The Andersons, Inc.
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The Andersons, Inc. - 10-Q quarterly report FY


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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
   
þ  QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2009
   
o  TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from                      to                     
Commission file number 000-20557
THE ANDERSONS, INC.
(Exact name of the registrant as specified in its charter
   
OHIO
(State of incorporation or organization)
 34-1562374
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
   
480 W. Dussel Drive, Maumee, Ohio 43537
(Address of principal executive offices)  (Zip Code)
(419) 893-5050
(Telephone Number)
(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report.)
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. Yes þ No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, 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. Yes oNo o
      Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
       
Large accelerated filer þ  Accelerated filer o  Non-accelerated filer o
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)
 Smaller Reporting Company o 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o No þ
The registrant had approximately 18.3 million common shares outstanding, no par value, at October 31, 2009.
 
 

 


 


Table of Contents

Part I. Financial Information
Item 1. Financial Statements
The Andersons, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(Unaudited)(In thousands)
             
  September 30, December 31, September 30,
  2009 2008 2008
   
Current assets:
            
Cash and cash equivalents
 $180,578  $81,682  $28,541 
Restricted cash
  3,612   3,927   3,630 
Accounts and notes receivable, net
  101,279   126,255   181,689 
Margin deposits, net
  18,948   13,094   58,077 
Inventories:
            
Grain
  77,107   223,107   124,228 
Agricultural fertilizer and supplies
  59,515   144,536   194,567 
Lawn and garden fertilizer and corncob products
  22,724   38,011   28,798 
Retail merchandise
  28,343   27,579   30,606 
Other
  3,129   3,687   4,069 
   
 
  190,818   436,920   382,268 
Commodity derivative assets — current
  26,608   84,919   113,427 
Deferred income taxes
  11,159   15,338   8,122 
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
  40,253   93,827   66,524 
   
Total current assets
  573,255   855,962   842,278 
 
            
Other assets:
            
Pension asset
        8,209 
Commodity derivative assets — noncurrent
  2,065   3,662   19,010 
Other assets and notes receivable, net
  26,540   12,433   12,937 
Investments in and advances to affiliates
  143,170   141,055   148,654 
   
 
  171,775   157,150   188,810 
Railcar assets leased to others, net
  181,830   174,132   175,947 
Property, plant and equipment:
            
Land
  15,175   14,524   13,397 
Land improvements and leasehold improvements
  42,579   39,040   37,617 
Buildings and storage facilities
  127,686   119,174   116,356 
Machinery and equipment
  161,382   151,401   149,202 
Software
  9,933   8,899   8,766 
Construction in progress
  5,020   6,597   8,094 
   
 
  361,775   339,635   333,432 
Less allowances for depreciation and amortization
  (228,425)  (218,106)  (215,144)
   
 
  133,350   121,529   118,288 
   
Total assets
 $1,060,210  $1,308,773  $1,325,323 
   
See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements

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The Andersons, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (continued)
(Unaudited)(In thousands)
             
  September 30, December 31, September 30,
  2009 2008 2008
       
Current liabilities:
            
Short-term borrowings
 $  $  $43,600 
Accounts payable for grain
  49,166   216,307   72,788 
Other accounts payable
  80,704   97,770   141,405 
Customer prepayments and deferred revenue
  23,364   55,953   85,963 
Commodity derivative liabilities — current
  59,033   67,055   80,874 
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities
  34,949   60,437   42,550 
Current maturities of long-term debt — non-recourse
  7,329   13,147   13,494 
Current maturities of long-term debt
  19,438   14,594   14,230 
       
Total current liabilities
  273,983   525,263   494,904 
 
            
Deferred income and other long-term liabilities
  13,892   12,977   9,988 
Commodity derivative liabilities — noncurrent
  2,360   3,706   6,825 
Employee benefit plan obligations
  29,186   35,513   20,124 
Long-term debt — non-recourse, less current maturities
  20,611   40,055   43,964 
Long-term debt, less current maturities
  286,816   293,955   295,207 
Deferred income taxes
  46,185   32,197   34,895 
       
Total liabilities
  673,033   943,666   905,907 
 
            
Shareholders’ equity:
            
The Andersons, Inc. shareholders’ equity:
            
Common shares, without par value (25,000 shares authorized; 19,198 shares issued and outstanding)
  96   96   96 
Preferred shares, without par value (1,000 shares authorized; none issued)
         
Additional paid-in-capital
  174,970   173,393   173,228 
Treasury shares (924; 1,069 and 1,040 shares at 9/30/09, 12/31/08 and 9/30/08, respectively; at cost)
  (15,549)  (16,737)  (16,459)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
  (27,126)  (30,046)  (10,037)
Retained earnings
  244,036   226,707   261,652 
       
Total shareholders’ equity of The Andersons, Inc.
  376,427   353,413   408,480 
Noncontrolling interest
  10,750   11,694   10,936 
       
Total shareholders’ equity
  387,177   365,107   419,416 
       
Total liabilities, and shareholders’ equity
 $1,060,210  $1,308,773  $1,325,323 
       
See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements

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The Andersons, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income
(Unaudited)(In thousands, except per share data)
                 
  Three months ended Nine months ended
  September 30, September 30,
  2009 2008 2009 2008
         
Sales and merchandising revenues
 $601,000  $905,712  $2,109,346  $2,719,413 
Cost of sales and merchandising revenues
  549,990   832,687   1,923,628   2,473,810 
         
Gross profit
  51,010   73,025   185,718   245,603 
 
                
Operating, administrative and general expenses
  51,303   48,572   144,556   139,836 
Interest expense
  5,123   7,497   15,974   25,140 
Other income (loss):
                
Equity in earnings (loss) of affiliates
  5,275   (619)  2,385   15,801 
Other income, net
  2,443   1,279   6,406   6,318 
     
Income before income taxes
  2,302   17,616   33,979   102,746 
Income tax expense
  685   6,617   12,803   38,045 
         
Net income
  1,617   10,999   21,176   64,701 
Net (income) loss attributable to the noncontrolling interest
  (367)  1,841   944   1,588 
         
Net income attributable to The Andersons, Inc.
 $1,250  $12,840  $22,120  $66,289 
         
 
                
Earnings per common share:
                
Basic earnings attributable to The Andersons, Inc. common shareholders
 $0.07  $0.71  $1.21  $3.66 
         
Diluted earnings attributable to The Andersons, Inc. common shareholders
 $0.07  $0.70  $1.20  $3.59 
         
Dividends paid
 $0.0875  $0.085  $0.260  $0.240 
         
See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements

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The Andersons, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(Unaudited)(In thousands)
         
  Nine months ended
  September 30,
  2009 2008
     
Operating Activities
        
Net income
 $21,176  $64,701 
Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
        
Depreciation and amortization
  25,414   21,830 
Bad debt expense
  5,483   2,902 
Equity in earnings/loss of unconsolidated affiliates, net of distributions received
  (2,016)  5,957 
Gain from pension curtailment
  (4,132)   
Realized gains on sales of railcars and related leases
  (1,587)  (4,008)
Excess tax benefit from share-based payment arrangement
  (559)  (2,314)
Deferred income taxes
  16,466   2,438 
Stock based compensation expense
  2,136   3,822 
Lower of cost or market inventory and contract adjustment
  2,944   13,095 
Other
  (155)  (25)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
        
Accounts and notes receivable
  19,570   (71,970)
Inventories
  248,638   121,274 
Commodity derivatives and margin deposits
  44,686   30,917 
Prepaid expenses and other assets
  51,464   (24,239)
Accounts payable for grain
  (167,141)  (70,870)
Other accounts payable and accrued expenses
  (71,214)  68,806 
     
Net cash provided by operating activities
  191,173   162,316 
 
        
Investing Activities
        
Acquisition of business, net of cash acquired
  (30,480)  (18,870)
Purchases of railcars
  (20,587)  (82,205)
Proceeds from sale of railcars and related leases
  6,034   54,141 
Purchases of property, plant and equipment
  (12,249)  (13,097)
Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment
  437   114 
Proceeds received from minority interest
     306 
Change in restricted cash
  315   96 
Investments in affiliates
  (100)  (35,700)
     
Net cash used in investing activities
  (56,630)  (95,215)
 
        
Financing Activities
        
Net increase in short-term borrowings
     (201,900)
Proceeds received from issuance of long-term debt
  7,097   219,677 
Payments on long-term debt
  (9,429)  (63,256)
Payments of non-recourse long-term debt
  (25,262)  (12,541)
Proceeds from sale of treasury shares to employees and directors
  858   1,332 
Purchase of treasury stock
  (229)   
Payments of debt issuance costs
  (4,494)  (2,144)
Dividends paid
  (4,747)  (4,342)
Excess tax benefit from share-based payment arrangement
  559   2,314 
     
Net cash used in financing activities
  (35,647)  (60,860)
 
        
Increase in cash and cash equivalents
  98,896   6,241 
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period
  81,682   22,300 
     
