Granite Falls Energy, LLC - Quarter Report: 2018 January (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-Q

 

☒Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

 

For the quarterly period ended January 31, 2018

 

OR

 

☐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 000-51277

 

GRANITE FALLS ENERGY, LLC

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

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    ☐No

 

Indicate by checkmark 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    ☐No

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an an emerging growth company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer", "smaller reporting company" and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act:

 

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

 

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

☐Yes    ☒No

 

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer's classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date:

As of March 19, 2018, there were 30,606 membership units outstanding.

 

 

 

 

 

INDEX

 

 

 

 

PART IFINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

Item 1.  Financial Statements

 

GRANITE FALLS ENERGY, LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

 

 

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Unaudited Financial Statements are an integral part of this Statement.

 

GRANITE FALLS ENERGY, LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations

 

 

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Unaudited Financial Statements are an integral part of this Statement.

 

 

GRANITE FALLS ENERGY, LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

 

 

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Unaudited Financial Statements are an integral part of this Statement.

1.   SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

Nature of Business

 

Granite Falls Energy, LLC (“GFE”) is a Minnesota limited liability company currently producing fuel-grade ethanol, distillers' grains, and crude corn oil near Granite Falls, Minnesota and sells these products, pursuant to marketing agreements, throughout the continental United States and on the international market. GFE's plant has an approximate annual production capacity of 60 million gallons, but is currently permitted to produce up to 70 million gallons of undenatured ethanol on a twelve month rolling sum basis.

 

Additionally, GFE owns a majority interest in Heron Lake BioEnergy, LLC (“HLBE”). HLBE is a Minnesota limited liability company currently producing fuel-grade ethanol, distillers' grains, and crude corn oil near Heron Lake, Minnesota and sells these products, pursuant to marketing agreements, throughout the continental United States. HLBE's plant has an approximate annual production capacity of 60 million gallons, but is permitted to produce approximately 72.3 million gallons of undenatured ethanol on a twelve month rolling sum basis. HLBE owns a majority interest in Agrinatural Gas, LLC (“Agrinatural”), which operates a natural gas pipeline that provides natural gas to HLBE's ethanol production facility and other customers.

 

All references to “we”, “us”, “our”, and the “Company” collectively refer to GFE and its wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries.

 

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

 

The condensed consolidated unaudited financial statements as of January 31, 2018 consolidate the operating results and financial position of GFE, and its approximately 50.7% owned subsidiary, HLBE (through GFE's 100% ownership of Project Viking, LLC). Given the Company’s control over the operations of HLBE and its majority voting interest, the Company consolidates the condensed consolidated unaudited financial statements of HLBE with GFE's condensed consolidated unaudited financial statements. The remaining 49.3% ownership of HLBE is included in the condensed consolidated unaudited financial statements as a non-controlling interest. HLBE, through its wholly owned subsidiary, HLBE Pipeline Company, LLC, owns approximately 73% of Agrinatural. Given HLBE’s control over the operations of Agrinatural and its majority voting interest, HLBE consolidates the financial statements of Agrinatural with its consolidated unaudited financial statements, with the equity and earnings attributed to the remaining approximately 27% noncontrolling interest. All significant intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated in consolidation.

 

The accompanying condensed consolidated unaudited financial statements have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Certain information and disclosures normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America have been condensed or omitted as permitted by such rules and regulations. These financial statements and related notes should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended October 31, 2017, contained in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K.

 

In the opinion of management, the condensed consolidated unaudited financial statements reflect all adjustments consisting of normal recurring accruals that we consider necessary to present fairly the Company’s results of operations, financial position and cash flows. The results reported in these condensed consolidated unaudited financial statements should not be regarded as necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for any other fiscal period or for the fiscal year.

 

Reportable Operating Segments

 

Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 280, “Segment Reporting,” establishes the standards for reporting information about segments in financial statements. Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise for which separate financial information is available that is evaluated regularly by the chief operating decision maker in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance. Therefore, in applying the criteria set forth in ASC 280, the Company determined that based on the nature of the products and production process and the expected financial results, the Company’s operations at GFE’s ethanol plant and HLBE’s plant, including the production and sale of ethanol and its co-products, are aggregated into one reporting segment.

 

Additionally, the Company also realizes relatively immaterial revenue from natural gas pipeline operations at Agrinatural, HLBE’s majority owned subsidiary. Before and after accounting for intercompany eliminations, these revenues from Agrinatural’s represent less than less than 1% of our consolidated revenues and have little to no impact on the overall performance of the Company.  Therefore, the Company does not separately review Agrinatural’s revenues, cost of sales or other operating performance information.  Rather, the Company reviews Agrinatural’s natural gas pipeline financial data on a consolidated basis with the Company’s ethanol production operating segment. The Company believes that the presentation of separate operating performance information for Agrinatural’s natural gas pipeline operations would not provide meaningful information to a reader of the Company’s consolidated financial statements and would not achieve the basic principles and objectives of ASC 280.

 

Accounting Estimates

 

Management uses estimates and assumptions in preparing these condensed consolidated unaudited financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America. Those estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, and the reported revenues and expenses. The Company uses estimates and assumptions in accounting for the following significant matters, among others: economic lives of property and equipment, valuation of commodity derivatives, inventory, inventory purchase and sale commitments, evaluation of railcar damages contingency, and the assumptions used in the impairment analysis of long-lived assets, which includes goodwill. Actual results may differ from previously estimated amounts, and such differences may be material to our condensed consolidated unaudited financial statements. The Company periodically reviews estimates and assumptions, and the effects of revisions are reflected in the period in which the revision is made.

 

Revenue Recognition

 

The Company generally sells ethanol and related products pursuant to marketing agreements. Revenues from the production of ethanol and the related products are recorded when the customer has taken title and assumed the risks and rewards of ownership, prices are fixed or determinable and collectability is reasonably assured. Ethanol and related products are generally shipped free on board (FOB) shipping point. The Company believes there are no ethanol sales, during any given month, which should be considered contingent and recorded as deferred revenue.

