation period. In the Guideline Public Company method, valuation multiples, including total invested capital, are calculated based on financial statements and stock price data from selected guideline publicly traded companies. A comparative analysis is then performed for factors including, but not limited to size, profitability and growth to determine fair value.

The Company’s net commodity derivatives primarily consist of futures or options contracts via regulated exchanges and contracts with producers or customers under which the future settlement date and bushels (or gallons in the case of ethanol contracts) of commodities to be delivered (primarily wheat, corn, soybeans and ethanol) are fixed and under which the price may or may not be fixed. Depending on the specifics of the individual contracts, the fair value is derived from the futures or options prices on the CME or the New York Mercantile Exchange for similar commodities and delivery dates as well as observable quotes for local basis adjustments (the difference, which is attributable to local market conditions, between the quoted futures price and the local cash price). Although nonperformance risk, both of the Company and the counterparty, is present in each of these commodity contracts and is a component of the estimated fair values, based on the Company’s historical experience with its producers and customers and the Company’s knowledge of their businesses, the Company does not view nonperformance risk to be a significant input to fair value for the majority of these commodity contracts.

However, in situations where the Company believes that nonperformance risk exists, based on past or present experience with a customer or knowledge of the customer’s operations or financial condition, the Company classifies these commodity contracts as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy and, accordingly, records estimated fair value adjustments based on internal projections and views of these contracts.

Fair Values of Financial Instruments

The fair values of the Company’s cash equivalents, margin deposits, short-term borrowings and certain long-term borrowings approximate their carrying values since the instruments are close to maturity and/or carry variable interest rates based on market indices. The Company accounts for investments in affiliates using either the equity method or the cost method. These investments have no quoted market price.

75


Certain long-term notes payable and the Company’s debenture bonds bear fixed rates of interest and terms of up to 10 years. Based upon the Company’s credit standing and current interest rates offered by the Company on similar bonds and rates currently available to the Company for long-term borrowings with similar terms and remaining maturities, the Company estimates the fair values of its long-term debt instruments outstanding at December 31, 20102011 and 2009,2010, as follows:
         
(in thousands) Carrying Amount  Fair Value 
   
2010:
        
Fixed rate long-term notes payable $196,242  $199,292 
Long-term notes payable, non-recourse  15,991   16,157 
Debenture bonds  36,887   39,991 
   
  $249,120  $255,440 
   
2009:
        
Fixed rate long-term notes payable $214,207  $219,904 
Long-term notes payable, non-recourse  24,350   24,629 
Debenture bonds  45,595   46,307 
   
  $284,152  $290,840 
   

(in thousands)  Carrying
Amount
   Fair Value 

2011:

    

Fixed rate long-term notes payable

  $179,160    $186,918  

Long-term notes payable, non-recourse

   954     966  

Debenture bonds

   29,483     30,666  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
  $209,597    $218,550  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

2010:

    

Fixed rate long-term notes payable

  $196,242    $199,292  

Long-term notes payable, non-recourse

   15,991     16,157  

Debenture bonds

   36,887     39,991  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
  $249,120    $255,440  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

The fair values of the Company’s cash equivalents, accounts receivable, and accounts payable approximate their carrying values as they are close to maturity.

10. Debt

15. DerivativesBorrowing Arrangements

The Company maintains a borrowing arrangement with a syndicate of banks, which was amended on December 7, 2011, and provides the Company with $735 million (“Line A”) in short-term lines of credit and $115 million (“Line B”) in long-term lines of credit. It also provides the Company with $90 million in letters of credit. Any amounts outstanding on letters of credit will reduce the amount available on the lines of credit. The Company had standby letters of credit outstanding of $35.1 million at December 31, 2011. As of December 31, 2011, $71.5 million in borrowings was outstanding on Line A and no borrowings were outstanding on Line B. Borrowings under the line of credit bear interest at variable interest rates, which are based off LIBOR plus an applicable spread. The maturity date for Line A is December 2014 and September 2015 for Line B. Draw downs that are less than 90 days are recorded net in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

The long-term portion of the syndicate line can be drawn on and the resulting debt considered long-term when used for long-term purposes such as replacing long-term debt that is maturing, funding the purchase of long-term assets, or increasing permanent working capital when needed. The expectation at the time of drawing is that it will be kept open until more permanent replacement debt is secured, until other long-term assets are sold, or earnings are generated to pay it down.

The Company drew $20.0 million on the long-term syndicate line at the end of the first quarter, and again in the second quarter of 2011 as a partial replacement for $25.0 million in long-term private placement debt that was becoming a current maturity and another $17.0 million that was maturing. In the second half of the year, a combination of reduced borrowings due to a drop in commodity prices, increasing earnings and working capital, and lower capital spending than originally planned resulted in pay down of a

significant amount of long-term debt. Total payments of long-term debt are $104.0 million year-to-date.

At December 31, 2011, the Company had a total of $743.4 million available for borrowing under its lines of credit.

The following information relates to short-term borrowings:

   December 31, 
(in thousands, except percentages)  2011  2010  2009 

Maximum amount borrowed

  $601,500   $305,000   $92,700  

Weighted average interest rate

   2.73  3.69  2.89

Long-Term Debt

Recourse Debt

Long-term debt consists of the following:

   December 31, 
(in thousands, except percentages)  2011   2010 

Note payable, 4.80%, payable at maturity, due 2011

  $—      $17,000  

Note payable, 4.55%, payable at maturity, due 2012

   25,000     25,000  

Note payable, 5.52 %, payable at maturity, due 2013

   25,000     25,000  

Note payable, 6.10%, payable at maturity, due 2014

   25,000     25,000  

Note payable, 6.12%, payable at maturity, due 2015

   61,500     61,500  

Note payable, 6.78%, payable at maturity due 2018

   41,500     41,500  

Note payable, variable rate (2.82% at December 31, 2010), payable $110 monthly plus interest, due 2012 (a)

   —       10,031  

Note payable, variable rate (1.65% at December 31, 2011), payable in increasing amounts ($875 annually at December 31, 2011) plus interest, due 2023 (a)

   13,715     14,590  

Note payable, variable rate (1.09% at December 31, 2011), payable $58 monthly plus interest, due 2016 (a)

   10,150     10,850  

Note payable, 8.5%, payable $15 monthly, due 2016 (a)

   1,160     1,242  

Industrial development revenue bonds:

    

Variable rate (2.76% at December 31, 2011), due 2017 (a)

   8,881     9,000  

Variable rate (2.19% at December 31, 2011), due 2019 (a)

   4,650     4,650  

Variable rate (2.25% at December 31, 2011), due 2025 (a)

   3,100     3,100  

Variable rate (1.87% at December 31, 2011), due 2036 (a)

   21,000     —    

Debenture bonds, 4.00% to 6.5%, due 2011 through 2021

   29,483     36,887  

Other notes payable and bonds

   —       8  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
   270,139     285,358  

Less: current maturities

   32,051     21,683  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
  $238,088    $263,675  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

(a)Debt is collateralized by first mortgages on certain facilities and related equipment or other assets with a book value of $41.6 million

The Company called certain issues of debenture bonds earning a rate of interest of 6% or higher during the fourth quarter of 2011. The total amount called was $18.3 million. At December 31, 2011, the Company had $8.9 million of five-year term debenture bonds bearing interest at 3.0% and $2.7 million of ten-year term debenture bonds bearing interest at 4.25% available for sale under an existing registration statement.

The Company’s operating results are affected by changesshort-term and long-term borrowing agreements include both financial and non-financial covenants that, among other things, require the Company at a minimum to commodity prices. maintain:

tangible net worth of not less than $300 million

current ratio net of hedged inventory of not less than 1.25 to 1

debt to capitalization ratio of not more than 70%

asset coverage ratio of not more than 70%

interest coverage ratio of not less than 2.75 to 1

The Company has established “unhedged” grain position limits (the amountwas in compliance with all covenants at and during the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010.

The aggregate annual maturities of grain, either owned or contracted for, that does not have an offsetting derivative contract to lock inlong-term debt are as follows: 2012 — $32.1 million; 2013 — $27.2 million; 2014 — $29.6 million; 2015 — $70.0 million; 2016 — $16.5 million; and $94.8 million thereafter.