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period
 $180,578  $28,541 
     
See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements

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The Andersons, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity
(Unaudited)(In thousands)
                             
  The Andersons, Inc. Shareholders’       
              Accumulated          
      Additional      Other          
  Common  Paid-in  Treasury  Comprehensive  Retained  Noncontrolling    
  Shares  Capital  Shares  Loss  Earnings  Interest  Total 
   
Balance at December 31, 2007
 $96  $168,286  $(16,670) $(7,197) $199,849  $12,219  $356,583 
 
                           
Net income (loss)
                  66,289   (1,588)  64,701 
Other comprehensive income:
                            
Unrecognized actuarial loss and prior service costs (net of income tax of $1,676)
              (2,854)          (2,854)
Cash flow hedge activity (net of income tax of $8)
              14           14 
 
                           
Comprehensive income
                          61,861 
Proceeds received from minority investor
                      305   305 
Stock awards, stock option exercises and other shares issued to employees and directors, net of income tax of $2,689 (155 shares)
      4,942   211               5,153 
Dividends declared ($0.2475 per common share)
                  (4,486)      (4,486)
   
Balance at September 30, 2008
  96   173,228   (16,459)  (10,037)  261,652   10,936   419,416 
   
 
                            
Balance at December 31, 2008
  96   173,393   (16,737)  (30,046)  226,707   11,694   365,107 
 
                           
Net income (loss)
                  22,120   (944)  21,176 
Other comprehensive income:
                            
Unrecognized actuarial loss and prior service costs (net of income tax of $1,630)
              2,799           2,799 
Cash flow hedge activity (net of income tax of $71)
              121           121 
 
                           
Comprehensive income
                          24,096 
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 $456 (166 shares)
      1,577   1,417               2,994 
Dividends declared ($0.2625 per common share)
                  (4,791)      (4,791)
   
Balance at September 30, 2009
 $96  $174,970  $(15,549) $(27,126) $244,036  $10,750  $387,177 
   
See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements

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The Andersons, Inc.
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(unaudited)
Note A: Basis of Presentation and Consolidation
These consolidated financial statements include the accounts of The Andersons, Inc. and its wholly and majority-owned 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. The Company has evaluated subsequent events through the date of issuance, which is November 6, 2009. Operating results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2009 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2009.
The condensed consolidated balance sheet data at December 31, 2008 was derived from audited consolidated financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. A condensed consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2008 has been included as the Company operates in several seasonal industries.
Accounting Standards Codification 810-10-45 (“ASC 810-10-45”) establishes accounting and reporting standards for the noncontrolling interest in a subsidiary and for the deconsolidation of a subsidiary. ASC 810-10-45 requires the noncontrolling interest in a subsidiary to be presented within equity, separate from the parent’s equity. In addition, the amount of consolidated net income attributable to the parent and the noncontrolling interest must be clearly identified and presented on the face of the income statement with the caption “net income” being defined as net income attributable to the consolidated group. ASC 810-10-45 became effective for the Company beginning with the first quarter of 2009. Prior periods have been revised to reflect the current presentation.
The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in The Andersons, Inc. Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 (the “2008 Form 10-K”).
The third quarter results include a $0.8 million reduction in pretax income ($0.5 million after tax) related to bad debt reserves and related adjustments that the Company concluded should have been recorded in the second quarter of 2009. Since this amount is an estimate and was not material to the second quarter results, the Company has elected to record this adjustment in the third quarter. Certain balance sheet items have been reclassified from their prior presentation to more appropriately reflect the nature of such items. These reclassifications are not considered material and had no effect on the income statement, statement of shareholders’ equity, current assets, current liabilities, or operating cash flows as previously reported.
New Accounting Pronouncements
In April 2009, the FASB issued ASC 820 “Determining Whether a Market is Not Active and a Transaction is Not Distressed”. This FSP provides additional guidance to highlight and expand on the factors that should be considered in estimating fair value where there has been a significant decrease in market activity for a financial asset. This ASC became effective during the second quarter ended June 30, 2009 and did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

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In April 2009, the FASB issued ASC 825 “Interim Disclosures about Fair Value of Financial Instruments”. This FSP requires an entity to provide disclosures about fair value of financial instruments in interim financial information. This ASC became effective during the second quarter ended June 30, 2009 and the Company has provided the required fair value disclosures in our notes to the financial statements.
In May 2009, the FASB issued ASC 855 “Subsequent Events”. ASC 855 requires entities to evaluate subsequent events through the date that the financial statements are issued or are available to be issued. A Company must disclose within their Quarterly Reports on Form 10Q and Annual Report on Form 10K the date through which subsequent events have been evaluated. This ASC became effective during the second quarter ended June 30, 2009 and the Company has provided the required disclosures.
In June 2009, the FASB issued FAS 167 “Amendments to FASB Interpretation No. 46(R)”. FAS 167 amends the analysis an entity must perform to determine if it has a controlling financial interest in a variable interest entity (“VIE”). FAS 167 provides that the primary beneficiary of a VIE must have both of the following characteristics:
  The power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance.
  The obligation to absorb losses of the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE.
FAS 167 will be effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2010. The Company is currently assessing what the impact, if any, there will be.
In June 2009, the FASB issued ASC 105 “The FASB Accounting Standards Codification and the Hierarchy of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles — a replacement of FAS No. 162”. The FASB Codification has become the source of authoritative U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The Codification supersedes all existing non-SEC accounting and reporting standards. The Codification does not change the current accounting rules, only how they are referenced. This standard became effective for the Company beginning with the third quarter of 2009.
Note B: 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. Note 1 of the Company’s 2008 Form 10-K provides information surrounding the Company’s various master netting arrangements related to its futures, options and over-the-counter contracts. At September 30, 2009, December 31, 2008 and September 30, 2008, the Company’s margin deposit assets and margin deposit liabilities consisted of the following:
                         
  September 30, 2009 December 31, 2008 September 30, 2008
  Margin Margin Margin Margin Margin Margin
  deposit deposit deposit deposit deposit deposit
(in thousands) assets liabilities assets liabilities assets liabilities
             
Collateral paid
 $10,795  $  $26,023  $  $67,528  $ 
Collateral received
  (13,658)        (5,858)  (101,577)  (1,197)
Fair value of derivatives
  21,811      (12,929)  4,080   92,126   1,017 
             
Balance at end of period
 $18,948  $  $13,094  $(1,778) $58,077  $(180)
             
Note C: Derivatives
The Company’s operating results are affected by changes to commodity prices. The grain division has established “unhedged” grain position limits (the amount of grain, either owned or contracted for, that does

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not have an offsetting derivative contract to lock in the price). To reduce the exposure to market price risk on grain owned and forward grain and ethanol purchase and sale contracts, the Company enters into regulated commodity futures contracts for corn, soybeans, wheat and oats and over-the-counter contracts for ethanol. The forward contracts are for physical delivery of the commodity 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. Contracts for the purchase and sale of ethanol currently 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 contracts for the purpose of providing pricing features to its customers and to manage price risk on its own inventory.
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 records forward commodity contracts on the balance sheet as assets or liabilities, as appropriate, and accounts for them at estimated fair value, the same method it uses to value its grain inventory. The estimated fair value of the regulated commodity futures and options contracts as well as the over-the-counter contracts is recorded on a net basis (offset against cash collateral posted or received) within Margin deposits on the balance sheet. 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.
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 September 30, 2009, and the balance sheet line item in which they are located:
     
(in thousands) September 30, 2009 
Forward commodity contracts included in Commodity derivative assets — current
 $26,608 
Forward commodity contracts included in Commodity derivative assets — noncurrent
  2,065 
Forward commodity contracts included in Commodity derivative liabilities — current
  (59,033)
Forward commodity contracts included in Commodity derivative liabilities — noncurrent
  (2,360)
Regulated futures and options contracts included in Margin deposits (a)
  16,220 
Over-the-counter contracts included in Margin deposits (a)
  5,591 
 
   
Total estimated fair value of commodity derivatives
 $(10,909)
 
   
 
(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 in accordance with ASC 815-10-45-5. See Note B for additional information.

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The gains included in the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Income and the line items in which they are located for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2009 are as follows:
         
  Three months ended Nine months ended
(in thousands) September 30, 2009 September 30, 2009
     
Gains on commodity derivatives included in sales and merchandising revenues
 $36,177  $55,601 
At September 30, 2009, the Company had the following bushels and gallons outstanding (on a gross basis) on all commodity derivative contracts:
         
Commodity Number of bushels (in thousands) Number of gallons (in thousands)
     
Corn
  197,277    
Soybeans
  38,433    
Wheat
  2,382    
Oats
  6,265    
Ethanol
     205,573 
     
Total
  244,357   205,573 
     
Interest Rate Derivatives
The Company periodically enters into interest rate contracts, including interest rate swaps and caps, 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 the three and nine months ended September 30, 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 prepaid expenses and other assets or current and long-term liabilities and changes in fair value are recognized currently in income as interest expense.