 

In accordance with the Company's agreements for the marketing and sale of ethanol and related products, marketing fees and commissions due to the marketers are deducted from the gross sales price as earned. These fees and commissions are recorded net of revenues, as they do not provide an identifiable benefit that is sufficiently separable from the sale of ethanol and related products. Shipping costs paid by the Company to the marketer in the sale of ethanol are not specifically identifiable and, as a result, are recorded based on the net selling price reported to the Company from the marketer. Shipping costs incurred by the Company in the sale of distillers' grains and corn oil are included in cost of goods sold.

 

Agrinatural recognizes revenue when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, the fee for the arrangement is fixed or determinable and collectability is reasonably assured.

 

Inventory

 

Inventory is stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Cost for all inventories is determined using the first in first out method (“FIFO”).  Net realizable value is the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal, and transportation.  Inventory consists of raw materials, work in process, finished goods, and spare parts.  Corn is the primary raw material along with other raw materials.  Finished goods consist of ethanol, distillers' grains, and corn oil.

 

Derivative Instruments

 

From time to time the Company enters into derivative transactions to hedge its exposures to commodity price fluctuations. The Company is required to record these derivatives on the balance sheets at fair value.

 

In order for a derivative to qualify as a hedge, specific criteria must be met and appropriate documentation maintained. Gains and losses from derivatives that do not qualify as hedges, or are undesignated, must be recognized immediately in earnings. If the derivative does qualify as a hedge, depending on the nature of the hedge, changes in the fair value of the derivative will be either offset against the change in fair value of the hedged assets, liabilities, or firm commitments through earnings or recognized in other comprehensive income until the hedged item is recognized in earnings. Changes in the fair value of undesignated derivatives are recorded in earnings.

 

Additionally, the Company is required to evaluate its contracts to determine whether the contracts are derivatives. Certain contracts that literally meet the definition of a derivative may be exempted as “normal purchases or normal sales”.  Normal purchases and normal sales are contracts that provide for the purchase or sale of something other than a financial instrument or derivative instrument that will be delivered in quantities expected to be used or sold over a reasonable period in the normal course of business. Contracts that meet the requirements of normal purchases or sales are documented as normal and exempted from accounting and reporting requirements, and therefore, are not marked to market in our condensed consolidated unaudited financial statements.

 

In order to reduce the risks caused by market fluctuations, the Company occasionally hedges its anticipated corn, natural gas, and denaturant purchases and ethanol sales by entering into options and futures contracts. These contracts are used with the intention to fix the purchase price of anticipated requirements for corn in the Company's ethanol production activities and the related sales price of ethanol. The fair value of these contracts is based on quoted prices in active exchange-traded or over-the-counter market conditions. Although the Company believes its commodity derivative positions are economic hedges, none have been formally designated as a hedge for accounting purposes and derivative positions are recorded on the balance sheet at their fair market value, with changes in fair value recognized in current period earnings or losses. The Company does not enter into financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes.

 

The Company has adopted authoritative guidance related to “Derivatives and Hedging,” and has included the required enhanced quantitative and qualitative disclosure about objectives and strategies for using derivatives, quantitative disclosures about fair value amounts of gains and losses from derivative instruments, and disclosures about credit-risk-related contingent features in derivative agreements. See further discussion in Note 4.

 

Investment 

   

On November 1, 2016, GFE subscribed to purchase 1,500 capital units of Ringneck Energy & Feed, LLC (“Ringneck”) at a price of $5,000 per unit for a total of $7,500,000.  Ringneck is a South Dakota limited liability company that is currently constructing an 80 million gallon per year ethanol manufacturing plant in outside of Onida, South Dakota in Sully County. GFE’s investment is sufficient to secure the Company the right to appoint one director to the board of directors of Ringneck. GFE has appointed Steve Christensen, its CEO, to serve as its appointed director.

 

GFE paid a down payment of $750,000 in connection with the subscription, and signed a promissory note for $6,750,000 for the remaining balance of the subscription. On August 2, 2017, following notice from Ringneck accepting GFE’s subscription and that payment of the balance of GFE’s subscription and promissory note was due, GFE borrowed $7.5 million under its credit facility with Project Hawkeye, LLC (“Project Hawkeye”) and paid $6,750,000 to Ringneck as payment for the remaining balance of GFE’s subscription.  Project Hawkeye is an affiliate of Fagen, Inc., which is a member of GFE.  See Note 6 below for the terms of GFE’s credit facility with Project Hawkeye.

The investment will be accounted for by the equity method, under which the Company’s share of the net income of the investee is recognized as income in the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and added to the investment account, and distributions received from the affiliates are treated as a reduction of the investment.

 

 

2.   RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES

 

The Company has certain risks and uncertainties that it experiences during volatile market conditions. These volatilities can have a severe impact on operations.  The Company's revenues are derived from the sale and distribution of ethanol, distillers' grains, corn oil, and natural gas to customers primarily located in the United States. Corn for the production process is supplied to our plant primarily from local agricultural producers and from purchases on the open market.  Ethanol sales typically average 75% - 90% of total revenues and corn costs typically average 65% - 85% of cost of goods sold.

 

The Company's operating and financial performance is largely driven by the prices at which they sell ethanol and the net expense of corn. The price of ethanol is influenced by factors such as supply and demand, the weather, government policies and programs, and unleaded gasoline prices and the petroleum markets as a whole. Excess ethanol supply in the market, in particular, puts downward pressure on the price of ethanol. The Company’s largest cost of production is corn.  The cost of corn is generally impacted by factors such as supply and demand, the weather, government policies and programs, and a risk management program used to protect against the price volatility of these commodities. Market fluctuations in the price of and demand for these products may have a significant adverse effect on the Company’s operations, profitability and the availability and adequacy of cash flow to meet the Company’s working capital requirements. 

 

 

3.   INVENTORY

 

Inventories consist of the following:

 

 

The Company performs a lower of cost or net realizable value analysis on inventory to determine if the net realizable values of certain inventories are less than their carrying value, which is attributable primarily to decreases in market prices of corn and ethanol. Based on the lower of cost or net realizable value analysis, as a component of cost of goods sold, the Company recorded a loss on ethanol inventories of approximately $377,000 and $207,000 for the three months ended January 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

 

 

4.   DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS

 

As of January 31, 2018, the total notional amount of GFE’s outstanding corn derivative instruments was approximately 7,090,000 bushels, comprised of long corn positions on 2,070,000 bushels that were entered into to hedge forecasted ethanol sales through March 2018, and short corn positions on 5,020,000 bushels that were entered into to hedge forecasted corn purchases through December 2021. There may be offsetting positions that are not shown on a net basis that could lower the notional amount of positions outstanding as disclosed above.