Non-Recourse Debt

The Company’s non-recourse long-term debt consists of the price). To reduce the exposure to market price risk on grain owned and forward grain and ethanol purchase and sale contracts,following:

   December 31, 
(in thousands, except percentages)  2011   2010 

Note payable, 5.96%, payable $218 monthly plus interest, due 2013

  $—      $14,550  

Note payable, 6.37%, payable $24 monthly, due 2014

   954     1,405  

Note payable, 7.06%, payable $2 monthly, due 2011

   —       36  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
   954     15,991  

Less: current maturities

   157     2,841  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
  $797    $13,150  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

In 2005, The Andersons Rail Operating I (“TARO I”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, enters into regulated commodity futures contracts, primarily via regulated exchanges such as the CME and, to a lesser extent, via over-the-counter contracts with various counterparties. The Company’s forward contracts are for physical delivery of the commodityissued $41 million in a future period. Contracts to purchase grain from producers generally relate to the current or future crop years for delivery periods quoted by regulated commodity exchanges. Contracts for the sale of grain to processors or other consumers generally do not extend beyond one year. The terms of the contracts for the purchase and sale of grain and ethanol are consistent with industry standards. The Company, although to a lesser extent, also enters into option contractsnon-recourse long-term debt for the purpose of providing pricing featurespurchasing 2,293 railcars and related leases from the Company. The balance outstanding on the TARO I non-recourse long-term debt at December 31, 2010 was $14.6 million. The full amount of the note was paid off prior to itsDecember 31, 2011.

The aggregate annual maturities of non-recourse, long-term debt are as follows: 2012 — $0.2 million; 2013 — $0.2 million; 2014 — $0.6 million and $0.0 million thereafter.

Interest paid (including interest on short-term lines of credit) amounted to $25.2 million, $20.0 million and $20.0 million in 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

11. Commitments and Contingencies

Railcar leasing activities:

The Company is a lessor of railcars. The majority of railcars are leased to customers and to manage price risk on its own inventory.

All of these contracts are considered derivatives. Whileunder operating leases that may be either net leases (where the customer pays for all maintenance) or full service leases (where the Company considers its commodity contracts to be effective economic hedges, the Company does not designate or account for its commodity contracts as hedges as defined under current accounting standards.provides maintenance and fleet management services). The Company records forward commodity contracts that do not requirealso provides such services to financial intermediaries to whom it has sold railcars and locomotives in non-recourse lease transactions. Fleet management services generally include maintenance, escrow, tax filings and car tracking services.

Many of the receipt or postingCompany’s leases provide for renewals. The Company also generally holds purchase options for railcars it has sold and leased-back from a financial intermediary, and railcars sold in non-recourse lease transactions. These purchase options are for stated amounts which are determined at the inception of cash collateral on the balance sheet as commodity derivative assets or liabilities, as appropriate,lease and accounts for them at estimated fair value,are intended to approximate the same method it uses to value its grain inventory. The estimated fair value of the commodity futuresapplicable railcars at the date for which such purchase options can be exercised.

Lease income from operating leases (with the Company as lessor) to customers (including month to month and options contracts that requireper diem leases) and rental expense for railcar operating leases (with the receipt or posting of cash collateral is recorded on a net basis (offset against cash collateral posted or received) within margin deposits or accrued expensesCompany as lessee) were as follows:

   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011   2010   2009 

Rental and service income – operating leases

  $68,124    $60,700    $73,575  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Rental expense

  $16,303    $20,023    $24,271  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Lease income recognized under per diem arrangements (described in Note 1) totaled $2.9 million, $2.6 million and other current liabilities on the balance sheet, as appropriate. Management determines fair value based on exchange-quoted prices and$3.9 million in the case of its forward purchase and sale contracts, estimated fair value is adjusted for differences in local markets and non-performance risk.

Realized and unrealized gains and losses in the value of commodity contracts (whether due to changes in commodity prices, changes in performance or credit risk, or due to sale, maturity or extinguishment of the commodity contract) and grain inventories are included in sales and merchandising revenues in the statements of income.
The following table presents the fair value of the Company’s commodity derivatives as of December 31,2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively, and the balance sheet line item in which they are located:

76


         
  December 31, 
(in thousands) 2010  2009 
   
Forward commodity contracts included in Commodity derivative assets — current $226,216  $24,255 
Forward commodity contracts included in Commodity derivative assets — noncurrent  18,113   3,137 
Forward commodity contracts included in Commodity derivative liabilities — current  (57,621)  (24,871)
Forward commodity contracts included in Commodity derivative liabilities — noncurrent  (3,279)  (830)
Regulated futures and options contracts included in Margin deposits (a)  (105,030)  (11,354)
Over-the-counter contracts included in Margin deposits (a)  (41,300)  (1,824)
Over-the-counter contracts included in accrued expenses and other current liabilities     (4,193)
   
Total estimated fair value of commodity derivatives $37,099  $(15,680)
   
(a)The fair value of futures, options and over-the-counter contracts are offset by cash collateral posted or received and included as a net amount in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. See Note 1 for additional information.
The gainsis included in the Company’s Consolidated Statementamounts above.

Future minimum rentals and service income for all noncancelable railcar operating leases greater than one year are as follows:

(in thousands)  Future
Rental
and
Service
Income –
Operating
Leases
   Future
Minimum
Rental
Payments
 

Year ended December 31,

    

2012

  $53,848    $12,575  

2013

   39,435     9,014  

2014

   26,676     6,572  

2015

   19,756     6,396  

2016

   14,704     6,174  

Future years

   22,923     10,230  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
  $177,342    $50,961  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

The Company also arranges non-recourse lease transactions under which it sells railcars or locomotives to financial intermediaries and assigns the related operating lease on a non-recourse basis. The Company generally provides ongoing railcar maintenance and management services for the financial intermediaries, and receives a fee for such services when earned. Management and service fees earned in 2011, 2010 and 2009 were $2.8 million, $2.9 million and $3.0 million, respectively.

Other leasing activities:

The Company, as a lessee, leases real property, vehicles and other equipment under operating leases. Certain of Incomethese agreements contain lease renewal and purchase options. The Company also leases excess property to third parties. Net rental expense under these agreements was $6.3 million, $5.6 million and $5.1 million in 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Future minimum lease payments (net of sublease income commitments) under agreements in effect at December 31, 2011 are as follows: 2012 — $4.2 million; 2013 — $3.0 million; 2014 — $1.8 million; 2015 — $1.3 million; 2016 — $0.4 million; and $1.4 million thereafter.

In addition to the line itemsabove, the Company leases its Albion, Michigan and Clymers, Indiana grain elevators under operating leases to two of its ethanol joint ventures. The Albion, Michigan grain elevator lease expires in which they are located2056. The initial term of the Clymers, Indiana grain elevator lease ends in 2014 and provides for 5 renewals of 7.5 years each. Lease income for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 was $1.9 million, $1.8 million and $1.8 million, respectively.

Litigation activities:

The Company is party to litigation, or threats thereof, both as defendant and plaintiff with some regularity, although individual cases that are material in size occur infrequently. As a defendant, the Company establishes reserves for claimed amounts that are considered probable, and capable of estimation. If those cases are resolved for lesser amounts, the excess reserves are taken into income and, conversely, if those cases are resolved for larger than the amount the Company has accrued, the Company records a charge to income. The Company believes it is unlikely that the results of its current legal proceedings for which it is the defendant, even if unfavorable, will be material. As a plaintiff, amounts that are collected can also result in sudden, non-recurring income. Litigation results depend upon a variety of factors, including the availability of evidence, the credibility of witnesses, the performance of counsel, the state of the law, and the impressions of judges and jurors, any of which can be critical in importance, yet difficult, if not impossible, to predict. Consequently, cases currently pending, or future matters, may result in unexpected, and non-recurring losses, or income, from time to time. Finally, litigation results are often subject to judicial reconsideration, appeal and further negotiation by the parties, and as a result, the final impact of a particular judicial decision may be unknown for some time, or may result in continued reserves to account for the potential of such post-verdict actions.

The estimated range of loss for all outstanding claims that are considered reasonably possible of occurring is not significant. There are several pending claims for which the question of loss or the range of loss cannot be estimated at this time, among them the investigation of the Maumee River in Toledo Ohio with which we are cooperating.

In 2011, the Company received a trial verdict in the amount of $3.2 million in a civil suit, for which both the Company and the defendant have subsequently filed appeals. No income has been recorded to-date due to uncertainty of the final amount and overall collectability of any amount against the defendant.