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The following table presents the open interest rate contracts at September 30, 2009.
                   
          Initial    
Interest Rate         Notional    
Hedging Year Year of Amount   Interest
Instrument Entered Maturity (in millions) Hedged Item Rate
 
Short-term
                  
Cap
  2008   2010  $20.0  Interest rate component of debt — not accounted for as a hedge  4.25%
 
                  
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
  2008   2010  $10.0  Interest rate component of debt — not accounted for as a hedge  4.67%
Cap
  2009   2011  $10.0  Interest rate component of debt — not accounted for as a hedge  2.92%
Cap
  2009   2012  $10.0  Interest rate component of debt — not accounted for as a hedge  3.42%
Cap
  2009   2011  $10.0  Interest rate component of debt — not accounted for as a hedge  2.92%
At September 30, 2009, the Company had recorded the following amounts for the fair value of the Company’s interest rate derivatives:
     
  September 30, 
(in thousands) 2009 
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments
    
Interest rate contracts included in other assets
 $60 
Interest rate contracts included in deferred income and other long term liabilities
  (378)
 
   
Total fair value of interest rate derivatives not designated as hedging instruments
 $(318)
 
   
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments
    
Interest rate contract included in deferred income and other long term liabilities
 $(1,797)
 
   
Total fair value of interest rate derivatives designated as hedging instruments
 $(1,797)
 
   
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:
         
  Three months ended Nine months ended
(in thousands) September 30, 2009 September 30, 2009
   
Interest expense
 $(54) $106 

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The gains (losses) 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:
         
  Three months ended Nine months ended
(in thousands) September 30, 2009 September 30, 2009
   
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
 $(138) $636 
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 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 September 30, 2009, the Company had recorded the following amount for the fair value of the Company’s foreign currency derivatives:
     
(in thousands) September 30, 2009
Foreign currency contract included in other assets
 $118 
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:
         
  Three months ended Nine months ended
(in thousands) September 30, 2009 September 30, 2009
   
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
 $(192) $(463)
Note D: Earnings Per Share
Unvested share-based payment awards that contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends are participating securities and shall be 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 reduced the reported amounts of basic and diluted earnings per share for the nine months ended September 30, 2008 by $.01 each per share. The adoption of the two class method did not reduce the reported amounts of basic and diluted earnings per share for the quarter ended September 30, 2008.

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  Three months ended Nine months ended
  September 30, September 30,
(in thousands) 2009 2008 2009 2008
         
Net income attributable to The Andersons, Inc.
 $1,250  $12,840  $22,120  $66,289 
Less: Distributed and undistributed earnings allocated to nonvested restricted stock
  4   37   72   178 
         
Earnings available to common shareholders
 $1,246  $12,803  $22,048  $66,111 
 
                
Earnings per share — basic:
                
Weighted average shares outstanding — basic
  18,210   18,085   18,180   18,059 
         
Earnings per common share — basic
 $0.07  $0.71  $1.21  $3.66 
         
 
                
Earnings per share — diluted:
                
Weighted average shares outstanding — basic
  18,210   18,085   18,180   18,059 
Effect of dilutive options
  198   295   155   350 
         
Weighted average shares outstanding — diluted
  18,408   18,380   18,335   18,409 
         
Earnings per common share — diluted
 $0.07  $0.70  $1.20  $3.59 
         
There were no antidilutive stock-based awards outstanding for the third quarter or nine months ended September 30, 2009. There were approximately 16,000 and 4,000 antidilutive stock-based awards outstanding for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2008, respectively.
Note E: Employee Benefit Plans
Included as charges against income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2009 and 2008 are the following amounts for pension and postretirement benefit plans maintained by the Company:
                 
  Pension Benefits
  Three months ended Nine months ended
  September 30 September 30,
(in thousands) 2009 2008 2009 2008
         
Service cost
 $715  $666  $2,171  $1,999 
Interest cost
  1,000   903   3,029   2,710 
Expected return on plan assets
  (1,089)  (1,259)  (3,115)  (3,777)
Amortization of prior service cost
  (98)  (154)  (392)  (464)
Recognized net actuarial loss
  877   237   2,789   709 
Curtailment gain
  (4,132)     (4,132)   
         
Benefit (income) cost
 $(2,727) $393  $350  $1,177 
         
                 
  Postretirement Benefits
  Three months ended Nine months ended
  September 30 September 30,
(in thousands) 2009 2008 2009 2008
   
Service cost
 $103  $94  $309  $281 
Interest cost
  289   281   866   843 
Amortization of prior service cost
  (128)  (128)  (383)  (383)
Recognized net actuarial loss
  156   153   468   458 
         
Benefit cost
 $420  $400  $1,260  $1,199 
         
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 result of this curtailment, the Company recorded a gain of $4.1 million to recognize the remaining prior service gain, net of a $0.2 million

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curtailment loss, that was recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss. This gain was recorded as a reduction to pension expense in the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income. As part of this curtailment, the funded status of the Company’s defined benefit plan was remeasured. As a result, the Company recognized a decrease to its employee benefit plan obligation and accumulated other comprehensive loss of $7.2 million.
The Company made contributions to its defined benefit pension plan of $3.0 million and $2.5 million in the first nine months of 2009 and 2008, respectively. The Company currently expects to make a total contribution of approximately $6.0 million in fiscal 2009, which exceeds the required minimum contribution. The Company contributed $10.0 million in fiscal 2008.
The postretirement benefit plan is not funded. Company contributions during the period represent actual claim payments and insurance premiums for covered retirees. In both the third quarters of 2009 and 2008, the Company made payments of $0.2 million. For the nine months ended September 30, 2009 and 2008, the Company made payments of $0.5 million and $0.6 million, respectively.
Note F: Segment Information
                             
  Results of Operations — Segment Disclosures      
      (in thousands)        
  Grain &     Plant Turf &      
  Ethanol Rail Nutrient Specialty Retail Other Total
               
Third quarter ended September 30, 2009
                            
Revenues from external customers
 $450,762  $21,156  $70,446  $21,451  $37,185  $  $601,000 
Inter-segment sales
  3   97   2,138   174         2,412 
Equity in earnings of affiliates
  5,271      1         3   5,275 
Other income, net
  751   66   337   287   111   891   2,443 
Interest expense
  2,207   1,130   998   298   253   237   5,123 
 
                            
Operating income (loss) (a)
  8,878   (1,064)  (2,769)  (314)  (2,285)  (511)  1,935 
Income attributable to noncontrolling interest
  (367)                 (367)
               
Income before income taxes
  9,245   (1,064)  (2,769)  (314)  (2,285)  (511)  2,302 
                             
  Grain &     Plant Turf &      
  Ethanol Rail Nutrient Specialty Retail Other Total
               
Third quarter ended September 30, 2008
                            
Revenues from external customers
 $651,045  $28,394  $162,018  $23,164  $41,091  $  $905,712 
Inter-segment sales
  3   107   5,743   210         6,063 
Equity in earnings (loss) of affiliates
  (620)     1            (619)
Other income, net
  1,012   84   404   76   125   (422)  1,279 
Interest expense
  4,232   1,041   1,801   341   261   (179)  7,497 
 
                            
Operating income (loss) (a)
  9,443   5,164   7,223   (497)  (155)  (1,721)  19,457 
Loss attributable to noncontrolling interest
  1,841                  1,841 
               
Income before income taxes
  7,602   5,164   7,223   (497)  (155)  (1,721)  17,616 

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  Grain &      Plant  Turf &          
  Ethanol  Rail  Nutrient  Specialty  Retail  Other  Total 
               
Nine months ended September 30, 2009
                            
Revenues from external customers
 $1,431,684  $71,688  $379,846  $105,906  $120,222  $  $2,109,346 
Inter-segment sales
  8   302   9,095   1,366         10,771 
Equity in earnings of affiliates
  2,376      6         3   2,385 
Other income, net
  1,900   253   1,595   828   358   1,472   6,406 
Interest expense
  7,003   3,561   2,995   1,110   752   553   15,974 
 
                            
Operating income (loss) (a)
  23,544   437   9,623   5,825   (2,122)  (2,384)  34,923 
Loss attributable to noncontrolling interest
  944                  944 
               
Income before income taxes
  22,600   437   9,623   5,825   (2,122)  (2,384)  33,979 
                             
  Grain &     Plant Turf &      
  Ethanol Rail Nutrient Specialty Retail Other Total
               
Nine months ended September 30, 2008
                            
Revenues from external customers
 $1,845,955  $106,346  $540,988  $98,740  $127,384  $  $2,719,413 
Inter-segment sales
  13   340   13,172   960         14,485 
Equity in earnings of affiliates
  15,797      4            15,801 
Other income, net
  4,770   602   728   265   433   (480)  6,318 
Interest expense
  17,220   3,103   3,894   1,163   668   (908)  25,140 
 
