July 12, 2011

Cargill, Louis Dreyfus Commodities to end CLD joint venture

Cargill and Louis Dreyfus Commodities will end a joint venture that operates grain facilities in the Pacific Northwest within the next year.

CLD Pacific Grain, LLC was formed in 2001.  The Cargill facilities in the joint venture include an export facility in Portland, Ore., and river facilities in Boardman and Arlington, Ore.; Burbank, Wash.; and Lewiston, Ida.  The Louis Dreyfus Commodities facilities are an export facility in Portland, Ore., and a river facility in Windust, Wash.  Both companies plan to maintain a presence in the Pacific Northwest grain export business.

"CLD has been a successful business, and we appreciate the work of the CLD team," said Michael Ricks, food grain product line manager for Cargill and a CLD board member.  "With the current market dynamics, we wanted to take a new approach to serving the export markets from the Pacific Northwest."

"CLD prospered because of the hard work of CLD personnel," said Erik Anderson, CEO of Louis Dreyfus Commodities North America and a CLD board member.  "Louis Dreyfus Commodities has decided to pursue new ways to work with growers and customers in the Pacific Northwest export markets in a continuation of our long and successful relationships."

CLD handles a variety of grains, including soft white wheat, dark north spring wheat, hard red winter wheat, club wheat, hard white wheat and barley.  The grains are exported primarily to Asia.