12. Goodwill and Intangible Assets

The Company has goodwill of $12.5 million included in other assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Goodwill includes $5.0 million in the Grain business, $6.8 million in the Plant Nutrient business and $0.7 million in the Turf & Specialty business. The total amount of goodwill in the Plant Nutrient business includes $1.7 million goodwill from the 2011 acquisition discussed in Note 16, Business Acquisitions.

Goodwill is tested annually for impairment as of December 31 or whenever events or circumstances change that would indicate that an impairment of goodwill may be present. There have been no goodwill impairment charges historically. In 2010, the reporting units’ fair value significantly exceeded its carrying value. In the fourth quarter of 2011, the Company performed a qualitative goodwill impairment analysis. In performing this qualitative assessment of goodwill, management has considered the following relevant events and circumstances:

Macroeconomic conditions including, but not limited to deterioration in general economic conditions, limitation on accessing capital, or other developments in equity and credit markets;

Industry and market considerations such as a deterioration in the environment in which an entity operates, an increased competitive environment, a change in the market for an entity’s products or services, or a regulatory or political development;

Cost factors such as increases in commodity prices, raw materials, labor, or other costs that have a negative effect on earnings and cash flows;

Overall financial performance such as negative or declining cash flows or a decline in actual or planned revenue or earnings compared with actual and projected results of relevant prior periods;

Other relevant entity-specific events such as changes in management, key personnel, strategy, or customers and;

Events affecting a reporting unit such as a change in the composition or carrying amount of its net assets, a more-likely-than-not expectation of selling or disposing all, or a portion, of a reporting unit, the testing for recoverability of a significant asset group within a reporting unit, or recognition of a goodwill impairment loss in the financial statements of a subsidiary that is a component of a reporting unit.

There is a certain degree of uncertainty associated with the key assumptions used. Potential events or changes in circumstances that could reasonably be expected to negatively affect the key assumptions include significant volatility in commodity prices or raw material prices and unanticipated changes in the economy or industries within which the businesses operate. When considering all factors in totality, management believes it is more likely than not that the fair value of goodwill exceeds its carrying amount, and as such, no further analysis was required for purposes of testing goodwill for impairment.

The Company’s intangible assets are included in other assets and are as follows:

         
  Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands) 2010  2009 
   
(Loss)/gain on commodity derivatives included in sales and merchandising revenues $(53,942) $45,707 
At

(in thousands)  Group  Original
Cost
   Accumulated
Amortization
   Net Book
Value
 

December 31, 2011

        

Amortized intangible assets

        

Acquired customer list

  Rail  $3,462    $3,331    $131  

Acquired customer list

  Plant Nutrient   4,096     1,098     2,998  

Acquired customer list

  Grain   1,250     433     817  

Acquired non-compete agreement

  Plant Nutrient   1,319     847     472  

Acquired non-compete agreement

  Grain   175     46     129  

Acquired marketing agreement

  Plant Nutrient   1,607     825     782  

Acquired supply agreement

  Plant Nutrient   4,846     1,443     3,403  

Acquired grower agreement

  Grain   300     175     125  

Patents and other

  Various   943     474     469  

Lease intangible

  Rail   2,222     1,433     789  
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
    $20,220    $10,105    $10,115  
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

December 31, 2010

        

Amortized intangible assets

        

Acquired customer list

  Rail  $3,462    $3,299    $163  

Acquired customer list

  Plant Nutrient   3,846     670     3,176  

Acquired customer list

  Grain   1,250     150     1,100  

Acquired non-compete agreement

  Plant Nutrient   1,250     594     656  

Acquired non-compete agreement

  Grain   175     11     164  

Acquired marketing agreement

  Plant Nutrient   1,604     619     985  

Acquired supply agreement

  Plant Nutrient   4,846     926     3,920  

Acquired grower agreement

  Grain   300     75     225  

Acquired patents and other

  Various   943     401     542  

Lease intangible

  Rail   1,673     633     1,040  
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
    $19,349    $7,378    $11,971  
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Amortization expense for intangible assets was $2.8 million, $2.4 million and $1.2 million for 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Expected future annual amortization expense is as follows: 2012 — $2.8 million; 2013 — $1.6 million; 2014 — $1.2 million; 2015 — $1.0 million; and 2016 — $0.9 million.

13. Income Taxes

Income tax provision applicable to continuing operations consists of the following:

   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011  2010  2009 

Current:

    

Federal

  $39,015   $22,288   $4,848  

State and local

   5,603    3,613    828  

Foreign

   962    1,156    (176
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 
  $45,580   $27,057   $5,500  
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Deferred:

    

Federal

  $5,281   $13,558   $15,638  

State and local

   553    595    1,833  

Foreign

   (361  (1,948  (1,041
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 
  $5,473   $12,205   $16,430  
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total:

    

Federal

  $44,296   $35,846   $20,486  

State and local

   6,156    4,208    2,661  

Foreign

   601    (792  (1,217
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 
  $51,053   $39,262   $21,930  
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Income before income taxes from continuing operations consists of the following:

   Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011   2010  2009 

U.S. income

  $146,420    $106,184   $64,359  

Foreign

   1,458     (2,041  (2,863
  

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 
  $147,878    $104,143   $61,496  
  

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

A reconciliation from the statutory U.S. federal tax rate to the effective tax rate follows:

   Year ended December 31, 
   2011  2010  2009 

Statutory U.S. federal tax rate

   35.0  35.0  35.0

Increase (decrease) in rate resulting from:

    

Effect of qualified domestic production deduction

   (1.6  (1.1  (0.4

Effect of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

   —      1.4    —    

State and local income taxes, net of related federal taxes

   2.7    2.5    2.8  

Other, net

   (1.6  (0.1  (1.7
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Effective tax rate

   34.5  37.7  35.7
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Income taxes paid in 2011 were $48.9 million. Income taxes paid in 2010 were $24.8 million. Income tax refunds of $24.2 million were received in 2009.

Significant components of the Company’s deferred tax liabilities and assets are as follows:

   December 31, 
(in thousands)  2011  2010 

Deferred tax liabilities:

   

Property, plant and equipment and railcar assets leased to others

  $(72,997 $(64,392

Prepaid employee benefits

   (15,419  (12,724

Investments

   (23,262  (20,242

Other

   (3,205  (3,877
  

 

 

  

 

 

 
   (114,883  (101,235
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Deferred tax assets:

   

Employee benefits

   42,482    32,463  

Accounts and notes receivable

   1,909    2,212  

Inventory

   6,326    7,056  

Deferred expenses

   16,022    10,036  

Net operating loss carryforwards

   1,299    1,207  

Other

   3,688    2,425  
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total deferred tax assets

   71,726    55,399  

Valuation allowance

   —      —    
  

 

 

  

 

 

 
   71,726    55,399  
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net deferred tax liabilities

  $(43,157 $(45,836
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

On December 31, 2011 the Company had $13.9 million in state net operating loss carryforwards that expire from 2017 to 2023. A deferred tax asset of $0.6 million has been recorded with respect to state net operating loss carryforwards. No valuation allowance has been established because based on all available evidence, the Company concluded it is more likely than not that it will realize the deferred tax asset. On December 31, 2010 the Company had recorded a $0.6 million deferred tax asset and no valuation allowance with respect to state net operating loss carryforwards.

On December 31, 2011, the following bushels and gallons outstanding (on a gross basis)Company had $2.9 million in cumulative Canadian net operating losses that expire from 2029 to 2031. A deferred tax asset of $0.7 million has been recorded with respect to Canadian net operating loss carryforwards. No valuation allowance has been established because based on all commodity derivative contracts:

             
  Number of bushels  Number of tons  Number of gallons 
Commodity (in thousands)  (in thousands)  (in thousands) 
   
Corn  352,367       
Soybeans  22,465       
Wheat  14,416       
Oats  8,824       
Soymeal     20    
Ethanol        368,030 
Other  306       
   
Total  398,378   20   368,030 
   
Interest Rate Derivatives
Theavailable evidence, the Company periodically enters into interest rate contracts to manage interest rate risk on borrowing or financing activities. One ofconcluded it is more likely than not that it will realize the Company’s long-term interest rate swaps is recorded in other long-term liabilities and is designated as a cash flow hedge; accordingly, changes in the fair value of this instrument are recognized in other comprehensive income. The terms of the swap match the terms of the underlying debt instrument. The deferred derivative gains and losses on the interest rate swap are reclassified into income over the term of the underlying hedged items. For the years endedtax asset. On December 31, 2010 2009 and 2008, the Company reclassified less than $0.1 million of accumulated other comprehensive loss into earnings. The Company expects to reclassify less than $0.1 million of accumulated other comprehensive loss into earnings in the next twelve months.
The Company has other interest rate contracts that are not designated as hedges. While the Company considers all of its interest rate derivative positions to be effective economic hedges of specified risks, these interest rate contracts are recorded on the balance sheet in prepaid expenses and other assets or current and long-term liabilities and changes in fair value are recognized currently in income as interest expense.