                            
Operating income (loss) (a)
  31,670   16,464   62,132   3,385   (172)  (9,145)  104,334 
Loss attributable to noncontrolling interest
  1,588                  1,588 
               
Income before income taxes
  30,082   16,464   62,132   3,385   (172)  (9,145)  102,746 
 
(a) Operating income (loss), the operating segment measure of profitability, is defined as 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 inclusive of net (income) loss attributable to the noncontrolling interest.
Note G: Equity Method Investments and Related Party Transactions
The Company, directly or indirectly, holds investments in seven limited liability 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. See Note 3 in the Company’s 2008 Form 10-K for more information, including descriptions of various arrangements the Company has with certain of these entities, primarily three ethanol LLCs that the Company has ownership interests in (the “ethanol LLCs”).
For the quarters ended September 30, 2009 and 2008, revenues recognized for the sale of ethanol that the Company purchased from its ethanol LLCs were $96.7 million and $125.9 million, respectively. For the nine months ended September 30, 2009 and 2008, revenues recognized for the sale of ethanol that the Company purchased from its ethanol LLCs were $285.0 million and $349.2 million, respectively. For the quarters ended September 30, 2009 and 2008, revenues recognized for the sale of corn to the ethanol LLCs were $79.3 million and $105.9 million, respectively. For the nine months ended September 30, 2009 and 2008, revenues recognized for the sale of corn to the ethanol LLCs were $285.7 million and $294.7 million, respectively.

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The following table summarizes income (losses) from the Company’s equity method investments by entity.
                     
  % ownership at Three months ended Nine months ended
  September 30, 2009 September 30, September 30,
(in thousands) (direct and indirect) 2009 2008 2009 2008
           
The Andersons Albion Ethanol LLC
  49% $2,214  $(170) $3,006  $3,601 
The Andersons Clymers Ethanol LLC
  37%  348   2,236   439   8,203 
The Andersons Marathon Ethanol LLC
  50%  999   (5,289)  (2,542)  (10,404)
Lansing Trade Group LLC
  49%  1,710   2,603   1,438   14,281 
Other
  7%-33%  4   1   44   120 
             
Total
     $5,275  $(619) $2,385  $15,801 
             
The Company holds a majority interest (66%) in The Andersons Ethanol Investment LLC (“TAEI”). This consolidated entity holds the 50% interest in The Andersons Marathon Ethanol LLC (“TAME”). In addition to the investment in TAME, TAEI enters into derivative contracts with external parties to economically hedge the impact of a portion of TAME’s input and output commodity prices. The impact of this derivative activity is included in gross profit in the Company’s income statement. For the quarters ended September 30, 2009 and 2008, the impact to gross profit from this derivative activity was a gain of $0.2 million and a loss of $0.1 million, respectively. For the nine months ended September 30, 2009 and 2008, the impact to gross profit was a gain of $0.3 million and a gain of $5.8 million, respectively. The noncontrolling interest in TAEI is attributed 34% of all gains and losses.
The following table presents the Company’s investment balance in each of its equity method investees by entity.
             
  September 30, December 31, September 30,
(in thousands) 2009 2008 2008
       
The Andersons Albion Ethanol LLC
 $28,158  $25,299  $26,393 
The Andersons Clymers Ethanol LLC
  31,179   30,805   32,450 
The Andersons Marathon Ethanol LLC
  27,236   29,777   29,134 
Lansing Trade Group LLC
  55,304   54,025   59,530 
Other
  1,293   1,149   1,147 
       
Total
 $143,170  $141,055  $148,654 
       
In the first quarter of 2009, the Company’s majority-owned subsidiary, TAEI, along with the other 50% partner in TAME, signed a limited guarantee under which each party is guaranteeing 50% of all scheduled installment payments on TAME’s term loan during 2009 (not to exceed $11.0 million in total) as well as the interest accrued through 2009 associated with the loan if TAME were to default on a scheduled loan payment. TAEI, along with the other 50% partner, guaranteed the debt obligation in order for TAME to renegotiate certain of its debt covenants. As of the end of October 2009, TAME had made all of its scheduled quarterly installments for the term of the guarantee. In addition, the Company has signed a guarantee with TAME’s natural gas supplier to guarantee the payment of $4.5 million in natural gas purchases through December 31, 2009. TAME’s other 50% owner has signed a similar guarantee. The Company does not anticipate having to make any payments on this guarantee. The fair value of this guarantee obligation is considered immaterial.

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In the ordinary course of business, the Company will enter into related party transactions with its equity method investees. The following table sets forth the related party transactions entered into for the time periods presented.
                 
  Three months ended Nine months ended
  September 30, September 30,
(in thousands) 2009 2008 2009 2008
         
Sales and revenues
 $99,972  $125,165  $335,833  $398,024 
Purchases of product
  97,580   112,800   281,329   319,436 
Lease income
  1,347   1,459   4,095   4,357 
Labor and benefits reimbursement (a)
  2,532   2,384   7,540   7,339 
Accounts receivable at September 30,
  5,501   8,290         
Accounts payable at September 30,
  11,663   19,156         
 
(a) The Company provides employee and administrative support to the ethanol LLCs, and charges them an allocation of the Company’s costs of the related services.
Note H: Fair Value Measurements
The following table presents the Company’s assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis at September 30, 2009, December 31, 2008 and September 30, 2008.
                 
(in thousands) September 30, 2009
Assets (liabilities) Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total
 
Cash and cash equivalents
 $180,578  $  $  $180,578 
Commodity derivatives, net
     (34,230)  1,510   (32,720)
Net margin deposit assets
  18,948         18,948 
Net margin deposit liabilities
            
Other assets and liabilities (a)
  9,667      (1,996)  7,671 
         
Total
 $209,193  $(34,230) $(486) $174,477 
         
                 
(in thousands) December 31, 2008
Assets (liabilities) Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total
 
Cash and cash equivalents
 $81,682  $  $  $81,682 
Commodity derivatives, net
     12,706   5,114   17,820 
Net margin deposit assets
  13,094         13,094 
Net margin deposit liabilities
     (1,778)     (1,778)
Other assets and liabilities (a)
  13,303      (2,367)  10,936 
         
Total
 $108,079  $10,928  $2,747  $121,754 
         
                 
(in thousands) September 30, 2008
Assets (liabilities) Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total
 
Cash and cash equivalents
 $28,541  $  $  $28,541 
Commodity derivatives, net
     43,820   918   44,738 
Net margin deposit assets
  58,077         58,077 
Net margin deposit liabilities
            
Other assets and liabilities (a)
  8,846      (1,112)  7,734 
         
Total
 $95,464  $43,820  $(194) $139,090 
         
 
(a) Included in other assets and liabilities is restricted cash, interest rate derivatives, assets held in a VEBA for healthcare benefits 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:
                 
  2009 2008
  Interest Commodity Interest Commodity
  rate derivatives, rate derivatives,
(in thousands) derivatives net derivatives net
         
Asset (liability) at December 31,
 $(2,367) $5,114  $(1,167) $5,561 
Realized gains (losses) included in earnings
  (31)  (667)  (152)  3,346 
Unrealized gains (losses) included in other comprehensive income
  230      (545)   
New contracts
  92          
Transfers from level 2
           161 
Contracts cancelled, transferred to accounts receivable
           (1,837)
         
Asset (liability) at March 31,
 $(2,076) $4,447  $(1,864) $7,231 
Realized gains (losses) included in earnings
  191   (1,806)  126   3,705 
Unrealized gains (losses) included in other comprehensive income
  272      565    
Transfers from level 2
     391       
New contracts
        162    
         
Asset (liability) at June 30,
 $(1,613) $3,032  $(1,011) $10,936 
Realized gains (losses) included in earnings
  (54)  (675)  (14)  (10,018)
Unrealized gains (losses) included in other comprehensive income
  (329)     (87)   
Transfers to and from level 2
      (209)      
Contracts cancelled, transferred to accounts receivable
      (638)      
         
Asset (liability) at September 30,
 $(1,996) $1,510  $(1,112) $918 
The Company’s 2008 Form 10-K discloses additional information related to the approach the Company uses to estimate the fair value of the above instruments. This approach has not changed during the first nine months of 2009.
Note I: Fair Value of Financial Instruments
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 for similar types of borrowing arrangements. In addition, the Company has derivative interest rate contracts recorded on its balance sheet at their fair values. The fair value of these contracts is estimated based on quoted market termination values.
         