As of January 31, 2018, the total notional amount of HLBE’s outstanding corn derivative instruments was approximately 5,635,000 bushels, comprised of long corn positions on 1,995,000 bushels that were entered into to hedge forecasted ethanol sales through March 2018, and short corn positions on 3,640,000 bushels that were entered into to hedge forecasted corn purchases through December 2019. There may be offsetting positions that are not shown on a net basis that could lower the notional amount of positions outstanding.

 

As of January 31, 2018, HLBE had outstanding natural gas derivative instruments totaling approximately 40,000 MMBTUs entered into to hedge forecasted ethanol sales through February 2018.

 

As of January 31, 2018, GFE had approximately $386,000 of cash collateral (restricted cash) related to derivatives held by a broker.

 

As of January 31, 2018, HLBE had approximately $161,000 of cash collateral (restricted cash) related to derivatives held by a broker.

 

The following tables provide details regarding the Company's derivative instruments at January 31, 2018, none of which were designated as hedging instruments:

 

 

As of October 31, 2017, the total notional amount of GFE’s outstanding corn derivative instruments was approximately 1,495,000 bushels, comprised of long corn positions on 200,000 bushels that were entered into to hedge forecasted ethanol sales through December 2017, and short corn positions on 1,295,000 bushels that were entered into to hedge forecasted corn purchases through December 2018. There may be offsetting positions that are not shown on a net basis that could lower the notional amount of positions outstanding.

 

As of October 31, 2017, the total notional amount of GFE’s outstanding ethanol derivative instruments was approximately 420,000 gallons that were entered into to hedge forecasted ethanol sales through November 2017.

 

As of October 31, 2017, GFE had approximately $75,000 cash collateral (restricted cash) and approximately $12,000 due to broker related to derivatives held by a broker, recorded as a component of accounts payable.

 

As of October 31, 2017, the total notional amount of HLBE’s outstanding corn derivative instruments was approximately 1,120,000 bushels, comprised of long corn positions on 215,000 bushels that were entered into to hedge forecasted ethanol sales through December 2017, and short corn positions on 905,000 bushels that were entered into to hedge forecasted corn purchases through July 2018. There may be offsetting positions that are not shown on a net basis that could lower the notional amount of positions outstanding.

 

As of October 31, 2017, HLBE had outstanding natural gas derivative instruments totaling 120,000 MMBTU entered into hedge forecasted natural gas purchases through February 2018.

 

As of October 31, 2017, the total notional amount of HLBE’s outstanding ethanol derivative instruments was approximately 420,000 gallons that were entered into to hedge forecasted ethanol sales through November 2017

 

As of October 31, 2017, HLBE did not have any cash collateral (restricted cash) and approximately $12,000 due to broker related to derivatives held by a broker, recorded as a component of accounts payable.

 

The following tables provide details regarding the Company's derivative instruments at October 31, 2017, none of which were designated as hedging instruments:

 

 

The following tables provide details regarding the gains (losses) from Company's derivative instruments in statements of operations, none of which are designated as hedging instruments:

 

 

 

 

 

5.   FAIR VALUE

 

The following table sets forth, by level, the Company assets that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis at January 31, 2018:

 

 

The following table sets forth, by level, the Company assets that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis at October 31, 2017:

 

The Company determines the fair value of commodity derivative instruments by obtaining fair value measurements from an independent pricing service. The fair value measurements consider observable data that may include dealer quotes and live trading levels from the Chicago Board of Trade market and New York Mercantile Exchange. We determine the fair value of ethanol and natural gas Level 2 instruments by model-based techniques in which all significant inputs are observable in the markets noted above.

 

 

6.  DEBT FACILITIES

 

Debt financing consists of the following:

 

 

Granite Falls Energy

 

Seasonal Revolving Loan

 

GFE has a credit facility with a lender that includes a seasonal revolving loan, under which GFE may borrow, repay, and re-borrow up to the aggregate principal commitment of $6,000,000 until maturity.  The seasonal revolving loan matures on October 1, 2018 unless a later date is agreed to by the administrative agent for the facility.  There was no outstanding balance on the seasonal revolving loan at January 31, 2018 and October 31, 2017. Therefore, the aggregate principal amount available for borrowing by GFE under this seasonal revolving loan at January 31, 2018 and October 31, 2017 was $6,000,000.

 

The interest rate on the seasonal revolving loan is based on the bank's One Month London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) Index Rate, plus 2.75%, which equated to 4.33% and 3.99% at January 31, 2018 and October 31, 2017, respectively.

 

The credit facility also requires GFE to comply with certain financial covenants, at various times calculated monthly, quarterly, or annually, including maintenance of certain financial ratios including minimum working capital, a debt service coverage ratio as defined by the credit facility, as well as a restriction of the payment of distributions.    Failure to comply with the protective loan covenants or maintain the required financial ratios may cause acceleration of the outstanding principal balances on the revolving term loan and/or the imposition of fees, charges or penalties.

 

The credit facility is secured by substantially all assets of GFE. There are no savings account balance collateral requirements as part of this credit facility.

 

Project Hawkeye Loan

 

On August 2, 2017, GFE entered into a credit facility with Project Hawkeye to finance its investment in Ringneck. Pursuant to this credit facility, GFE borrowed $7.5 million from Project Hawkeye using the Ringneck investment as collateral.  The Project Hawkeye loan bears interest from date funds are first advanced on the loan through maturity, at a rate per annum equal to the sum of the One Month LIBOR Index Rate plus 3.05% per annum, with an interest rate floor of 3.55%,  which equated to 4.63% and 4.29% at January 31, 2018 and October 31, 2017 respectively.

 

The Project Hawkeye loan requires annual interest payments only for the first two years of the loan and monthly principal and interest payments for years three through nine based on a seven-year amortization period.  The monthly amortized payments will be re-amortized following any change in interest rate. The entire outstanding principal balance of the loan, plus any accrued and unpaid interest thereon, is due and payable in full on August 2, 2026. GFE is permitted to voluntarily prepay all or any portion of the outstanding balance of this loan at any time without premium or penalty.

