NUTRIEN merger starts today - Jan. 2, 2018

[Oscar]

PotashCorp-Agrium merger finally official, Nutrien starts trading today

[ http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/potash- ... skatchewan ]

Company to begin trading under ticker symbol NTR today

CBC News Posted: Jan 02, 2018 8:44 AM ET| Last Updated: Jan 02, 2018 10:39 AM ET

Agrium president & CEO Chuck Magro will head the new, combined company.

The merger of two of Canada's biggest fertilizer names became official on Tuesday, as shares in Nutrien Ltd. will commence trading on the TSX on Jan. 2, born out of the combined ashes of PotashCorp and Agrium.

"Today we are proud to launch Nutrien, a company that will forge a unique position within the agriculture industry," the new company's CEO Chuck Magro said in a news release.

Magro was the CEO of Agrium in 2016 when a tie-up with rival fertilizer PotashCorp of Saskatchewan was first proposed.

Saskatoon-based PotashCorp is one of the world's leading suppliers of potash and a major producer of other fertilizing minerals. Calgary-based Agrium, meanwhile, was a leader in other commodities and had an extensive network of retail operations.

The deal worked its way through a Byzantine series of shareholder and regulatory approvals before finally becoming official this morning.

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[Oscar]

Agrium, PotashCorp merger will 'impact the entire industry,' including thousands of farmers: prof.

[ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatche ... -1.4465479 ]

Merger to form Nutrien, world's largest nutrient company, slated to close Jan. 1

CBC News Posted: Dec 27, 2017 3:12 PM CT| Last Updated: Dec 27, 2017 6:51 PM CT

EXCERPT:

Prof. says merger will 'impact entire industry'

"It's not surprising to see authorities approve this mega deal — $36 billion. It's a significant transaction which will impact the entire industry," said Sylvain Charlebois, the dean of the faculty of management at Dalhousie University.

Charlebois said producers have "every right" to be concerned about the changes.

"It's one less option for them," he said. "Historically, when we see these kinds of transactions, input costs tend to rise, which is certainly bad news for farmers."

The move will impact "hundreds of thousands of farmers" in Canada, particularly as they start to shop around for products like fertilizer and seeds in the new year, he said.

"They may actually start feeling the impact of this transaction right in 2018," he said, adding that he thinks both companies plan to start implementing changes as soon as possible.

Charlebois said the move makes sense business-wise because of the nature of the industry.

"Companies can't just compete on one continent or in a region. They have to think globally."

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