(in thousands) September 30, 2009 December 31, 2008
   
Fair value of long-term debt and interest rate contracts
 $329,052  $353,905 
Fair value in excess of (less than) carrying value
  (7,137)  (10,213)
The fair value of the Company’s cash equivalents, accounts receivable and accounts payable approximate their carrying value as they are close to maturity.
Note J: Debt Agreements
The Company is party to a borrowing arrangement with a syndicate of banks. This arrangement was amended in April 2009 and now provides the Company with $490 million in short-term lines of credit and $85 million in long-term lines of credit. This is a variable interest rate line that bears interest based on LIBOR plus an applicable margin. This agreement will expire in September 2011.
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. This long-term debt has associated debt covenants and as of March 31, 2009, the Company had violated the utilization covenant and debt service coverage ratio covenant associated with

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this debt. This covenant violation did not trigger any cross default provisions under any other debt agreements. The Company has received a waiver of this violation for the quarter ended March 31, 2009. In April 2009, the Company paid an additional $4.0 million to the bank towards its debt obligation. 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. In addition, the Company received a modification to its debt agreement for The Andersons Rail Operating I (“TARO I”), a wholly subsidiary of the Company. The modification reduced the debt service coverage ratio from 1.5 to 1.15. With the modification, the Company does not expect to violate this covenant in the future. The balance outstanding on the TARO I non-recourse long-term debt at September 30, 2009 was $22.6 million.
The Company received a modification to its debt agreement for TOP CAT Holding Company LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. The modification reduced the utilization ratio requirement from 80% to 60%. This reduction in the required utilization ratio, and an additional principal payment of $8.1 million made in the third quarter to exclude certain idle cars from the utilization ratio calculation, is expected to minimize the risk of a rapid amortization event in the future should utilization rates continue to decrease.
Note K: Business Acquisition
On August 1, 2009, the Company acquired the Fertilizer Division of Hartung Brothers, Inc. (“HBI”) for a purchase price of $30.5 million. HBI is a regional wholesale supplier of liquid fertilizers with six facilities located in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
The summarized purchase price allocation for this acquisition is as follows:
     
Inventory
 $5,480 
Intangible assets
  7,650 
Goodwill
  4,920 
Property, plant and equipment
  12,466 
Capital lease obligation
  (36)
 
   
Total purchase price
 $30,480 
 
   
The intangible assets include a customers list, a supply agreement and a non-compete agreement, all of which are being amortized over 10 years.
Item 2.     Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results 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 others, including those risk factors listed under Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 (“2008 Form 10-K”). 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.

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Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our critical accounting policies and critical accounting estimates, as described in our 2008 Form 10-K, have not materially changed during the first nine months of 2009.
Executive Overview
Grain & Ethanol Group
The Grain & Ethanol Group operates grain elevators in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois. In addition to storage and merchandising, the Group performs grain trading, risk management and other services for its customers. During the third quarter of 2009, the Group increased its grain storage capacity by approximately 4 million bushels through warehousing agreements in Mason and Woodbury, Michigan. The Group now has over 100 million bushels of storage capacity. The Group is also adding two bins in 2009 at two of its existing facilities which will add another 1.5 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 contracts and provides grain origination, ethanol and distillers dried grains (“DDG”) marketing and risk management services for which it is separately compensated. The Group is also a significant investor in Lansing Trade Group LLC, an established trading business with offices throughout the country and internationally.
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 Company deals in will have a relatively equal impact on sales and cost of sales and a minimal impact on gross profit. As a result, changes in sales for the period may not necessarily be indicative of the Group’s overall performance and more focus should be placed on changes to merchandising revenues and service income.
Grain inventories on hand at September 30, 2009 were 41.6 million bushels, of which 19.5 million bushels were stored for others. This compares to 39.5 million bushels on hand at September 30, 2008, of which 17.4 million bushels were stored for others.
According to the November 2, 2009 Crop Progress Report published by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, the corn and soybean harvest is significantly behind last year in the Company’s primary region (Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio) due to wet weather conditions in the early fall. Although delayed, the U.S. Department of Agriculture expects growers to harvest 76.6 million acres of soybeans this year, the largest on record, and 79.3 million acres of corn. An average of 63% of planted corn was rated as good to excellent in the Company’s primary region which is a slight improvement over conditions at the same time last year. Next year’s winter wheat crop is 65% planted with Illinois being the furthest behind at 35%.
The ethanol industry has seen some improvements in the third quarter of 2009 as corn and natural gas prices continue to drop while ethanol prices have improved. The Company will continue to monitor the volatility in corn and ethanol prices and its impact on the ethanol LLCs closely, including any impact on the recoverability of the Company’s investments.
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.

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Railcars and locomotives under management (owned, leased or managed for financial institutions in non-recourse arrangements) at September 30, 2009 were 23,975 compared to 24,007 at September 30, 2008. The current economic downturn has caused a significant decrease in demand and the Company has had to store many of its cars. The Group’s average utilization rate (railcars and locomotives under management that are in lease service, exclusive of railcars managed for third party investors) has decreased significantly from 93.3% for the quarter ended September 30, 2008 to 74.4% for the quarter ended September 30, 2009. Rail traffic on major U.S. railroads has fallen 19% over the last nine months. While the decrease in rail traffic has continued, it does show a slight increase from the year-to-date period ended June 30, 2009. The economy has also impacted the Group’s repair and fabrication shops which have seen a significant decrease in activity. The Company expects recovery in the rail industry will be a slow moving process.
Plant Nutrient Group
The Company’s Plant Nutrient Group purchases, stores, formulates, manufactures and sells dry and liquid fertilizer to dealers and farmers as well as sells reagents for air pollution control technologies used in coal- fired power plants. In addition, they provide warehousing and services to manufacturers and customers, formulate liquid anti-icers and deicers for use on roads and runways and distribute seeds and various farm supplies. The major fertilizer ingredients sold by the Company are nitrogen, phosphate and potash.
The Group has experienced a significant decrease in volume this year as retailers continue to maintain low levels of inventory. The Group is also continuing to monitor nutrient prices which have been extremely volatile leading to lower-of-cost-or-market inventory and contract write-downs. The Company believes that fertilizer prices have stabilized and the lower-of-cost-or-market issues are behind it. Due to the seasonal nature of the plant nutrient business, the Group typically has a loss in the third quarter, however, in 2008 operating results benefited from unprecedented earnings as a result of quickly escalating fertilizer prices before the significant drop that occurred in the fourth quarter of 2008.
On August 1, 2009, the Company acquired the Fertilizer Division of Hartung Brothers, Inc. (“HBI”) for a purchase price of $30.5 million. HBI is a regional wholesale supplier of liquid fertilizers with six facilities located in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Turf & Specialty Group
The Turf & Specialty Group produces granular fertilizer products for the professional lawn care and golf course markets. It also sells consumer 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 Group 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 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, however, many customers have delayed buying product until right when it is needed which has impacted volume for the Group.
Retail Group
The Retail Group includes six large retail stores operated as “The Andersons” and a specialty food market operated as “The Andersons Market”. The Group also operates a sales and service facility for outdoor power equipment. The retail concept is More 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. In the third quarter of 2009, the Group announced that it would be closing its Lima, Ohio retail store before the end of this year.

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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.
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.
Operating Results
                 
  Three months ended Nine months ended
  September 30, September 30,
(in thousands) 2009 2008 2009 2008
         
Sales and merchandising revenues
 $601,000  $905,712  $2,109,346  $2,719,413 
Cost of sales
  549,990   832,687   1,923,628   2,473,810 
         
Gross profit
  51,010   73,025   185,718   245,603 
Operating, administrative and general
  51,303   48,572   144,556   139,836 
Interest expense
  5,123   7,497   15,974   25,140 
Equity in earnings (loss) of affiliates
  5,275   (619)  2,385   15,801 
Other income, net
  2,443   1,279   6,406   6,318 
     
Income before income taxes
 $2,302  $17,616  $33,979  $102,746 
         
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 the notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements herein in Note F: Segment Information.
Comparison of the three months ended September 30, 2009 with the three months ended September 30, 2008:
Grain & Ethanol Group
         
  Three months ended
  September 30,
(in thousands) 2009 2008
     
Sales and merchandising revenues
 $450,762  $651,045 
Cost of sales
  426,274   626,024 
     
Gross profit
  24,488   25,021 
Operating, administrative and general
  19,058   13,579 
Interest expense
  2,207   4,232 
Equity in earnings (loss) of affiliates
  5,271   (620)
Other income, net
  751   1,012 
     
Operating income before noncontrolling interest
  9,245   7,602 
(Income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interest
  (367)  1,841 
     
Operating income
 $8,878  $9,443 
     
Operating results for the Grain & Ethanol Group decreased $0.6 million over the results from the same period last year. Sales of grain for the Group decreased $165.8 million, or 33%, and is the result of a 32% decrease in the average price per bushel of grain sold, and a 2% decrease in the volume of grain sold. Sales of ethanol decreased $29.2 million, or 23%, and is due to a 27% decrease in the average price per gallon sold partially offset by a 5% increase in volume. Merchandising revenues for the Group decreased $5.3 million over the third quarter of 2008 and is related primarily to a decrease in basis income. Basis is the difference between the local market price of a commodity and the Chicago Board of Trade futures price. During the first half of 2008, futures prices for corn and wheat rose at a substantially higher rate than local spot prices. This caused the Group to incur basis losses on its forward purchase and sale contracts as well as its inventory. In the second half of 2008, futures prices went the opposite direction in