77


The following table presents the open interest rate contracts at December 31, 2010.
                     
Interest Rate         Initial        
Hedging         Notional Amount      Interest 
Instrument Year Entered  Year of Maturity  (in millions)  Hedged Item  Rate 
 
Short-term
                    
Cap  2009   2011  $10.0  Interest rate component of debt — not accounted for as a hedge  2.92%
Cap  2009   2011  $10.0  Interest rate component of debt — not accounted for as a hedge  2.92%
                     
Long-term
                    
Swap  2005   2016  $4.0  Interest rate component of an operating lease — not accounted for as a hedge  5.23%
Swap  2006   2016  $14.0  Interest rate component of debt — accounted for as cash flow hedge  5.95%
Cap  2009   2012  $10.0  Interest rate component of debt — not accounted for as a hedge  3.42%
Cap  2010   2012  $10.0  Interest rate component of debt — not accounted for as a hedge  2.75%
At December 31, 2010 and 2009, the Company had recorded a deferred tax asset, and no valuation allowance, of $0.6 million with respect to Canadian net operating loss carryforwards.

On December 31, 2011, the following amountsCompany had recorded a $2.0 million deferred tax asset related to U.S. foreign tax credit carryforwards that expire from 2020 through 2022. No valuation allowance has been established because based on all available evidence, the Company concluded it is more likely than not that it will realize the deferred tax asset. On December 31, 2010, the Company had $0.8 million in U.S. foreign credit carryforwards that expire in 2020 and 2021 and no valuation allowance with respect to the foreign credit carryforwards.

The Company accounts for utilization of windfall tax benefits based on tax law ordering and considered only the direct effects of stock-based compensation for purposes of measuring the windfall at settlement of an award. During 2011, there was no cash resulting from the exercise of awards and the Company realized no tax benefit from the exercise of awards. For 2010, the amount of cash resulting from the exercise of awards was $0.2 million and the tax benefit the Company realized from the exercise of awards was $0.8 million.

The Company or one of its subsidiaries files income tax returns in the U.S., various foreign jurisdictions and various state and local jurisdictions. The Company is no longer subject to examinations by U.S. tax authorities for years before 2007 and is no longer subject to examinations by foreign jurisdictions for years before 2006. The Company is no longer subject to examination by state tax authorities in most states for tax years before 2008.

A reconciliation of the January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2011 amount of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows:

(in thousands)    

Balance at January 1, 2009

  $727  

Additions based on tax positions related to the current year

   28  

Reductions based on tax positions related to prior years

   (25

Reductions for settlements with taxing authorities

   (153

Reductions as a result of a lapse in statute of limitations

   (259
  

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2009

   318  

Additions based on tax positions related to the current year

   20  

Additions based on tax positions related to prior years

   474  

Reductions as a result of a lapse in statute of limitations

   (198
  

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2010

   614  

Additions based on tax positions related to the current year

   —    

Additions based on tax positions related to prior years

   43  

Reductions as a result of a lapse in statute of limitations

   (22
  

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2011

  $635  
  

 

 

 

The unrecognized tax benefits at December 31, 2011 are associated with positions taken on state income tax returns, and would decrease the Company’s effective tax rate if recognized. The Company does not anticipate any significant changes during 2012 in the amount of unrecognized tax benefits.

The Company has elected to classify interest and penalties as interest expense and penalty expense, respectively, rather than as income tax expense. The Company has $0.2 million accrued for the payment of interest and penalties at December 31, 2011. The net interest and penalties expense for 2011 is $0.1 million benefit, due to the reduction in uncertain tax positions and associated release of previously recorded interest and penalties. The Company had $0.3 million accrued for the payment of interest and penalties at December 31, 2010. The net interest and penalties expense for 2010 was $0.1 million.

14. Stock Compensation Plans

The Company’s 2005 Long-Term Performance Compensation Plan, dated May 6, 2005 (the “LT Plan”), authorizes the Board of Directors to grant options, stock appreciation rights, performance shares and share awards to employees and outside directors for up to 400,000 of the Company’s common shares plus 426,000 common shares that remained available under a prior plan. In 2008, shareholders approved an additional 500,000 of the Company’s common shares to be available under the LT Plan. As of December 31, 2011, approximately 396,000 shares remain available for grant under the LT Plan. Options granted have a maximum term of 10 years.

Stock-based compensation expense for all stock-based compensation awards are based on the grant-date fair value. The Company recognizes these compensation costs on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the award. Total compensation expense recognized in the Consolidated Statement of Income for all stock compensation programs was $4.1 million, $2.6 million and $2.7 million in 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

Stock Only Stock Appreciation Rights (“SOSARs”) and Stock Options

Beginning in 2006, the Company discontinued granting options to directors and management and instead began granting SOSARs. SOSARs granted to directors and management personnel under the LT Plan beginning in 2008 have a term of five-years and have three year graded vesting. The SOSARs granted in 2006 and 2007 have a term of five years and vest after three years. SOSARs granted under the LT Plan are structured as fixed grants with the exercise price equal to the market value of the underlying stock on the date of the grant. The related compensation expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the service period.

Beginning in 2011, the Company replaced the SOSAR equity awards with full value Restricted Stock Awards (“RSAs”). No SOSAR equity awards were granted in 2011.

The fair value for SOSARs granted in previous years was estimated at the date of grant, using a Black-Scholes option pricing model with the weighted average assumptions listed below. Volatility was estimated based on the historical volatility of the Company’s common shares over the past five years. The average expected life was based on the contractual term of the award and expected employee exercise and post-vesting employment termination trends. The risk-free rate is based on U.S. Treasury issues with a term equal to the expected life assumed at the date of grant. Forfeitures are estimated at the date of grant based on historical experience.

   2011   2010  2009 

Risk free interest rate

   —       1.96  1.89

Dividend yield

   —       1.10  3.18

Volatility factor of the expected market price of the Company’s common shares

   —       .560    .520  

Expected life for the options (in years)

   —       4.10    4.10  

A reconciliation of the number of SOSARs and stock options outstanding and exercisable under the Long-Term Performance Compensation Plan as of December 31, 2011, and changes during the period then ended is as follows:

   Shares
(000’s)
  Weighted-
Average
Exercise

Price
   Weighted-
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Term
   Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value

(000’s)
 

Options & SOSARs outstanding at January 1, 2011

   851   $33.38      

SOSARs granted

   —      —        

Options exercised

   (329  35.66      

Options & SOSARs cancelled / forfeited

   (19  41.65      
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Options and SOSARs outstanding at December 31, 2011

   503   $31.56     1.81    $6,380  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2011

   501   $31.58     1.80    $6,352  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Options exercisable at December 31, 2011

   363   $34.57     1.41    $3,597  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

   2011   2010   2009 

Total intrinsic value of options exercised during the year ended December 31 (000’s)

  $3,817    $2,724    $2,127  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total fair value of shares vested during the year ended December 31 (000’s)

  $816    $3,084    $4,145  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Weighted average fair value of options granted during the year ended December 31

  $—      $13.75    $3.80  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

As of December 31, 2011, there was $0.1 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to stock options and SOSARs granted under the LT Plan. That cost is expected to be recognized over the next 0.17 years.

Restricted Stock Awards

The LT Plan permits awards of restricted stock. These shares carry voting and dividend rights; however, sale of the shares is restricted prior to vesting. Restricted shares have a three year vesting period. Total restricted stock expense is equal to the market value of the Company’s common shares on the date of the award and is recognized over the service period. In 2011, there were 46,862 shares issued to members of management and directors.