 

Pursuant to a pledge agreement entered into in connection with the Project Hawkeye loan, GFE’s obligations are secured by all of its right, title, and interest in its investment in Ringneck, including the 1,500 units subscribed for by GFE. The loan is non-recourse to all of GFE’s other assets, meaning that in the event of default, the only remedy available to Project Hawkeye will be to foreclose and seize all of GFE’s right, title and interest in its investment in Ringneck.    

 

Heron Lake BioEnergy

 

Revolving Term Loan

 

HLBE has a revolving term note payable with a lender under which HLBE can borrow, repay and re-borrow in an amount up to the original aggregate principal commitment at any time prior to maturity at March 1, 2022.  The original aggregate principal commitment was $28,000,000, which reduced by $3,500,000 annually, starting March 1, 2015 and continuing each anniversary thereafter until maturity. In December 2017, HLBE and its lender orally agreed to reduce the aggregate principal commitment of the revolving term loan to $8,000,000. HLBE had no outstanding balance on the revolving term loan at January 1, 2018 and October 31, 2017. Therefore, the aggregate principal amount available to HLBE for borrowing at January 31, 2018 and October 31, 2017 was $8,000,000 and $17,500,000, respectively.

 

In connection with the reduction in the aggregate principal commitment, the interest rate on the revolving term loan was reduced from 3.25% above the One-Month LIBOR Index rate to 2.85% above the One-Month LIBOR Index rate.  The interest rate on this facility was 4.42% and 4.49% at January 31, 2018, and October 31, 2017, respectively. HLBE may elect to enter into a fixed interest rate on this loan at various times throughout the term of the loan as provided in the loan agreements.

 

HLBE also agreed to pay an unused commitment fee on the unused portion of the revolving term loan commitment at the rate of 0.50% per annum. The loan is secured by substantially all of HLBE's assets including a subsidiary guarantee. 

 

During the term of the revolving term loan, HLBE is subject to certain financial covenants, including restriction of the payment of dividends, restrictions on loans and advances to Agrinatural and the maintenance of certain financial ratios including minimum working capital, minimum net worth and a debt service coverage ratio as defined by the credit facility. Failure to comply with the protective loan covenants or maintain the required financial ratios may cause acceleration of the outstanding principal balances on the revolving term loan and/or the imposition of fees, charges or penalties.

 

As part of the credit facility closing, HLBE entered into an Administrative Agency Agreement with CoBank, ACP (“CoBank”).  CoBank purchased a participation interest in the revolving term loan and was appointed the administrative agent for the purpose of servicing the loan.  As a result, CoBank will act as the agent for lender with respect to the credit facility. HLBE agreed to pay CoBank an annual fee of $2,500 for its services as administrative agent.

 

Estimated annual maturities of debt at January 31, 2018, are as follows based on the most recent debt agreements:

 

 

 

 

7.   MEMBERS' EQUITY

 

Granite Falls Energy

 

GFE has one class of membership units.   The units have no par value and have identical rights, obligations and privileges.  Income and losses are allocated to all members based upon their respective percentage of units held. As of January 31, 2018 and October 31, 2017, GFE had 30,606 membership units authorized, issued, and outstanding.

 

In December 2017, the Board of Governors of GFE declared a cash distribution of $385 per unit or approximately $11,783,000, for unit holders of record as of December 21, 2017.  The distribution was paid in January 2018.

 

In December 2016, the Board of Governors of GFE declared a cash distribution of $365 per unit or approximately $11,171,000, for unit holders of record as of December 22, 2016.  The distribution was paid in January 2017.

 

Heron Lake BioEnergy

 

In December 2017, the Board of Governors of HLBE declared a cash distribution of $0.11 per unit, or approximately $8,573,000,  for unit holders of record as of December 21, 2017. The distribution was paid in January 2018.

 

At December 21, 2017, GFE owned 24,475,824 Class A membership units and 15,000,000 Class B units of HLBE, and received an aggregate distribution from HLBE of approximately $4,342,000.  The remaining $4,231,000 was distributed by HLBE to the non-controlling interest.

 

 

8.    COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

 

Corn Purchase Commitments

 

At January 31, 2018, GFE had cash and basis contracts for forward corn contracts for approximately 4,096,000 bushels for delivery periods through February 2019.

 

At January 31, 2018,  HLBE had cash and basis contracts for forward corn purchase commitments for approximately 3,392,000 bushels for delivery periods through January 2019.

 

Corn Purchases - Members

GFE purchased corn from board members of approximately $437,000 and $0 for the three months ended January 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

 

HLBE purchased corn from board members of approximately $4,455,000 and $3,025,000 for the three months ended January 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

 

Ethanol Contracts

 

At January 31, 2018, GFE had fixed and basis contracts to sell approximately $11,710,000 of ethanol for various delivery periods through March 2018.  

 

At January 31, 2018, HLBE had fixed and basis contracts to sell approximately $14,003,000 of ethanol for various delivery periods through March 2018.  

 

Distillers' Grain Contracts

 

At January 31, 2018, GFE had forward contracts to sell approximately $993,000 of distillers' grain for various delivery periods through February 2018.

 

At January 31, 2018, HLBE had forward contracts to sell approximately $1,640,000 of distillers' grains for delivery periods through March 2018.

 

Corn Oil

 

At January 31, 2018, GFE had forward contracts to sell approximately $260,000 of corn oil for various delivery periods through February 2018.

 

At January 31, 2018, HLBE had forward contracts to sell approximately $466,000 of corn oil for various delivery periods through February 2018.

 

Railcar Damages

 

In accordance with certain railcar lease agreements, at expiration, the Company is required to return the railcars in good condition, less normal wear and tear.  Primarily due to the ongoing maintenance and repair activities performed on its railcars, the Company has determined that no accrual for leased railcars is necessary and an estimate of the possible range of loss cannot be made.

 

 

 

Item 2.  Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

 

We prepared the following discussion and analysis to help you better understand our financial condition, changes in our financial condition, and results of operations for the three months ended January 31, 2018 and 2017. This discussion should be read in conjunction with the condensed consolidated unaudited financial statements and related notes in Item 1 of this report and the information contained in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2017.