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relation to local spot prices and the Company realized gains on its forward purchase and sale contracts as well as its inventory. The basis changes in the third quarter of 2009 did not increase as dramatically as they did in the third quarter of 2008. In addition weather conditions during the third quarter of 2009 have caused soybean harvest to be delayed into October moving some of the soybean basis appreciation into the fourth quarter of 2009. Revenues from services provided to the ethanol industry were unchanged as compared to the same period last year. Gross profit for the Group remained relatively flat compared to the third quarter of 2008.
Operating expenses for the Group increased $5.5 million, or 40%, over the same period in 2008. The increase is due primarily to increased bad debt reserves taken against customer receivables as the current economic climate has negatively impacted the financial condition of certain of the Company’s grain customers. In addition, incremental expenses related to the Group’s two 2008 acquisitions were $0.7 million. Partially offsetting these increases is $0.4 million in reduced pension expense as a result of the announced curtailment to the Company’s defined benefit plan.
Interest expense for the Group decreased $2.0 million, or 48%, from the same period in 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 higher 2008 interest costs for the Group last year.
Equity in earnings of affiliates increased $5.9 million over the same period in 2008. Income from the Group’s three ethanol LLCs increased $6.8 million and is primarily a result of the significant turn around in the operating results of the Group’s investment in The Andersons Marathon Ethanol LLC (“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 $0.9 million.
Income attributable to the 34% noncontrolling interest in The Andersons Ethanol Investment LLC (“TAEI”) was $0.4 million in the third quarter of 2009 compared to $1.8 million of losses in the third quarter of 2008. TAEI holds the Company’s 50% investment in TAME and with their improved operating results, the amount attributable to the noncontrolling interest improved as well.
Rail Group
         
  Three months ended
  September 30,
(in thousands) 2009 2008
     
Sales and merchandising revenues
 $21,156  $28,394 
Cost of sales
  17,990   19,385 
     
Gross profit
  3,166   9,009 
Operating, administrative and general
  3,166   2,888 
Interest expense
  1,130   1,041 
Other income, net
  66   84 
     
Operating income
 $(1,064) $5,164 
     
Operating results for the Rail Group decreased $6.2 million over the results from the same period last year. Leasing revenues decreased $4.6 million, car sales decreased $0.6 million and sales in the Group’s repair and fabrication shops decreased $2.0 million. The decrease in leasing revenues is attributable primarily to a significant decrease in utilization. Fewer cars were sold in the third quarter of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008 and with fewer cars on the rail lines overall, the opportunities for business in the repair and fabrication shops has significantly decreased.
Gross profit for the Group decreased $5.8 million, or 65% over the same period last year. Gross profit in the leasing business decreased $4.7 million, or 71%, and can be attributed to the decreased utilization and increased storage fees compared to the same period last year. Gross profit on car sales decreased $0.3

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million, or 39%, and is attributable to fewer cars sold. Gross profit in the repair and fabrication shops decreased $0.9 million, or 52%, and is due almost entirely to the decrease in sales.
Operating expenses for the Group increased $0.3 million for the quarter in spite of a $0.3 million reduction in pension expense related to the freezing of the Company’s defined benefit plan.
Plant Nutrient Group
         
  Three months ended
  September 30,
(in thousands) 2009 2008
     
Sales and merchandising revenues
 $70,446  $162,018 
Cost of sales
  62,240   140,287 
     
Gross profit
  8,206   21,731 
Operating, administrative and general
  10,315   13,112 
Interest expense
  998   1,801 
Equity in earnings of affiliates
  1   1 
Other income, net
  337   404 
     
Operating income
 $(2,769) $7,223 
     
Operating results for the Plant Nutrient Group decreased $10.0 million over the same period last year. Sales and merchandising revenues decreased $91.6 million, or 57%, due to a combination of a 12% decrease in volume and a 51% decrease in the average price per ton sold. The decrease in volume is due to retailers continuing to maintain lower inventory holdings. The decrease in the average price per ton sold is due to the unprecedented market price for fertilizers experienced during the first nine months 2008. Gross profit for the Group decreased $13.5 million, or 62%, as a result of the significant decrease in margin per ton sold as well as the volume reduction mentioned previously.
Operating expense for the Group decreased $2.8 million over the same period in 2008. Maintenance expenses decreased $1.1 million due to decreased activity, resulting in less need for maintenance repairs. Performance incentives decreased $0.8 million as a result of the decreased operating performance. As a result of defined benefit plan curtailment, the Group recognized a decrease to their pension expense of $0.5 million. Interest expense for the Group decreased $0.8 million, or 45%, and is the result of lower fertilizer costs which reduced the amount of short-term borrowings needed to fund working capital.
Turf & Specialty Group
         
  Three months ended
  September 30,
(in thousands) 2009 2008
     
Sales and merchandising revenues
 $21,451  $23,164 
Cost of sales
  16,983   17,988 
     
Gross profit
  4,468   5,176 
Operating, administrative and general
  4,771   5,408 
Interest expense
  298   341 
Other income, net
  287   76 
     
Operating income
 $(314) $(497)
   
Operating results for the Turf & Specialty Group increased $0.2 million over results from the same period last year. Sales and merchandising revenues in the lawn fertilizer business decreased $1.4 million, or 7%, due primarily to sales in the professional line of business. Sales in this line of business decreased $2.5 million, or 16%, as a result of a 19% decrease in the average price per ton sold, partially offset by a 4% increase in volume. Sales within the consumer and industrial lines of business increased $1.2 million, or 38%, as a result of a 44% increase in volume, partially offset by a 4% decrease in the average price per ton sold. Sales in the cob business decreased $0.3 million, or 8%, over the third quarter of 2008 due to a combination of a 7% decrease in volume and a 2% decrease in the average price per ton sold. Gross profit

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for the Group decreased $0.7 million, or 14%, over the same period. The majority of this decrease was experienced in the professional line of business as its gross profit per ton has decreased 34%.
Operating expenses for the Group decreased $0.6 million, or 12%, over the same period last year. This includes $1.0 million of decreased pension expense due to the freezing of the Company’s defined benefit plan. The remaining increase is due to changes among several expense categories.
Retail Group
         
  Three months ended
  September 30,
(in thousands) 2009 2008
     
Sales and merchandising revenues
 $37,185  $41,091 
Cost of sales
  26,503   29,003 
     
Gross profit
  10,682   12,088 
Operating, administrative and general
  12,825   12,107 
Interest expense
  253   261 
Other income, net
  111   125 
     
Operating loss
 $(2,285) $(155)
     
Operating results for the Retail Group decreased $2.1 million over results from the same period last year. Sales and merchandising revenues decreased $3.9 million, or 10%, over the third quarter of 2008 as a result of a 5% decrease in the average sale per customer as well as a 5% decrease in customer counts. Gross profit decreased $1.4 million, or 12% due primarily to the decrease in sales. Operating expenses for the Group increased 6% and is directly attributable to $0.8 million of severance costs which have been accrued in relation to the fourth quarter closing of the Group’s Lima, Ohio retail store.
Other
         
  Three months ended
  September 30,
(in thousands)  2009 2008
     
Sales and merchandising revenues
 $  $ 
Cost of sales
      
     
Gross profit
      
Operating, administrative and general
  1,168   1,478 
Interest expense (income)
  237   (179)
Equity in earnings of affiliates
  3    
Other income (loss), net
  891   (422)
     
Operating loss
 $(511) $(1,721)
     
Net corporate operating expenses not allocated to business segments decreased $0.3 million over the third quarter of 2008 and is primarily the result of decreased pension expense partially offset by an increase in charitable contributions.
Other income increased $1.3 million as a result of income earned on the Company’s deferred compensation assets.
As a result of the above, income attributable to The Andersons, Inc. of $1.3 million for the third quarter of 2009 was $11.5 million lower than income attributable to The Andersons, Inc. of $12.8 million recognized in the third quarter of 2008. Income tax expense of $0.7 million was provided at 35.4%. The Company anticipates that its 2009 effective annual rate will be 36.7%. In the third quarter of 2008, income tax expense of $6.6 million was provided at a rate of 34.0%. The Company’s actual 2008 effective tax rate was 33.4%.