A summary of the status of the Company’s nonvested restricted shares as of December 31, 2011, and changes during the period then ended, is presented below:

Nonvested Shares  Shares
(000)’s
  Weighted-
Average
Grant-
Date Fair
Value
 

Nonvested at January 1, 2011

   64   $26.52  

Granted

   47    47.80  

Vested

   (17  45.49  

Forfeited

   (1  40.81  
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Nonvested at December 31, 2011

   93   $33.54  
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

   2011   2010   2009 

Total fair value of shares vested during the year ended December 31 (000’s)

  $1,367    $566    $109  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Weighted average fair value of restricted shares granted during the year ended December 31

  $47.80    $32.75    $11.02  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

As of December 31, 2011, there was $1.3 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to nonvested restricted shares granted under the LT Plan. That cost is expected to be recognized over the next 2.0 years.

Performance Share Units (“PSUs”)

The LT Plan also allows for the award of PSUs. Each PSU gives the participant the right to receive common shares dependent on the achievement of specified performance results over a three calendar year performance period. At the end of the performance period, the number of shares of stock issued will be determined by adjusting the award upward or downward from a target award. Fair value of PSUs issued is based on the market value of the Company’s common shares on the date of the award. The related compensation expense is recognized over the performance period when achievement of the award is probable and is adjusted for changes in the number of shares expected to be issued if changes in performance are expected. In 2011 there were 77,025 PSUs issued to members of management. Currently, the Company is accounting for the awards granted in 2009, 2010 and 2011 at 40%, 100%, and 100%, respectively, of the maximum amount available for issuance.

PSUs Activity

A summary of the status of the Company’s PSUs as of December 31, 2011, and changes during the period then ended, is presented below:

Nonvested Shares  Shares
(000)’s
  Weighted-
Average
Grant-
Date Fair
Value
 

Nonvested at January 1, 2011

   124   $26.90  

Granted

   77    47.80  

Vested

   —      —    

Forfeited

   (36  44.97  
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Nonvested at December 31, 2011

   165   $32.73  
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

   2011   2010   2009 

Weighted average fair value of PSUs granted during the year ended December 31

  $47.80    $32.69    $10.81  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

As of December 31, 2011, there was $2.9 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to nonvested PSUs granted under the LT Plan. That cost is expected to be recognized over the next 2.0 years.

Employee Share Purchase Plan (the “ESP Plan”)

The Company’s 2004 ESP Plan allows employees to purchase common shares through payroll withholdings. The Company has approximately 266,000 common shares remaining available for issuance to and purchase by employees under this plan. The ESP Plan also contains an option component. The purchase price per share under the ESP Plan is the lower of the market price at the beginning or end of the year. The Company records a liability for withholdings not yet applied towards the purchase of common stock.

The fair value of the Company’s interest rate derivatives:

         
  December 31, 
(in thousands) 2010  2009 
   
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments
        
Interest rate contracts included in other assets $6  $55 
Interest rate contracts included in deferred income and other long term liabilities  (368)  (320)
   
Total fair value of interest rate derivatives not designated as hedging instruments $(362) $(265)
   
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments
        
Interest rate contract included in deferred income and other long term liabilities $(1,768) $(1,540)
   
Total fair value of interest rate derivatives designated as hedging instruments $(1,768) $(1,540)
   
The gains (losses) included in the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Income and the line item in which they are located for interest rate derivatives not designated as hedging instruments are as follows:
         
  Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands) 2010  2009 
   
Interest expense $(133) $158 
The gains included in the Company’s Statement of Shareholders’ Equity and the line item in which they are located for interest rate derivatives designated as hedging instruments are as follows:
         
  Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands) 2010  2009 
   
Accumulated other comprehensive loss $(229) $893 
Foreign Currency Derivatives
The Company has entered into a zero cost foreign currency collar to hedge the change in conversion rate between the Canadian dollar and the U.S. dollar for railcar leases in Canada. This zero cost collar, which is being accounted for as a cash flow hedge, has an initial notional amount of $6.8 million and places a floor and ceiling on the

78


Canadian dollar to U.S. dollar exchange rate at $0.9875 and $1.069, respectively. Changes in the fair value of this derivative are included as aoption component of other comprehensive income or loss. The termsthe ESP Plan is estimated at the date of grant under the collar match the underlying lease agreements and therefore any ineffectiveness is considered immaterial.
At December 31, 2010 and 2009, the Company had recordedBlack-Scholes option pricing model with the following amountassumptions for the fair valueappropriate year. Expected volatility was estimated based on the historical volatility of the Company’s foreign currency derivatives:
         
  December 31, 
(in thousands) 2010  2009 
   
Foreign currency contract included in other assets $(26) $42 
common shares over the past year. The losses included in the Company’s Statement of Shareholders’ Equity and the line item in which they are located for foreign currency derivatives designated as hedging instruments are as follows:
         
  Year ended December 31, 
(in thousands) 2010  2009 
   
Accumulated other comprehensive loss $(68) $(539)
16. Segment Information
The Company’s operations include five reportable business segments that are distinguished primarilyaverage expected life was based on the basis of products and services offered. The Grain & Ethanol Group’s operations include grain merchandising, the operation of terminal grain elevator facilities and the investment in and management of ethanol production facilities as well as an investment in Lansing Trade Group LLC. In the Rail Group, operations include the leasing, marketing and fleet management of railcars and locomotives, railcar repair and metal fabrication. The Plant Nutrient Group manufactures and distributes agricultural inputs, primarily fertilizer, to dealers and farmers. The Turf & Specialty Group’s operations include the production and distribution of turf care and corncob-based products. The Retail Group operates large retail stores, a specialty food market, a distribution center and a lawn and garden equipment sales and service shop.
Included in Other are the corporate level amounts not attributable to an operating Group and the sale of somecontractual term of the Company’s excess real estate.
plan. The segment information below includesrisk-free rate is based on the allocationU.S. Treasury issues with a one year term. Forfeitures are estimated at the date of expenses shared by one or more Groups. Although management believes such allocations are reasonable, the operating information does not necessarily reflect how such data might appear if the segments were operated as separate businesses. Inter-segment sales are made at prices comparable to normal, unaffiliated customer sales. Capital expenditures include additions to property, plant and equipment, software and intangible assets.

79

grant based on historical experience.


   2011  2010  2009 

Employee Share Purchase Plan

    

Risk free interest rate

   0.27  0.47  0.37

Dividend yield

   1.21  1.10  2.06

Volatility factor of the expected market price of the Company’s common shares

   .340    .544    .673  

Expected life for the options (in years)

   1.00    1.00    1.00  

                             
(in thousands) Grain &      Plant             
2010 Ethanol  Rail  Nutrient  Turf & Specialty  Retail  Other  Total 
 
Revenues from external customers
 $2,405,452  $94,816  $619,330  $123,549  $150,644  $  $3,393,791 
Inter-segment sales
  3   637   13,517   1,636         15,793 
Equity in earnings of affiliates
  25,999      8            26,007 
Other income, net
  2,733   4,502   1,298   1,335   608   1,176   11,652 
Interest expense
  8,315   4,928   3,901   1,604   1,039   78   19,865 
Operating income (loss) (a)
  81,387   107   30,062   3,443   (2,534)  (8,541)  103,924 
Income attributable to noncontrolling interest
  (219)                 (219)
   
Income before income taxes
  81,606   107   30,062   3,443   (2,534)  (8,541)  104,143 
                             
Identifiable assets
  1,099,480   196,149   208,548   62,643   52,430   80,140   1,699,390 
Capital expenditures
  10,343   927   7,631   2,237   8,827   932   30,897 
Railcar expenditures
     18,354               18,354 
Cash invested in affiliates
  395                  395 
Acquisition of businesses
  39,293                  39,293 
Investment in convertible preferred securities
     13,100               13,100 
Depreciation and amortization
  7,951   15,107   10,225   2,032   2,400   1,198   38,913 
                             
(in thousands) Grain &      Plant             
2009 Ethanol  Rail  Nutrient  Turf & Specialty  Retail  Other  Total 
 
Revenues from external customers $2,153,978  $92,789  $491,293  $125,306  $161,938  $  $3,025,304 
Inter-segment sales  9   634   12,245   1,504         14,392 
Equity in earnings of affiliates  17,452      8         3   17,463 
Other income, net  2,319   485   1,755   1,131   683   1,958   8,331 
Interest expense  9,363   4,468   3,933   1,429   961   534   20,688 
Operating income (loss) (a)  51,354   (1,034)  11,294   4,735   (2,843)  (3,225)  60,281 
Income attributable to noncontrolling interest  (1,215)                 (1,215)
   
