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Investments | 6 Months Ended
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Feb. 29, 2016
Investments [Abstract] |
Investments | Investments As of August 31, 2015, we owned 88.9% of NCRA and with the final closing in September 2015, our ownership increased to 100%. NCRA is now known as CHS McPherson. In fiscal 2012, we entered into an agreement to purchase the remaining shares of NCRA from Growmark Inc. and MFA Oil Company in separate closings to be held annually thereafter, with the final closing occurring on September 1, 2015. Pursuant to this agreement, we made payments during the six months ended February 29, 2016 and February 28, 2015 of $153.0 million and $66.0 million, respectively. In addition to these payments, we paid $2.6 million during the first quarter of fiscal 2016 related to the associated crack spread contingent liability. The fair value of the remaining contingent liability was $24.2 million as of February 29, 2016. Equity Method Investments Joint ventures and other investments, in which we have significant ownership and influence, but not control, are accounted for in our consolidated financial statements using the equity method of accounting. Our primary equity method investments are described below. None of these investments are individually significant such that disclosure of summarized income statement information would be required under Article 10 of Regulation S-X. On February 1, 2016, we invested $2.8 billion in CF Nitrogen, commencing our strategic venture with CF Industries Holdings, Inc. The investment consists of an 11.4% membership interest (based on product tons) in CF Nitrogen. We also entered into an 80-year supply agreement that entitles us to purchase up to 1.1 million tons of granular urea and 580,000 tons of urea ammonium nitrate ("UAN") annually from CF Nitrogen for ratable delivery. Our purchases under the supply agreement will be based on prevailing market prices and we will subsequently receive semi-annual cash distributions (in January and June of each year) from CF Nitrogen via our membership interest. These distributions will be based on actual volumes purchased from CF Nitrogen under the strategic venture and will have the effect of reducing our investment to zero over 80 years on a straight-line basis. We account for this investment using the hypothetical liquidation at book value method, recognizing our share of the earnings and losses of CF Nitrogen based upon our contractual claims on the entity's net assets pursuant to the liquidation provisions of the LLC Agreement, adjusted for the semi-annual cash distributions. For each of the three and six months ended February 29, 2016, these amounts were $11.9 million and are included as equity income from investments in our Nitrogen Production segment. As of February 29, 2016, the carrying value of our investment in CF Nitrogen was $2.8 billion. We have a 50% interest in Ventura Foods, LLC ("Ventura Foods"), a joint venture which produces and distributes primarily vegetable oil-based products, and is included in Corporate and Other. We account for Ventura Foods as an equity method investment, and as of February 29, 2016, our carrying value of Ventura Foods exceeded our share of its equity by $12.9 million, which represents equity method goodwill. As of February 29, 2016, the carrying value of our investment in Ventura Foods was $355.8 million. In fiscal 2014, we formed Ardent Mills, LLC ("Ardent Mills"), a joint venture with Cargill Incorporated ("Cargill") and ConAgra Foods, Inc., which combines the North American flour milling operations of the three parent companies, giving CHS a 12% interest in Ardent Mills. As we hold one of the five board seats, we account for Ardent Mills as an equity method investment included in Corporate and Other. As of February 29, 2016, the carrying value of our investment in Ardent Mills was $190.8 million. TEMCO, LLC ("TEMCO") is owned and governed by Cargill (50%) and CHS (50%). Both owners have committed to sell all of their feedgrains, wheat, oilseeds and by-product origination that are tributary to the Pacific Northwest, United States ("Pacific Northwest") to TEMCO and to use TEMCO as their exclusive export-marketing vehicle for such grains exported through the Pacific Northwest through January 2037. We account for TEMCO as an equity method investment included in our Ag segment. As of February 29, 2016, the carrying value of our investment in TEMCO was $53.5 million. Other Short-Term Investments In the first quarter of fiscal 2015, we invested $315.0 million of the proceeds from the September 2014 Class B Reset Rate Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock, Series 3 ("Class B Series 3 Preferred Stock") issuance (see Note 7, Equities for additional information) in time deposits with original maturities of six and nine months with select highly-rated financial institution counterparties. These investments matured in fiscal 2015 and as of February 29, 2016 and August 31, 2015 we had no outstanding short-term investments.

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