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Comparison of the nine months ended September 30, 2009 with the nine months ended September 30, 2008:
Grain & Ethanol Group
         
  Nine months ended
  September 30,
(in thousands) 2009 2008
   
Sales and merchandising revenues
 $1,431,684  $1,845,955 
Cost of sales
  1,360,572   1,780,360 
   
Gross profit
  71,112   65,595 
Operating, administrative and general
  45,785   38,860 
Interest expense
  7,003   17,220 
Equity in earnings of affiliates
  2,376   15,797 
Other income, net
  1,900   4,770 
   
Operating income before noncontrolling interest
  22,600   30,082 
(Income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interest
  944   1,588 
   
Operating income
 $23,544  $31,670 
   
Operating results for the Grain & Ethanol Group decreased $8.1 million over the results from the same period last year. Sales of grain for the Group decreased $367.2 million, or 25%, and is the result of a 24% decrease in the average price per bushel of grain sold, and a 2% decrease in the volume of grain sold. Sales of ethanol decreased $64.2 million, or 18%, and is due to a 22% decrease in the average price per gallon sold, partially offset by a 5% increase in volume. Merchandising revenues for the Group increased $16.2 million over the first nine months of 2008 and is related primarily to an increase in basis and storage income. Basis is the difference between the local market price of a commodity and the Chicago Board of Trade futures price. During the first half of 2008, futures prices for corn and wheat rose at a substantially higher rate than the local spot prices. This caused the Group to realize significant basis losses on its forward purchase and sale contracts as well as its inventory. In the first half of 2009, futures prices went the opposite direction in relation to local spot prices and the Company realized gains on its forward purchase and sale contracts as well as its inventory. Some of these gains were lost during the third quarter of 2009 as basis levels began to come down and as basis appreciation for soybeans was pushed into the fourth quarter of 2009 due to a delayed harvest as a result of weather conditions. Revenues from services provided to the ethanol industry were $1.0 million higher than the same period last year as a result of serving three operational facilities for the full nine months ended September 30, 2009 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2008 during which the third facility began operations.
Gross profit for the Group increased $5.5 million over the first nine months of 2008 due primarily to the increases in basis and storage income and the increase in ethanol service fees mentioned previously.
Operating expenses for the Group increased $6.9 million, or 18%, over the same period in 2008 due primarily to increased bad debt reserves taken against customer receivables as the current economic climate has negatively impacted the financial condition of certain of the Company’s grain customers. In addition, incremental expenses related to the Group’s two 2008 acquisitions were $2.4 million.
Interest expense for the Group decreased $10.2 million, or 59%, from the same period in 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 decreased $13.4 million over the same period in 2008. Income from the Group’s three ethanol LLCs decreased $0.5 million and income from Lansing Trade Group LLC (“LTG”) decreased $12.8 million. The decrease in income from LTG was driven primarily from losses in its meats group and reduced performance in its proprietary trading and bio-fuels divisions.

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Other income decreased $2.9 million over the same period last year and relates to both development fees earned in the first quarter of 2008 for the formation of one of the Company’s ethanol joint ventures as well as decreased interest income as interest rates have fallen.
Rail Group
         
  Nine months ended
  September 30,
(in thousands) 2009 2008
   
Sales and merchandising revenues
 $71,688  $106,346 
Cost of sales
  57,976   77,086 
   
Gross profit
  13,712   29,260 
Operating, administrative and general
  9,967   10,295 
Interest expense
  3,561   3,103 
Other income, net
  253   602 
   
Operating income
 $437  $16,464 
   
Operating results for the Rail Group decreased $16.0 million over the results from the same period last year. Leasing revenues decreased $8.6 million, car sales decreased $20.0 million and sales in the Group’s repair and fabrication shops decreased $6.1 million. The decrease in leasing revenues is attributable primarily to a significant decrease in utilization. Fewer cars were sold in the first nine months of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008. With fewer cars on the rail lines overall, the opportunities for business in the repair and fabrication shops has significantly decreased.
Gross profit for the Group decreased $15.5 million, or 53% over the same period last year. Gross profit in the leasing business decreased $10.8 million, or 53%, and can be attributed to the decreased utilization and increased storage expense compared to the same period last year. Gross profit on car sales decreased $2.4 million, or 60%, and is attributable to the fewer number of cars sold. Gross profit in the repair and fabrication shops decreased $2.3 million, or 47%.
Operating expenses for the Group decreased $0.3 million over the same period last year and is related primarily to reduced bad debt expense and performance incentives. Interest expense increased $0.5 million over the first nine months of 2009 and can be attributed to an overall increase in the Company’s long-term debt and the associated interest allocated to the Group.
Plant Nutrient Group
         
  Nine months ended
  September 30,
(in thousands) 2009 2008
   
Sales and merchandising revenues
 $379,846  $540,988 
Cost of sales
  335,012   447,183 
   
Gross profit
  44,834   93,805 
Operating, administrative and general
  33,817   28,511 
Interest expense
  2,995   3,894 
Equity in earnings of affiliates
  6   4 
Other income, net
  1,595   728 
   
Operating income
 $9,623  $62,132 
   
Operating results for the Plant Nutrient Group decreased $52.5 million over the same period last year. Excluding sales from the newly acquired businesses in 2008 and 2009, sales and merchandising revenues decreased $184.2 million, or 36%, due to a combination of a 15% decrease in volume coupled with a 24% decrease in the average price per ton sold. The decrease in volume is due to retailers continuing to maintain lower inventory holdings. The decrease in the average price per ton sold is due to the unprecedented market price for fertilizers experienced during the first nine months 2008. Gross profit for the Group decreased $49.0 million, or 52%, as a result of the significant decrease in margin per ton sold as

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well as the volume reduction mentioned previously. Included in the year-to-date 2009 results are increased sales and gross profit of $23.0 million and $5.9 million, respectively, from the Group’s 2008 and 2009 acquisitions.
Operating expenses for the Group increased $5.3 million over the same period last year. Of this amount, $7.4 million is related to the three new businesses. Excluding these amounts, operating expenses decreased $2.1 million over the same period last year and is related primarily to decreased performance incentives as a result of decreased operating performance.
Other income for the Group increased $0.9 million over the first nine months of 2008 due to forfeited customer prepayments.
Turf & Specialty Group
         
  Nine months ended
  September 30,
(in thousands) 2009 2008
   
Sales and merchandising revenues
 $105,906  $98,740 
Cost of sales
  85,405   79,372 
   
Gross profit
  20,501   19,368 
Operating, administrative and general
  14,394   15,085 
Interest expense
  1,110   1,163 
Other income, net
  828   265 
   
Operating income
 $5,825  $3,385 
   
Operating results for the Turf & Specialty Group increased $2.4 million over results from the same period last year. Sales in the lawn fertilizer business increased $6.9 million, or 8%, due primarily to increased volume within the consumer and industrial lines of business which increased 67%. The average price per ton sold in that line of business increased 4%. The current economic conditions has had a negative impact on the professional line of business with their volume decreasing 17%. Sales in the cob business increased 2% over the first nine months of 2008 due to an increase in volume of 8% partially offset by a 5% decrease in the average price per ton sold. Gross profit for the Group increased $1.1 million, or 6%, over the same period due to the increased volumes mentioned previously.
Operating expenses for the Group decreased $0.7 million compared to the first nine months of 2008 and is primarily related to decreased pension expense as a result of the freezing of the Company’s defined benefit plan. The remaining increase is due to changes among several expense categories.
Retail Group
         
  Nine months ended
  September 30,
(in thousands) 2009 2008
   
Sales and merchandising revenues
 $120,222  $127,384 
Cost of sales
  84,663   89,809 
   
Gross profit
  35,559   37,575 
Operating, administrative and general
  37,287   37,512 
Interest expense
  752   668 
Other income, net
  358   433 
   
Operating loss
 $(2,122) $(172)
   
Operating results for the Retail Group decreased $2.0 million over results from the same period last year. Sales and merchandising revenues decreased $7.2 million, or 6%, over the first nine months of 2008. The average sale per customer decreased 5% while customer counts remained flat. Gross profit decreased $2.0 million, or 5% due to the decrease in sales. Operating expenses for the Group decreased 1% in spite of the $0.8 million in severance costs related to the closing of the Lima, Ohio retail store.