Income before income taxes  52,569   (1,034)  11,294   4,735   (2,843)  (3,225)  61,496 
                             
Identifiable assets  597,041   194,748   205,968   63,353   45,696   177,585   1,284,391 
Capital expenditures  6,145   297   6,610   1,305   1,157   1,046   16,560 
Railcar expenditures     24,965               24,965 
Cash invested in affiliates  1,100               100   1,200 
Acquisition of businesses        30,480            30,480 
Depreciation and amortization  5,532   15,967   8,665   2,314   2,286   1,256   36,020 

80


                             
(in thousands) Grain &      Plant             
2008 Ethanol  Rail  Nutrient  Turf & Specialty  Retail  Other  Total 
 
Revenues from external customers $2,411,144  $133,898  $652,509  $118,856  $173,071  $  $3,489,478 
Inter-segment sales  15   439   17,189   1,270         18,913 
Equity in earnings of affiliates  4,027      6            4,033 
Other income, net  4,751   526   893   446   692   (1,138)  6,170 
Interest expense  18,667   4,154   5,616   1,522   886   394   31,239 
Operating income (loss) (a)  43,587   19,782   (12,325)  2,321   843   (4,842)  49,366 
Loss attributable to noncontrolling interest  2,803                  2,803 
   
Income before income taxes  40,784   19,782   (12,325)  2,321   843   (4,842)  46,563 
                             
Identifiable assets  575,589   198,109   266,785   70,988   50,605   146,697   1,308,773 
Capital expenditures  5,317   682   10,481   2,018   924   893   20,315 
Railcar expenditures  19,066   78,923               97,989 
Cash invested in affiliates  41,350               100   41,450 
Depreciation and amortization  4,377   13,915   5,901   2,228   2,218   1,128   29,767 
(a)Operating income (loss) for each Group is based on net sales and merchandising revenues plus identifiable other income less all identifiable operating expenses, including interest expense for carrying working capital and long-term assets and is reported net of net (income) loss attributable to the noncontrolling interest.
Grain sales for export to foreign markets amounted to approximately $267.3 million, $312.7 million and $194.9 million in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively. Revenues from leased railcars in Canada totaled $9.1 million, $12.4 million and $18.1 million in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively. The net book value of the leased railcars at December 31, 2010 and 2009 was $22.0 million and $26.9 million, respectively. Lease revenue on railcars in Mexico totaled $0.3 million in 2010, $0.3 million in 2009 and $0.8 million in 2008.

81


17.15. Quarterly Consolidated Financial Information (Unaudited)

The following is a summary of the unaudited quarterly results of operations for 20102011 and 2009.

(in thousands, except for per common share data)
                     
          Net Income       
          attributable to The  Earnings Per  Earnings Per 
Quarter Ended Net Sales  Gross Profit  Andersons, Inc.  Share-Basic  Share-Diluted 
 
2010
                    
March 31 $721,998  $58,550  $12,265  $0.67  $0.66 
June 30  810,999   87,554   25,169   1.37   1.36 
September 30  706,825   53,109   1,394   0.08   0.08 
December 31  1,153,969   82,466   25,834   1.40   1.39 
           
Year $3,393,791  $281,679  $64,662   3.51   3.48 
           
                     
2009
                    
March 31 $697,392  $61,374  $4,952  $0.27  $0.27 
June 30  810,954   73,334   15,918   0.87   0.87 
September 30  601,000   51,010   1,250   0.07   0.07 
December 31  915,958   69,788   16,231   0.89   0.88 
           
Year $3,025,304  $255,506  $38,351   2.10   2.08 
           
2010:

(in thousands, except for per common share data)

Quarter Ended

  Sales and
merchandising
revenues
   Gross
profit
   Net income
attributable
to The
Andersons,
Inc.
   Earnings
per
share-
basic
   Earnings
per
share-
diluted
 
2011          

March 31

  $1,001,674    $78,685    $17,266    $0.93    $0.93  

June 30

   1,338,167     122,772     45,218     2.44     2.42  

September 30

   938,660     64,964     10,925     0.59     0.59  

December 31

   1,297,830     86,431     21,697     1.17     1.17  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

     

Year

  $4,576,331    $352,852    $95,106     5.13     5.09  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

     
2010          

March 31

  $721,998    $58,550    $12,265    $0.67    $0.66  

June 30

   810,999     87,554     25,169     1.37     1.36  

September 30

   706,825     53,109     1,394     0.08     0.08  

December 31

   1,153,969     82,466     25,834     1.40     1.39  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

     

Year

  $3,393,791    $281,679    $64,662     3.51     3.48  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

     

Net income per share is computed independently for each of the quarters presented. As such, the summation of the quarterly amounts may not equal the total net income per share reported for the year.

82


16. Business Acquisitions

On October 31, 2011, the Company completed the purchase of Immokalee Farmers Supply, Inc., which serves the specialty vegetable producers in Southwest Florida, for a total purchase price of $3.0 million, which includes a $0.6 million payable recorded in other long-term liabilities and is based on future performance of the acquired company.

On May 1, 2010, the Company acquired two grain cleaning and storage facilities from O’Malley Grain, Inc. (“O’Malley”) for a purchase price of $7.8 million. O’Malley is a supplier of consistent, high quality food-grade corn to the snack food and tortilla industries with facilities in Nebraska and Illinois.

On December 31, 2010, the Company acquired the assets of B4 Grain, Inc. (“B4”), for a purchase price of $35.1 million, including cash paid through December 31, 2010 of $31.5 million. B4 has three grain elevators located in Nebraska, two of which are owned and have a combined storage capacity of 1.9 million bushels and another that is leased with storage capacity of 1.1 million bushels. B4’s focus is on their direct ship program, which complements the Company’s existing direct ship program that it is currently expanding.

The goodwill recognized as a result of the O’Malley and B4 acquisitions is $1.2 million and $2.9 million, respectively, and relates to expected synergies from combining operations.

The summarized purchase price allocation for the two 2010 acquisitions is as follows:

   B4  O’Malley  Total 

Current assets

  $44,428   $4,097   $48,525  

Intangible assets

   350    1,375    1,725  

Goodwill

   2,850    1,231    4,081  

Property, plant and equipment

   1,879    5,959    7,838  

Other long-term assets

   1,005    111    1,116  

Current liabilities

   (15,383  (4,864  (20,247

Other long-term liabilities

   —      (126  (126
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total purchase price (a)

  $35,129   $7,783   $42,912  
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

(a)Of the $35.1 million purchase price for B4, $0.8 million remained in accounts payable and a $2.8 million earn-out provision remained in other-long term liabilities in the Company’s balance sheet at December 31, 2010.

Approximately $1.1 million of the O’Malley intangible assets (which include customer lists and a non-compete agreement) are being amortized over 5 years. The other $0.3 million (which consists of a grower’s list) is being amortized over 3 years.

The B4 intangible assets include $0.1 million for a non-compete agreement and $0.3 million for a customer list. The non-compete agreement is being amortized over 5 years and the customer list is being amortized over 3 years. The purchase agreement for B4 includes an earn-out provision. The prior owners of B4 have the ability to receive an additional $3.5 million if certain income levels are achieved over the next five years. The estimated fair value of this contingent liability is $2.8 million and is recorded in other long-term liabilities in the Company’s balance sheet. In addition to the $2.8 million of contingent consideration, there is an additional $0.8 million of the initial purchase price that remained unpaid at December 31, 2010. This is recorded in accounts payable in the Company’s balance sheet.

17. Subsequent Events

On January 31, 2012, the Company announced the purchase of 100% of the stock of New Eezy Gro, Inc. for a purchase price of $15.5 million plus working capital in the amount of $1.4 million. New Eezy Gro is a manufacturer and wholesale marketer of specialty agricultural nutrients and industrial products and will become a part of the Company’s Plant Nutrient Group. The purchase price allocation will not be available prior to the filing of this Form 10-K.

Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

None.