 

Disclosure Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

 

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) encourages companies to disclose forward-looking information so investors can better understand future prospects and make informed investment decisions. As such, we have historical information, as well as forward-looking statements regarding our business, financial condition, results of operations, performance and prospects in this report.  All statements that are not historical or current facts are forward-looking statements. In some cases,  you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “anticipates”, “believes”, “could”, “estimates”, “expects”, “intends”, “may”, “plans”, “potential”, “predicts”, “projects”, “should”, “will”, “would”, and similar expressions. 

 

Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which may be beyond our control, and may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those projected in, expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. While it is impossible to identify all such factors, factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimated by us are described more particularly in the “Risk Factors” section of our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended October 31, 2017 and this report on Form 10-Q. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following:

We believe our expectations regarding future events are based on reasonable assumptions; however, these assumptions may not be accurate or account for all risks and uncertainties. Consequently, forward-looking statements are not guaranteed. Actual results may vary materially from those expressed or implied in our forward-looking statements. In addition, we are not obligated and do not intend to update our forward-looking statements as a result of new information unless it is required by applicable securities laws. We caution investors not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which represent management’s views as of the date of this report. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

 

Available Information

 

Our website address is www.granitefallsenergy.com.  Our annual report on Form 10-K, periodic reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, are available, free of charge, on our website under the link “SEC Compliance”, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such materials with, or furnish such materials to, the Securities and Exchange Commission. The contents of our website are not incorporated by reference in this report on Form 10-Q.

 

Industry and Market Data

 

Much of the information in this report regarding the ethanol industry, including government regulation relevant to the industry is from information published by the Renewable Fuels Association (“RFA”), a national trade association for the United States (“U.S.”) ethanol industry, and information about the market for our products and competition is derived from publicly available information from governmental agencies or publications and other published independent sources.  Although we believe our third-party sources are reliable, we have not independently verified the information.

 

Overview

 

Granite Falls Energy, LLC (“Granite Falls Energy” or “GFE”) is a Minnesota limited liability company that owns and operates a dry mill cornbased, natural gas fired ethanol plant in Granite Falls, Minnesota.  Additionally, through Project Viking, L.L.C., a wholly owned subsidiary (“Project Viking”), GFE owns an approximately 50.7% controlling interest of Heron Lake BioEnergy, LLC (“Heron Lake BioEnergy” or “HLBE”).  HLBE is a Minnesota limited liability company that owns and operates a dry mill cornbased, natural gas fired ethanol plant near Heron Lake, Minnesota.    Additionally, through its a wholly owned subsidiary, HLBE Pipeline Company, LLC (“HLBE Pipeline Company”), HLBE owns a 73% controlling interest of Agrinatural Gas, LLC (“Agrinatural”), which operates a natural gas pipeline. 

 

When we use the terms “Heron Lake BioEnergy”, “Heron Lake”, or “HLBE” or similar words, unless the context otherwise requires, we are referring to Heron Lake BioEnergy and its wholly owned subsidiary, HLBE Pipeline Company, LLC, and its majority-owned subsidiary Agrinatural. When we use the terms “Granite Falls Energy” or “GFE” or similar words, unless the context otherwise requires, we are referring to Granite Falls Energy, LLC and our operations at our ethanol production facility located in Granite Falls, Minnesota. When we use the terms the “Company”, “we”, “us”, “our” or similar, unless the context otherwise requires, we are referring to Granite Falls Energy, LLC and our consolidated wholly- and majority owned subsidiaries. 

 

Our business consists primarily of the production and sale of ethanol and its co-products (wet, modified wet and dried distillers’ grains, corn oil and corn syrup) locally, and throughout the continental U.S.  Our production operations are carried out at GFE’s ethanol plant located in Granite Falls, Minnesota and at HLBE’s ethanol plant near Heron Lake, Minnesota.    

 

The GFE ethanol plant has an approximate annual production capacity of 60 million gallons of denatured ethanol, but has obtained EPA pathway approval and permits from the Minnesota Pollution Control Authority (“MPCA”) to increase our production capacity to approximately 70 million gallons of undenatured ethanol on a twelve month rolling sum basis. The HLBE plant has an approximate annual production capacity of 60 million gallons of denatured ethanol, but has obtained EPA pathway approval and permits from the MPCA to increase its production capacity to approximately 72 million gallons of undenatured ethanol on a twelve month rolling sum basis.  We intend to continue working toward increasing production at plants to take advantage of the additional production allowed pursuant to their respective permits so long as we believe it is profitable to do so.

 

We market and sell the products produced at the GFE and HLBE plants primarily using third party marketers. The markets in which our products are sold may be local, regional, national, and international and depend primarily upon the efforts of third party marketers. We have contracted with Eco-Energy, LLC to market all of the ethanol produced at our ethanol plants.  We also independently market a small portion of the ethanol production at the GFE plant as E-85 to local retailers. 

 

We have contracted with Renewable Products Marketing Group, LLC (“RPMG”) to market the distillers’ grains produced at the GFE plant and with Gavilon Ingredients, LLC to market distillers’ grains produced at the HLBE plant. We have contracted with RPMG to market all of corn oil produced at our ethanol plants. HLBE also occasionally independently markets and sells excess corn syrup from the distillation process at the Heron Lake plant to local livestock feeders.

 

We do not have any long-term, fixed price exclusive supply contracts for the purchase of corn for either the GFE or HLBE plants.  Both GFE and HLBE purchase the corn necessary for operating directly from grain elevators, farmers, and local dealers within approximately 80 miles of their respective plants. Neither GFE’s nor HLBE’s members are obligated to deliver corn to our plants.

 

At the GFE plant, we pay Center Point Energy/Minnegasco a per unit fee to move the natural gas through the pipeline, and we have guaranteed to move a minimum of 1,500,000 MMBTUs annually through December 31, 2025, which is the ending date of the agreement.  We also have an agreement with U.S. Energy Services, Inc. to procure contracts with various natural gas vendors on our behalf to supply the natural gas necessary to operate the Granite Falls plant.