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Other
         
  Nine months ended
  September 30,
(in thousands) 2009 2008
   
Sales and merchandising revenues
 $  $ 
Cost of sales
      
   
Gross profit
      
Operating, administrative and general
  3,306   9,573 
Interest expense (income)
  553   (908)
Equity in earnings of affiliates
  3    
Other income (loss), net
  1,472   (480)
   
Operating loss
 $(2,384) $(9,145)
   
Net corporate operating expenses not allocated to business segments decreased $6.3 million over the same period last year. The primary decreases were a $2.3 million decrease in charitable contributions and a $1.7 million decrease in performance incentives.
Other income increased $2.0 million over the first nine months of 2008 as a result of income earned on the Company’s deferred compensation assets.
As a result of the above, income attributable to The Andersons, Inc. of $22.1 million for the first nine months of 2009 was $44.2 million lower than income attributable to The Andersons, Inc. of $66.3 million recognized in the first nine months of 2008. Income tax expense of $12.8 million for the first nine months of 2009 was provided at 36.7%. The Company anticipates that its 2009 effective annual rate will be 36.7%. In the first nine months of 2008, income tax expense of $38.0 million was provided at a rate of 36.5%. The Company’s actual 2008 effective tax rate was 33.4%.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Operating Activities and Liquidity
The Company’s operations provided cash of $191.2 million in the first nine months of 2009, an increase of $28.9 million from the cash provided by operations of $162.3 million in the first nine months of 2008. Net working capital at September 30, 2009 was $299.3 million, a $31.4 million decrease from December 31, 2008 and a $48.1 million decrease from September 30, 2008. There were no short-term borrowings used to fund operations at September 30, 2009 and December 31, 2008. At September 30, 2008, $43.6 million was outstanding. This significant decrease in short-term borrowing needs is due to the decrease in commodity and fertilizer prices from the unprecedented highs experienced in 2008. The decrease in commodity prices and the corresponding return of margin dollars from the Chicago Board of Trade is the reason for the significant increase in cash at September 30, 2009 to $180.6 million. The Company expects the cash balance to decrease during the fourth quarter as the Company purchases grain during the fall harvest.
The Company received net refunds of income tax overpayments of $23.4 million in the first nine months of 2009 and has filed refund requests for an additional $3.6 million.
Investing Activities
Total capital spending for 2009 on property, plant and equipment and business acquisitions is expected to be approximately $62.9 million. Through the first nine months of 2009, the Company has spent $12.2 million on property, plant and equipment within its base business.

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On August 1, 2009, the Company acquired the Fertilizer Division of Hartung Brothers, Inc. (“HBI”) for a purchase price of $30.5 million. HBI is a regional wholesale supplier of liquid fertilizers with six facilities located in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
In addition to spending on conventional property, plant and equipment and business acquisitions, the Company expects to spend up to $75.0 million for the purchase of railcars and locomotives and capitalized modifications of railcars partially offset by proceeds from the sales and dispositions of railcars of $55.0 million. Through September 30, 2009, the Company invested $20.6 million in the purchase of additional railcars and related leases, partially offset by proceeds from sales of $6.0 million.
Financing Arrangements
The Company has significant short-term lines of credit available to finance working capital, primarily inventories, margin calls on commodity contracts and accounts receivable. The Company is party to a borrowing arrangement with a syndicate of banks, which was amended in April 2009, to provide the Company with $490 million in short-term lines of credit and $85 million in long-term lines of credit. The Company had nothing drawn on its short-term line of credit at September 30, 2009. Peak short-term borrowings for the Company to date are $92.7 million on February 6, 2009. Typically, 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.
A cash dividend of $0.0775 was paid in the first and second quarters of 2008. A cash dividend of $0.085 was paid in the third and fourth quarters of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009. A cash dividend of $0.0875 was paid in the second and third quarters of 2009 and on August 13, 2009, the Company declared a cash dividend of $0.0875 per common share payable on October 22, 2009 to shareholders of record on October 1, 2009. During the first nine months of 2009, the Company issued approximately 166 thousand shares to employees and directors under its equity-based compensation plans.
Certain of the Company’s borrowings include covenants that, among other things, impose minimum levels of working capital and equity, and impose limitations on additional debt. The Company was in compliance with all such covenants at September 30, 2009. In addition, certain of the 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. Prior to the measurement date but subsequent to June 30, 2009, the Company received a modification to its debt agreement for TOP CAT Holding Company LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. The modification reduced the utilization ratio requirement from 80% to 60%. This reduction in the required utilization ratio is expected to minimize the risk of a rapid amortization event in the future should utilization rates continue to decrease. In addition, the Company received a modification to its debt agreement for The Andersons Rail Operating I (“TARO I”), a wholly subsidiary of the Company. The modification reduced the debt service coverage ratio from 1.5 to 1.15.
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. While this volatile and challenging economic environment is a reality, the Company has continued to have good access to the credit markets. Over the past year, the Company has been able to successfully work with its lenders to expand and contract its borrowing capacity under the short-term line as needed to ensure that it has an adequate liquidity cushion. This is due, in part, to the fact that the Company reduced its reliance on short-term credit facilities by raising $211.2 million in long-term debt during 2008. In the unlikely event the Company was faced with a situation where it was not able to access the capital markets, the Company

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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). 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 September 30, 2009 the Company’s balance in cash and cash equivalents was $180.6 million.
The Company had standby letters of credit outstanding of $9.1 million at September 30, 2009, of which $8.1 million represents a credit enhancement for industrial revenue bonds. After the standby letters of credit, the Company had $565.9 million remaining available under its former short-term line of credit at September 30, 2009.
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 that are not on its balance sheet, the Company holds an option to purchase at the end of the lease.
The following table describes the Company’s railcar and locomotive positions at September 30, 2009:
       
Method of Control Financial Statement Number
 
Owned-railcar assets available for sale
 On balance sheet — current  57 
Owned-railcar assets
 On balance sheet — noncurrent  13,965 
Railcars leased from financial intermediaries
 Off balance sheet  7,499 
Railcars — non-recourse arrangements
 Off balance sheet  2,330 
 
      
Total Railcars
    23,851 
 
      
 
      
Locomotive assets
 On balance sheet — noncurrent  28 
Locomotives leased from financial intermediaries
 Off balance sheet  4 
Locomotives — leased from financial intermediaries under limited recourse arrangements
 Off balance sheet  14 
Locomotives — non-recourse arrangements
 Off balance sheet  78 
 
      
Total Locomotives
    124 
 
      
In addition, the Company manages 686 railcars for third-party customers or owners for which it receives a fee.

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Item 3. 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 demand for ethanol, population growth and higher standards of living, and global production of similar competitive crops. To reduce price risk caused by market fluctuations, the Company follows a policy of entering into economic hedges of its inventories and related purchase and sale contracts. The instruments used are exchange-traded futures and options contracts that function as hedges. The market value of exchange-traded futures and options used for economic hedging has historically had 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 managed by the Company using a daily grain position report to constantly monitor the Company’s 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 risk that cannot be directly hedged. The Company’s accounting policy for its futures and options contracts, 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 inventories, related purchase and sale contracts and exchange-traded 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. Market risk is estimated as the potential loss in fair value resulting from a hypothetical 10% adverse change in such prices. The result of this analysis, which may differ from actual results, is as follows:
         
(in thousands) September 30, 2009 December 31, 2008
   
Net long (short) position
 $(2,028) $(325)
Market risk
  (203)  (33)
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 for similar types of borrowing arrangements. In addition, the Company has derivative interest rate contracts recorded on its balance sheet at their fair values. 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:
         
(in thousands) September 30, 2009 December 31, 2008
   
Fair value of long-term debt and interest rate contracts
 $329,052  $353,905 
Fair value in excess of (less than) carrying value
  (7,137)  (10,213)
Market risk
  9,072   13,217 

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Item 4. Controls and Procedures
The Company is not organized with one Chief Financial Officer. Our Vice President, Controller and CIO is responsible for all accounting and information technology decisions while our Vice President, Finance and Treasurer is responsible for all treasury 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 Certifying Officers have evaluated our disclosure controls and procedures as defined in the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, as of September 30, 2009, and have determined that such controls and procedures were effective.
Our Certifying Officers are primarily responsible for the accuracy of the financial information that is presented in this report. To meet their responsibility for financial reporting, they have established internal controls and procedures which they believe are adequate to provide reasonable assurance that the Company’s assets are protected from loss. These procedures are reviewed by the Company’s internal auditors in order to monitor compliance. In addition, our Board of Director’s Audit Committee, which is composed entirely of independent directors, meets regularly with members of management and our internal auditors to review accounting, auditing and financial matters.
There have been no changes during the quarter ended September 30, 2009 in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting.
Part II. Other Information
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-Q 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 significant factors known to us that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or operating results are described in the 2008 10-K (Item 1A). There has been no material changes in the risk factors set forth therein.

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Item 6. Exhibits
     (a) Exhibits
   
No. Description
31.1
 Certification of the President and Chief Executive Officer under Rule 13(a)-14(a)/15d-14(a)
 
  
31.2
 Certification of the Vice President, Controller and CIO under Rule 13(a)-14(a)/15d-14(a)
 
  
31.3
 Certification of the 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

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Signatures
Pursuant to the requirements 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)
 
 
Date: November 6, 2009 By /s/ Michael J. Anderson   
 Michael J. Anderson  
 President and Chief Executive Officer  
 
   
Date: November 6, 2009 By /s/ Richard R. George   
 Richard R. George  
 Vice President, Controller and CIO
(Principal Accounting Officer) 
 
 
   
Date: November 6, 2009 By /s/ Nicholas C. Conrad   
 Nicholas C. Conrad  
 Vice President, Finance and Treasurer
(Principal Financial Officer) 
 

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Exhibit Index
The Andersons, Inc.
   
No. Description
 
  
31.1
 Certification of the President and Chief Executive Officer under Rule 13(a)-14(a)/15d-14(a)
 
  
31.2
 Certification of the Vice President, Controller and CIO under Rule 13(a)-14(a)/15d-14(a)
 
  
31.3
 Certification of the 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

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