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures

The Company is not organized with one Chief Financial Officer. Our Vice President, Corporate Controller and CIO is responsible for all accounting and information technology decisions while our Vice President, Finance and Treasurer is responsible for all treasury, insurance and credit functions and financing decisions. Each of them, along with the President and Chief Executive Officer (“Certifying Officers”), are responsible for evaluating our disclosure controls and procedures. These named Certifying Officers have evaluated our disclosure controls and procedures as defined in the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, as of December 31, 2010,2011, and have determined that such controls and procedures were effective in ensuring that material information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports filed or submitted under the Securities Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms.

Management’s Report on Internal Control overOver Financial Reporting is included in Item 8 on page 39.

42.

There were no significant changes in internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the fourth quarter of 2010,2011, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

PART III

Item 10. Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant

For information with respect to the executive officers of the registrant, see “Executive Officers of the Registrant” included in Part I of this report. For information with respect to the Directors of the registrant, see “Election of Directors” in the Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of the Shareholders to be held on May 6, 201111, 2012 (the “Proxy Statement”), which is incorporated herein by reference; for information concerning 1934 Securities and Exchange Act Section 16(a) Compliance, see such section in the Proxy Statement, incorporated herein by reference.

Item 11. Executive Compensation

The information set forth under the caption “Executive Compensation” in the Proxy Statement is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management

The information set forth under the caption “Share Ownership” and “Executive Compensation Equity Compensation Plan Information” in the Proxy Statement is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions

The information set forth under the caption “Review, Approval or Ratification of Transactions with Related Persons” in the Proxy Statement is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services

83


The information set forth under “Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm” in the Proxy Statement is incorporated herein by reference.

PART IV

Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules, and Reports on Form 8-K

(a) (1)The consolidated financial statementsConsolidated Financial Statements of the Company are set forth under Item 8 of this report on Form 10-K.

(2)The following consolidated financial statement schedule is included in Item 15(d):

      Page

II.

  

Consolidated Valuation and Qualifying Accounts - years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 2009 and 20082009

90
   96  

All other schedules for which provisions are made in the applicable accounting regulation of the Securities and Exchange Commission are not required under the related instructions or are not applicable, and therefore have been omitted.

      (3) Exhibits:

(3)Exhibits:

2.1  Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated April 28, 1995 and amended as of September 26, 1995, by and between The Andersons Management Corp. and The Andersons. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to Registration Statement No. 33-58963).
  3.1  Articles of Incorporation. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3(d) to Registration Statement No. 33-16936).
  3.4  Code of Regulations of The Andersons, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.4 to Registration Statement No. 33-58963).
  4.1Form of Indenture dated as of October 1, 1985, between The Andersons, Inc. and Ohio Citizens Bank, as Trustee (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4 (a) in Registration Statement No. 33-819)
4.3  Specimen Common Share Certificate. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to Registration Statement No. 33-58963).
  4.4  The Seventeenth Supplemental Indenture dated as of August 14, 1997, between The Andersons, Inc. and The Fifth Third Bank, successor Trustee to an Indenture between The Andersons and Ohio Citizens Bank, dated as of October 1, 1985. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.4 to The Andersons, Inc. the 1998 Annual Report on Form 10-K).
  4.5  Loan Agreement dated October 30, 2002 and amendments through the eighthninth amendment dated September 27, 2006March 14, 2007 between The Andersons, Inc., the banks listed therein and U.S. Bank National Association as Administrative Agent. (Incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q filed November 9, 2006).
10.1  Management Performance Program. * (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10(a) to the Predecessor Partnership’s Form 10-K dated December 31, 1990, File No. 2-55070).
10.2The Andersons, Inc. Amended and Restated Long-Term Performance Compensation Plan * (Incorporated by reference to Appendix A to the Proxy Statement for the April 25, 2002 Annual Meeting).

84


10.3  The Andersons, Inc. 2004 Employee Share Purchase Plan * (Incorporated by reference to Appendix B to the Proxy Statement for the May 13, 2004 Annual Meeting).

10.4  Marketing Agreement between The Andersons, Inc. and Cargill, Incorporated dated June 1, 1998 (Incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2003).
10.5  Lease and Sublease between Cargill, Incorporated and The Andersons, Inc. dated June 1, 1998 (Incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2003).
10.6  Amended and Restated Marketing Agreement between The Andersons, Inc.; The Andersons Agriculture Group LP; and Cargill, Incorporated dated June 1, 2003 (Incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2003).
10.7  Amendment to Lease and Sublease between Cargill, Incorporated; The Andersons Agriculture Group LP; and The Andersons, Inc. dated July 10, 2003 (Incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2003).
10.8Amended and Restated Asset Purchase agreement by and among Progress Rail Services and related entities and Cap Acquire LLC, Cap Acquire Canada ULC and Cap Acquire Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V. (Incorporated by reference from Form 8-K filed February 27, 2004).
10.9Indenture between NARCAT LLC, CARCAT ULC, and NARCAT Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V. (Issuers) and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association (Indenture Trustee) dated February 12, 2004. (Incorporated by reference from Form 10K for the year ended December 31, 2003).
10.10Management Agreement between NARCAT LLC, CARCAT ULC, and NARCAT Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V. (the Companies), The Andersons, Inc. (the Manager) and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association (Indenture Trustee and Backup Manager) dated February 12, 2004. (Incorporated by reference from Form 10K for the year ended December 31, 2003).
10.11Servicing Agreement between NARCAT LLC, CARCAT ULC, and NARCAT Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V. (the Companies), The Andersons, Inc. (the Servicer) and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association (Indenture Trustee and Backup Servicer) dated February 12, 2004. (Incorporated by reference from form 10K for the year ended December 31, 2003).
10.12Form of Stock Option Agreement (Incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q filed August 9, 2005).
10.13Form of Performance Share Award Agreement (Incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q filed -August 9, 2005).
10.14Security Agreement, dated as of December 29, 2005, made by The Andersons Rail Operating I, LLC in favor of Siemens Financial Services, Inc. as Agent (Incorporated by reference from Form 8-K filed January 5, 2006).
10.15  Management Agreement, dated as of December 29, 2005, made by The Andersons Rail Operating I, LLC and The Andersons, Inc., as Manager (Incorporated by reference from Form 8-K filed January 5, 2006).
10.16  Servicing Agreement, dated as of December 29, 2005, made by The Andersons Rail Operating I, LLC and The Andersons, Inc., as Servicer (Incorporated by reference from Form 8-K filed January 5, 2006).

85


10.17Term Loan Agreement, dated as of December 29, 2005, made by The Andersons Rail Operating I, LLC, as borrower, the lenders named therein, and Siemens Financial Services, Inc., as Agent and Lender (Incorporated by reference from Form 8-K filed January 5, 2006).
10.18  The Andersons, Inc. Long-Term Performance Compensation Plan dated May 6, 2005* (Incorporated by reference to Appendix A to the Proxy Statement for the May 6, 2005 Annual Meeting).
10.19Form of Stock Only Stock Appreciation Rights Agreement (Incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q filed May 10, 2006).
10.20Form of Performance Share Award Agreement (Incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q filed May 10, 2006).
10.21Real Estate Purchase Agreement between Richard P. Anderson and The Andersons Farm Development Co., LLC (Incorporated by reference from Form 8-K filed July 5, 2006).
10.22Real Estate Purchase Agreement between Thomas H. Anderson and The Andersons Farm Development Co., LLC (Incorporated by reference from Form 8-K filed July 5, 2006).
10.23Real Estate Purchase Agreement between Paul M. Kraus and The Andersons Farm Development Co., LLC (Incorporated by reference from Form 8-K filed July 5, 2006).
10.24Loan agreement dated September 27, 2006 between The Andersons, Inc., the banks listed therein and U.S. Bank National Association as Administrative Agent (Incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q filed November 9, 2006).
10.25Ninth Amendment to Loan Agreement, dated March 14, 2007, between The Andersons, Inc., as borrower, the lenders name herein, and U.S. National Bank Association as Agent and Lender (Incorporated by reference from Form 8-K filed March 19, 2007).
10.26  Form of Stock Only Stock Appreciation Rights Agreement (Incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q filed May 10, 2007)
10.27Form of Performance Share Award Agreement (Incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q filed May 10, 2007
10.28Credit Agreement, dated February 25, 2008, between The Andersons, Inc., as borrower, and Wells Fargo Bank National Association, as lender (Incorporated by reference from Form 10-K filed February 28, 2008).
10.29  Note Purchase Agreement, dated March 27, 2008, between The Andersons, Inc., as borrowers, and several purchases with Wells Fargo Capital Markets acting as agent (Incorporated by reference from Form 8-K filed March 27, 2008).
10.30First Amendment to Amended and Restated Loan Agreement, dated April 16, 2008, between The Andersons, Inc., as borrower, and several banks, with U.S. Bank National Association acting as agent and lender (Incorporated by reference from Form 8-K filed April 17, 2008).
10.31  Form of Stock Only Stock Appreciation Rights Agreement (Incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q filed May 9, 2008).