 

HLBE has a facilities agreement with Northern Border Pipeline Company, which allows HLBE to access an existing interstate natural gas pipeline located approximately 16 miles north of its plant.  HLBE has entered into a firm natural gas transportation agreement with its majority owned subsidiary, Agrinatural.  HLBE also has an agreement with Constellation NewEnergy—Gas Division, LLC to supply the natural gas necessary to operate the Heron Lake plant.

 

We have entered into a management services agreement with HLBE pursuant to which our chief executive officer, chief financial officer, and commodity risk manager also hold those same offices with HLBE.  The management services agreement automatically renews for successive one-year terms unless either HLBE or GFE gives the other party written notice of termination prior to expiration of the then current term. The management services agreement may also be terminated by either party for cause under certain circumstances.

 

HLBE also owns a controlling 73% interest in Agrinatural, which is a natural gas distribution and sales company located in Heron Lake, Minnesota that owns approximately 190 miles of natural gas pipeline and provides natural gas to HLBE’s ethanol plant and other commercial, agricultural and residential customers through a connection with the natural gas pipeline facilities of Northern Border Pipeline Company.  Agrinatural's revenues are generated through natural gas distribution fees and sales.

 

On November 1, 2016, we subscribed to purchase 1,500 capital units of Ringneck Energy & Feed, LLC (“Ringneck”) at a price of $5,000 per unit for a total of $7,500,000.  By letter dated July 12, 2017, GFE was notified of Ringneck’s acceptance of GFE’s subscription and that payment of the balance of GFE’s subscription due under the promissory note was due not later than August 2, 2017. On August 2, 2017, GFE borrowed $7.5 million under its credit facility with Project Hawkeye, LLC (“Project Hawkeye”), an affiliate of Fagen, Inc., which is a member of GFE, and paid $6,750,000 to Ringneck as payment of the remaining balance of GFE’s subscription and promissory note.  Details regarding our investment in Ringneck are provided below in the section below titled “Investments.”  Details of the Project Hawkeye credit facility are provided below in the section below entitled “Indebtedness - Granite Falls Energy - GFE’s Other Credit Arrangement”.

 

Reportable Operating Segments

 

Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise for which separate financial information is available that is evaluated regularly by the chief operating decision maker in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance. Our revenues from operations come from three primary sources: sales of fuel ethanol, sales of distillers' grains and sales of corn oil at GFE's ethanol plant and HLBE's ethanol plant.  Therefore, we have determined that based on the nature of the products and production process and the expected financial results, the Company’s operations at its ethanol plant and HLBE's plant, including the production and sale of ethanol and its co-products, are aggregated into one reporting segment.

Additionally, we also realize relatively immaterial revenue from natural gas pipeline operations at Agrinatural, HLBE's majority owned subsidiary.  The intercompany transactions between HLBE and Agrinatural resulting from the firm natural gas transportation agreement between the two companies are eliminated in consolidation. After intercompany eliminations, revenues from Agrinatural represent less than less than 1% of our consolidated revenues and have little to no impact on the overall performance of the Company.  Therefore, our management does not separately review Agrinatural's operating performance information.  Rather, management reviews Agrinatural's natural gas pipeline financial data on a consolidated basis with our ethanol production operations segment. Additionally, management believes that the presentation of separate operating performance information for Agrinatural's natural gas pipeline operations would not provide meaningful information to a reader of the Company’s condensed consolidated unaudited financial statements.

 

We currently do not have or anticipate that we will have any other lines of business or other significant sources of revenue other than the sale of ethanol and its co-products, which include distillers' grains and non-edible corn oil.

 

Plan of Operations for the Next Twelve Months

 

Over the next twelve months, we will continue our focus on operational improvements at our plants. These operational improvements include exploring methods to improve ethanol yield per bushel and increasing production output at our plants to take full advantage of our permitted production capacities, reducing our operating costs, and optimizing our margin opportunities through prudent risk-management policies.

 

We expect to have sufficient cash generated by continuing operations and availability on current credit facilities to fund our operations.  However, should we experience unfavorable operating conditions in the ethanol industry that prevent us from profitably operating the ethanol plants, we may need to seek additional funding.

 

Additionally, we expect to continue to conduct routine maintenance and repair activities at our ethanol plants to maintain current plant infrastructure, as well as small capital projects to improve operating efficiency. We anticipate using cash we generate from our operations and our revolving term loan to finance these plant upgrade projects.

 

Trends and Uncertainties Impacting Our Operations

 

The principal factors affecting our results of operations and financial conditions are the market prices for corn, ethanol, distillers’ grains and natural gas, as well as governmental programs designed to create incentives for the use of corn-based ethanol.  Other factors that may affect our future results of operation include those risks discussed below and in “PART II - Item 1A. Risk Factors”  of this report and “PART I - Item 1A. Risk Factors” of our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2017.

 

Our operations are highly dependent on commodity prices, especially prices for corn, ethanol, distillers’ grains and natural gas. As a result, our operating results can fluctuate substantially due to volatility in these commodity markets. The price and availability of corn is subject to significant fluctuations depending upon a number of factors that affect commodity prices in general, including crop conditions, yields, domestic and global stocks, weather, federal policy and foreign trade. Natural gas prices are influenced by severe weather in the summer and winter and hurricanes in the spring, summer and fall. Other factors include North American exploration and production, and the amount of natural gas in underground storage during injection and withdrawal seasons.

 

Ethanol prices are sensitive to world crude oil supply and demand, domestic gasoline supply and demand, the price of crude oil, gasoline and corn, the price of substitute fuels and octane enhancers, refining capacity and utilization, government regulation and incentives and consumer demand for alternative fuels. Distillers’ grains prices are impacted by livestock numbers on feed, prices for feed alternatives and supply, which is associated with ethanol plant production.

 

Because the market price of ethanol is not always directly related to corn, at times ethanol prices may lag price movements in corn prices and corn-ethanol price spread may be tightly compressed or negative. If the corn-ethanol spread is compressed or negative for sustained period, it is possible that our operating margins will decline or become negative and our plants may not generate adequate cash flow for operations. In such cases, we may reduce or cease production at our plants to minimize our variable costs and optimize cash flow.