86


10.32Form of Performance Share Award Agreement (Incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q filed May 9, 2008).
10.33Fifth Amendment to Amended and Restated Loan Agreement, dated October 14, 2008, between The Andersons, Inc. as borrower, and several banks with U.S. National Bank Association acting as Agent and Lender (Incorporated by reference from Form 8-K filed October 20, 2008).
10.34  Form of Change in Control and Severance Participation Agreement (Incorporated by reference from Form 8-K filed January 13, 2009).
10.35  Change in Control and Severance Policy (Incorporated by reference from Form 8-K filed January 13, 2009).
10.36  Form of Performance Share Award Agreement (Incorporated by reference from Form 8-K filed March 6, 2009).
10.37  Form of Stock Only Stock Appreciation Rights Agreement (Incorporated by reference from Form 8-K filed March 6, 2009).
10.38  Form of Stock Only Stock Appreciation Rights Agreement Non-Employee Directors (Incorporated by reference from Form 8-K filed March 6, 2009).

10.39Second Amended and Restated Loan Agreement dated April 30, 2009 between The Andersons, Inc., as borrower, and several banks with U.S. Bank National Association acting as agent and lender (Incorporated by reference from Form 8-K filed May 6, 2009).
10.40  Amended and Restated Note Purchase Agreement, dated February 26, 2010, between The Andersons, Inc., as borrower, and Co-Bank, one of the lenders to the original agreement (Incorporated by reference from Form 8-K filed March 5, 2010).
10.4310.41  LoanForm of Stock Only Stock Appreciation Rights Agreement dated September 30, 2010, between The Andersons, Inc., as borrower, and several banks with U.S. Bank National Association acting as agent and lender (Incorporated by reference from Form 8-K10-Q filed October 5,May 7, 2010).
10.4410.42  ThirdForm of Performance Share Award Agreement (Incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q filed May 7, 2010).
10.46Form of Restricted Share Award Agreement (Incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q filed May 5, 2011).
10.47Form of Performance Share Unit Agreement (Incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q filed May 5, 2011).
10.48Fourth Amended and Restated Loan Agreement, dated December 17, 2010,7, 2011, between The Andersons, Inc., as borrower, and several banks with U.S. Bank National Association acting as agent and lender (Incorporated by reference from Form 8-K filed December 21, 2010)8, 2011).
10.45First Amendment to the Third Amended and Restated Loan Agreement, dated January 7, 2011, between The Andersons, Inc., as borrower, and several banks to the original agreement (Incorporated by reference from Form 8-K filed January 10, 2011.
12  Computation of Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges (filed herewith).
21  Consolidated Subsidiaries of The Andersons, Inc.

87


23
23.1  Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
23.2Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
31.1  Certification of President and Chief Executive Officer under Rule 13(a)-14(a)/15d-14(a).
31.2  Certification of Vice President, Corporate Controller & CIO under Rule 13(a)-14(a)/15d-14(a).
31.3  Certification of Vice President, Finance and Treasurer under Rule 13(a)-14(a)/15d-14(a).
32.1  Certifications Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350.

*Management contract or compensatory plan.

The Company agrees to furnish to the Securities and Exchange Commission a copy of any long-term debt instrument or loan agreement that it may request.

(b)Exhibits:
The exhibits listed in Item 15(a)(3) of this report, and not incorporated by reference, follow “Financial Statement Schedule” referred to in (d) below.

The exhibits listed in Item 15(a)(3) of this report, and not incorporated by reference, follow “Financial Statement Schedule” referred to in (c) below.

(c)Financial Statement Schedule

The financial statement schedule listed in 15(a)(2) follows “Signatures.”

88


SIGNATURES

SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

THE ANDERSONS, INC. (Registrant)
By 
By  

/s/ Michael J. Anderson

 Michael J. Anderson
 President and Chief Executive Officer

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Signature

 

Title

 

Date

  

Signature

 

Title

 

Date

SignatureTitleDateSignatureTitleDate

/s/ Michael J. Anderson

Michael J. Anderson

 Chairman of the Board President
and Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)
 3/1/112/27/12  

/s/ John T. Stout, Jr.

Director2/27/12
Michael J. Anderson

President and Chief Executive Officer

(Principal Executive Officer)

John T. Stout, Jr. Director  3/1/11

/s/ Anne G. Rex

Anne G. Rex

Vice President, Corporate Controller

2/27/12

/s/ Donald L. Mennel

Donald L. Mennel

Director2/27/12
 
/s/ Richard R. George
Richard R. George
Vice President, Controller & CIO 
(Principal Accounting Officer)
 3/1/11  

/s/ DonaldNicholas C. Conrad

Nicholas C. Conrad

Vice President, Finance & Treasurer

(Principal Financial Officer)

2/27/12

/s/ David L. Mennel

DonaldNichols

David L. MennelNichols

 Director 3/1/112/27/12
      
/s/ Nicholas C. Conrad
Nicholas C. Conrad
Vice President, Finance & Treasurer 
(Principal Financial Officer)
3/1/11/s/ David L. Nichols
David L. Nichols
Director 3/1/11

/s/ Gerard M. Anderson

Gerard M. Anderson

 Director 3/1/112/27/12  

/s/ Ross W. Manire

Director2/27/12
Gerard M. AndersonRoss W. Manire Director  3/1/11

/s/ Robert J. King, Jr.

Robert J. King, Jr.

 Director 3/1/112/27/12  

/s/ Jacqueline F. Woods

Director2/27/12
Robert J. King, Jr.Jacqueline F. Woods Director  3/1/11

/s/ Catherine M. Kilbane

 Director 3/1/112/27/12    
Catherine M. Kilbane      

89


Schedule
THE ANDERSONS, INC.

SCHEDULE II - CONSOLIDATED VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS

SCHEDULE II — CONSOLIDATED VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS
                     
  Additions        
          Transferred to        
  Balance at  Charged to  Allowance for      Balance at 
(in thousands) Beginning of  Costs and  Notes  (1)  End of 
Description Period  Expenses  Receivable  Deductions  Period 
 
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable — Year ended December 31
2010 $8,753  $8,678  $(101) $(11,646) $5,684 
2009  13,584   4,973   (7,889)  (1,915)  8,753 
2008  4,545   8,710   31   298   13,584 
                     
Allowance for Doubtful Notes Receivable — Year ended December 31
2010 $7,950  $38  $101  $(7,835) $254 
2009  134      7,889   (73)  7,950 
2008  339      (31)  (174)  134 

(in thousands)      Additions       

Description

  Balance
at
beginning
of period
   Charged
to costs
and
expenses
  Transferred
from (to)
allowance
for notes
receivable
  (1)
Deductions
  Balance
at end
of
period
 

Allowance for doubtful accounts receivable – Year ended December 31

       

2011

  $5,684    $(187 $46   $(744 $4,799  

2010

   8,753     8,678    (101  (11,646  5,684  

2009

   13,584     4,973    (7,889  (1,915  8,753  

Allowance for doubtful notes receivable – Year ended December 31

       

2011

  $254    $—     $(46 $—     $208  

2010

   7,950     38    101    (7,835  254  

2009

   134     —      7,889    (73  7,950  

(1)Uncollectible accounts written off, net of recoveries and adjustments to estimates for the allowance accounts.

90


THE ANDERSONS, INC.

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit
Number

   
Exhibit
Number
12  Computation of Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges
21  Consolidated Subsidiaries of The Andersons, Inc.
23.1  Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
23.2  Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
31.1  Certification of President and Chief Executive Officer under Rule 13(a)-14(a)/15d-14(a)
31.2  Certification of Vice President, Corporate Controller and CIO under Rule 13(a)-14(a)/15d-14(a)
31.3  Certification of Vice President, Finance and Treasurer under Rule 13(a)-14(a)/15d-14(a)
32.1  Certifications Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350

91

97