 

 

Management currently believes that our margins will remain modest during the remainder of the fiscal year 2018.  However, continued large corn supplies and ethanol production capacity increases could have a negative impact on the market price of ethanol which could adversely impact our profitability. This negative impact could worsen if domestic ethanol inventories remain high or grow, or if U.S. exports of ethanol decline. The ethanol industry is currently experiencing growth in production capacity principally through plant optimization and some new construction. The EIA has reported that during 2017, increasing ethanol production rates have outpaced domestic E10 gasoline demand and export growth, leading to elevated ethanol inventory levels. 

 

In recent years, the ethanol industry in the U.S. has increased exports of ethanol and distillers’ grains. However, export demand for ethanol is less consistent compared to domestic demand which can lead to ethanol price volatility.  During 2017, China and Brazil instituted tariffs on ethanol produced in the U.S., which are expected to continue to negatively impact U.S. exports. In September 2017, China’s National Development and Reform Commission, the National Energy Board and 15 other state departments issued a joint plan to expand the use and production of biofuels containing up to 10% ethanol by 2020. China, the number three importer of U.S. ethanol in 2016, imported negligible volumes during calendar year 2017 due to a 30% tariff imposed on imports of U.S. and Brazil fuel ethanol, which took effect in January 2017. There is no assurance that the recently issued joint plan will lead to increased imports of U.S. ethanol by China but any increase in exports to China could have a positive impact on the ethanol market.

 

While Chinese export demand has fallen off since imposition of its tariffs, Brazilian demand from the U.S. has remained relatively steady. Additionally, given the ethanol supply struggles Brazil is currently facing, the government of Brazil has indicated that it is contemplating reversing the tariff. As a result, management anticipates exports to Brazil will remain steady in the near term despite the tariff because of market conditions in Brazil. Any decrease in U.S. ethanol exports could adversely impact the market price of ethanol unless domestic demand increases or foreign markets are developed.

 

Our margins have also been, and could continue to be, negatively impacted due to lower market prices for distillers’ grains due to lower export demand, largely due to Chinese tariffs, and oversupply in the domestic market, along with increased corn and soybean availability. However, during the three months ended January 31, 2018, distillers’ grains prices were somewhat buoyed by improved domestic demand in response to the continued rise in soybean meal price and improved export demand from southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam. Exports of U.S. distillers’ grains to Vietnam had halted completely due to Vietnam’s imposition of stricter regulations on fumigation in December 2016. However, in a statement issued September 1, 2017, the U.S. Grains Council announced that Vietnam is lifting its suspension of U.S. distillers’ grains imports and easing fumigation requirements.  Since the lifting of Vietnam’s suspension, exports to Vietnam have resumed, although there is no guarantee that they will reach pre-suspension levels. 

 

Demand and prices for distillers’ grains have experienced significant decline due to decreased exports to China as a result of the substantial tariffs and duties imposed on imports into China of distillers’ grains produced in the U.S. imposed in January 2017. China had historically been one of the largest importers of domestically produced distillers’ grains.  However, in November 2017, the Chinese foreign ministry announced that it would be removing the 11% value-added tax on U.S. produced dried distillers’ grains but no timeline for removal has been established. While the anti-subsidy tariffs may be removed, the more substantial anti-dumping duties remain.  As a result, we cannot forecast how much demand from China will come back into the marketplace and distillers’ grains prices could remain low unless additional demand can be created from other foreign markets or domestically.

 

Corn oil prices have been adversely impacted by oversupply of corn oil due to the substantial increase in ethanol production during the last few years. Additionally, corn oil prices have been impacted by oversupply of soybeans and the resulting lower price of soybean oil which competes with corn oil for biodiesel production. The impact of lower soybean oil prices and the current oversupply of corn oil due to the substantial increase in corn oil production during the last few years will likely continue to impact corn oil prices.

 

In February 2018, legislation was signed retroactively extending the $1.00-per-gallon biodiesel blender tax credit retroactively to January 1, 2017.  Any extension of the biodiesel blenders tax credit beyond December 31, 2017 could increase demand for corn oil and soybean oil and positively impact the price of corn oil. However, due to the recent uncertainty in Congress, management cannot predict whether additional legislation further extending the biodiesel tax credit will be passed by Congress. 

 

Given the inherent volatility in ethanol, distillers’ grains, non-food grade corn oil, grain and natural gas prices, we cannot predict the likelihood that the spread between ethanol, distillers’ grains, non-food grade corn oil and grain prices in future periods will be consistent compared to historical periods.

 

Government Supports and Regulation

 

The Renewable Fuels Standard

 

The ethanol industry is dependent on several economic incentives to produce ethanol, the most significant of which is the federal Renewable Fuels Standard (the “RFS”). The RFS has been, and we expect will continue to be, a significant factor impacting ethanol usage. Any adverse ruling on, or legislation affecting, the RFS could have an adverse impact on short-term ethanol prices and our financial performance in the future.

 

Under the provisions of the RFS, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) must publish an annual rule that establishes the number of gallons of different types of renewable fuels, including corn-based ethanol, that must be blended with gasoline in the U.S. by refineries, blenders, distributors and importers, which affects the domestic market for ethanol.  In November 2017, the EPA announced it would maintain the 15 billion gallon mandate for conventional ethanol in 2018. 

 

According to the RFS, if mandatory renewable fuel volumes are reduced by at least 20% for two consecutive years, the EPA is required to modify, or reset, statutory volumes through 2022. Although the EPA maintained the RVO for conventional ethanol at 15 billion gallons, 2018 is the first year the total proposed RVOs are more than 20% below statutory volumes levels.  Thus, the EPA Administrator Pruitt directed his staff to initiate the required technical analysis to perform any future reset consistent with the reset rules. The reset will be triggered if the 2019 RVOs continue to be more than 20% below the statutory levels.  If the reset is triggered, the EPA will be required to modify statutory volumes through 2022 within one year of the trigger event, based on the same factors used to set the RVOs post-2022. Any adverse ruling on, or legislation affecting, the RFS could have an adverse impact on short-term ethanol prices and our financial performance in the future.

 

The EPA assigns individual refiners, blenders and importers the renewable volume obligations (“RVOs”) they are obligated to use based on their percentage of total fuel sales. However, the EPA has the authority to waive the mandates in whole or in part if there is inadequate domestic renewable fuel supply or the requirement severely harms the economy or environment.  Obligated parties use RINs to show compliance with RFS-mandated volumes. RINs are attached to renewable fuels by producers and detached when the renewable fuel is blended with transportation fuel or traded in the open market. The market price of detached RINs affects the price of ethanol in certain markets and influences the purchasing decisions by obligated parties. In November 2017, the EPA denied a petition to change the point of obligation under RFS to the parties that own the gasoline before it is sold.

 

On October 19, 2017, the EPA Administrator Pruitt reiterated his commitment to the text and spirit of the RFS. In a letter to seven senators from the Midwestern states, he stated the EPA is actively exploring its authority to issue an RVP waiver and will not pursue action on RINs involving ethanol exports. Moreover, on November 22, 2017, the EPA issued a Notice of Denial of Petitions for rulemaking to change the RFS point of obligation, confirming the point of obligation will not change. The point of obligation does not directly impact ethanol producers; however, moving the point of obligation could indirectly affect ethanol producers.

 

Valero Energy and refining trade group American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) have challenged the EPA’s handling of the U.S. biofuel mandate in separate actions on January 26, 2018. AFPM is asking the D.C. U.S. Court of Appeals to review the EPA’s November 2017 decision to reject proposed changes to the structure of the RFS, including moving the point of obligation from refiners and importers of fuel to fuel blenders. Valero filed two petitions with the same court, one seeking review of the annual Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) rule set by EPA’s for 2018 and 2019, which dictates the volumes of renewable fuels to be blended in the coming years, and a second arguing against the EPA’s December 2017 assertion that the agency has fulfilled its duty to periodically review the RFS as directed by statute.

 

Although the maintenance of the 15 billion gallon RVO for corn-based ethanol, the October 2017 letter issued by EPA Administrator Pruitt, and the resulting actions taken by the EPA consistent with EPA Administrator Pruitt’s letter signals support from the EPA and the Trump administration for domestic ethanol production, the Trump administration could still elect to materially modify, repeal or otherwise invalidate the RFS.  At the end of February 2018 and continuing into March, several discussions regarding the RFS were held between the Trump administration and congressional and petroleum and ethanol industry leaders.  A variety of proposals to modify obligations under the RFS have surfaced in recent months, including application of the various waiver authorities under the RFS, expanding the number of small refinery exemptions, and a $0.10 per gallon cap on the price of the RIN credits used to comply with the RFS. There has also been discussion of granting an RVP waiver for E15 gasoline blends to remove barriers to the year-rounds use of E15 and other mid-level ethanol blends.  However, it is unclear what regulatory changes, if any, will emerge from these discussions. Any changes to the RFS which could significantly affect the market price of RINs or reduce RVOs could adversely affect the demand and price for ethanol and the Company's profitability.

 

Tax Cuts and Job Act

 

On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Reform Act”) was signed into law. The Tax Reform Act includes significant changes to the taxation of partnership entities. Included in those changes were changes U.S. federal tax rates,  significant limitations on the deductibility of interest, and allowances for the expensing of capital expenditures.  The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the Tax Reform Act, as well as potential future regulations implementing the new tax law and interpretations of the new tax law with its professional advisors. The full impact of the Tax Reform Act on the Company in future periods cannot be predicted at this time

 

The Tax Reform Act also included an unintended consequence under section 199A benefitting producers of agricultural products that sell their products through cooperatives.  Currently, sales to non-cooperative grain buyers, like the Company, do not qualify for the same benefit.  This may provide cooperatives with a potential marketplace advantage over us as we compete to purchase corn for our plant due to how sales from farmers to such entities are treated for income tax purposes.  Any increase in the price we must pay for the corn to effectively compete with cooperatives would result in lower profit margins and adversely affect our financial performance.  According recent industry new reports, draft legislation has been proposed to address the marketplace imbalance created by section 199A retroactive to January 1, 2018 for inclusion in the pending 2018 omnibus spending bill.  While we believe that Congress intends to correct these provisions favoring cooperatives, there is no assurance that Congress will act to resolve this issue or that if such changes are approved that they will be retroactively applied.

 

Results of Operations for the Three Months Ended January 31, 2018 and 2017

 

The following table shows summary information from the results of our operations and the approximate percentage of revenues, costs of goods sold, operating expenses and other items to total revenues in our unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three months ended January 31, 2018 and 2017 (amounts in thousands).  

 

 

Revenues

 

Our consolidated revenue is derived principally from sales of our three primary products: ethanol, distillers’ grains and corn oil. Revenues from these products represented approximately 98.4%  and 98.9% of our total revenues for the three months ended January 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.  The remaining approximately 1.6%  and 1.1% attributable to miscellaneous other revenue for the three months ended January 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively,  is made up of incidental sales of corn syrup at HLBE's plant and revenues from natural gas pipeline operations at Agrinatural, net of intercompany eliminations for distribution fees paid by HLBE to Agrinatural for natural gas transportation services.  

 

The following table shows the sources of our consolidated revenue and the approximate percentage of revenues from those sources to total revenues in our unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three months ended January 31, 2018:

 

 

The following table shows the sources of our consolidated revenue and the approximate percentage of revenues from those sources to total revenues in our condensed consolidated unaudited statements of operations for the three months ended January 31, 2017:

 

 

Our total consolidated revenues decreased by approximately 2.9% for the three months ended January 31, 2018, as compared to the three months ended January 31, 2017 due primarily to the decrease in the average price received for our ethanol and corn oil, which was partially mitigated by the increase in the average price received for our distillers’ grains.  The following table reflects quantities of our three primary products sold and the average net prices received for the three months ended January 31, 2018 and 2017: 

 

 

Ethanol

 

Total revenues from sales of ethanol decreased by approximately 9.2% for the three months ended January 31, 2018 compared to the same period of 2017 due to a decrease of approximately 15.7% in the average price per gallon we received for our ethanol, partially offset by a 7.7% increase in volume sold. This aggregate increase in the number of gallons sold is attributable to an approximately 2.4% and 13.0% increase in the number of gallons sold at the GFE and HLBE plants, respectively, during the three months ended January 31, 2018.  We sold more ethanol at our plants as a result of increased ethanol production at the HLBE during the 2018 period and the timing of shipments at the GFE plant. We are currently operating our plants above their nameplate capacities. Management anticipates relatively stable ethanol production and sales during our 2018 fiscal year.