Green Brick Partners, Inc. - Quarter Report: 2010 June (Form 10-Q)
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
|
x
|
QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO
SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF
1934
|
For
the quarterly period ended June 30, 2010
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: 001-33530
BIOFUEL
ENERGY CORP.
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
|
20-5952523
|
|
(State
of incorporation)
|
(I.R.S.
employer identification number)
|
|
1600
Broadway, Suite 2200
|
||
Denver,
Colorado
|
80202
|
|
(Address
of principal executive offices)
|
(Zip
Code)
|
(303)
640-6500
(Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code)
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 as required
to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for
the past 90 days. Yes x No ¨
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 ¨ No ¨
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated
filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check
one):
Large
accelerated filer ¨
|
Accelerated
filer ¨
|
|
Non-accelerated
filer ¨
|
Smaller
reporting company x
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ¨ No x
Number of
shares of common stock outstanding as of August 11, 2010: 25,463,853 exclusive
of 809,606 shares held in treasury.
ITEM 1.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The
accompanying interim consolidated financial statements of BioFuel Energy Corp.
(the “Company”) have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America. The statements are
unaudited but reflect all adjustments which, in the opinion of management, are
necessary to fairly present the Company’s financial position and results of
operations. All such adjustments are of a normal recurring nature. The results
of operations for the interim period are not necessarily indicative of the
results for the full year. For further information, refer to the financial
statements and notes presented in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K
for the twelve months ended December 31, 2009 (filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission on March 30, 2010).
2
BioFuel
Energy Corp.
Consolidated
Balance Sheets
(in
thousands, except share and per share data)
(Unaudited)
June 30,
|
December 31,
|
|||||||
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||
Assets
|
||||||||
Current
assets
|
||||||||
Cash
and equivalents
|
$
|
12,290
|
$
|
6,109
|
||||
Accounts
receivable
|
18,050
|
23,745
|
||||||
Inventories
|
13,515
|
20,885
|
||||||
Prepaid
expenses
|
1,809
|
2,529
|
||||||
Other
current assets
|
—
|
325
|
||||||
Total
current assets
|
45,664
|
53,593
|
||||||
Property,
plant and equipment, net
|
273,019
|
284,362
|
||||||
Debt
issuance costs, net
|
5,729
|
6,472
|
||||||
Other
assets
|
2,595
|
2,348
|
||||||
Total
assets
|
$
|
327,007
|
$
|
346,775
|
||||
Liabilities
and equity
|
||||||||
Current
liabilities
|
||||||||
Accounts
payable
|
$
|
7,776
|
$
|
8,066
|
||||
Current
portion of long-term debt
|
29,823
|
30,174
|
||||||
Derivative
financial instrument
|
—
|
315
|
||||||
Current
portion of tax increment financing
|
338
|
318
|
||||||
Other
current liabilities
|
3,649
|
1,957
|
||||||
Total
current liabilities
|
41,586
|
40,830
|
||||||
Long-term
debt, net of current portion
|
221,263
|
220,754
|
||||||
Tax
increment financing, net of current portion
|
5,413
|
5,591
|
||||||
Other
non-current liabilities
|
2,227
|
1,705
|
||||||
Total
liabilities
|
270,489
|
268,880
|
||||||
Commitments
and contingencies
|
||||||||
Equity
|
||||||||
BioFuel
Energy Corp. stockholders’ equity
|
||||||||
Preferred
stock, $0.01 par value; 5.0 million shares authorized and no shares
outstanding at June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009
|
—
|
—
|
||||||
Common
stock, $0.01 par value; 100.0 million shares authorized and 26,273,459
shares outstanding at June 30, 2010 and 25,932,741 shares outstanding
at December 31, 2009
|
262
|
259
|
||||||
Class B
common stock, $0.01 par value; 50.0 million shares authorized and
7,111,985 shares outstanding at June 30, 2010 and 7,448,585
shares outstanding at December 31, 2009
|
71
|
74
|
||||||
Less
common stock held in treasury, at cost, 809,606 shares at June 30,
2010 and December 31, 2009
|
(4,316
|
)
|
(4,316
|
)
|
||||
Additional
paid-in capital
|
137,988
|
137,037
|
||||||
Accumulated
other comprehensive loss
|
—
|
(242
|
)
|
|||||
Accumulated
deficit
|
(78,136
|
)
|
(60,577
|
)
|
||||
Total
BioFuel Energy Corp. stockholders’ equity
|
55,869
|
72,235
|
||||||
Noncontrolling
interest
|
649
|
5,660
|
||||||
Total
equity
|
56,518
|
77,895
|
||||||
Total
liabilities and equity
|
$
|
327,007
|
$
|
346,775
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial
statements.
3
BioFuel
Energy Corp.
Consolidated
Statements of Operations
(in
thousands, except per share data)
(Unaudited)
Three Months Ended June 30,
|
Six Months Ended June 30,
|
|||||||||||||||
2010
|
2009
|
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||||||||
Net
sales
|
$ | 96,398 | $ | 106,464 | $ | 197,285 | $ | 203,958 | ||||||||
Cost
of goods sold
|
102,613 | 107,307 | 208,197 | 209,872 | ||||||||||||
Gross
loss
|
(6,215 | ) | (843 | ) | (10,912 | ) | (5,914 | ) | ||||||||
General
and administrative expenses:
|
||||||||||||||||
Compensation
expense
|
1,667 | 1,580 | 3,546 | 3,084 | ||||||||||||
Other
|
1,514 | 2,652 | 2,666 | 3,790 | ||||||||||||
Operating
loss
|
(9,396 | ) | (5,075 | ) | (17,124 | ) | (12,788 | ) | ||||||||
Other
income (expense):
|
||||||||||||||||
Interest
income
|
— | 27 | — | 61 | ||||||||||||
Interest
expense
|
(2,580 | ) | (3,937 | ) | (5,278 | ) | (7,438 | ) | ||||||||
Other
non-operating expense
|
— | (3 | ) | — | (1 | ) | ||||||||||
Loss
before income taxes
|
(11,976 | ) | (8,988 | ) | (22,402 | ) | (20,166 | ) | ||||||||
Income
tax provision (benefit)
|
— | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
Net
loss
|
(11,976 | ) | (8,988 | ) | (22,402 | ) | (20,166 | ) | ||||||||
Less:
Net loss attributable to the noncontrolling interest
|
2,571 | 2,454 | 4,843 | 5,922 | ||||||||||||
Net
loss attributable to BioFuel Energy Corp. common
shareholders
|
$ | (9,405 | ) | $ | (6,534 | ) | $ | (17,559 | ) | $ | (14,244 | ) | ||||
Loss
per share - basic and diluted attributable to BioFuel Energy Corp.
common shareholders
|
$ | (0.37 | ) | $ | (0.28 | ) | $ | (0.69 | ) | $ | (0.62 | ) | ||||
Weighted
average shares outstanding – basic and diluted
|
25,441 | 23,335 | 25,391 | 22,921 |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial
statements.
4
BioFuel
Energy Corp.
Consolidated
Statement of Changes in Equity
(in
thousands, except share data)
(Unaudited)
Accumulated
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class B
|
Additional
|
Other
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Common Stock
|
Common Stock
|
Treasury
|
Paid-in
|
Accumulated
|
Comprehensive
|
Noncontrolling
|
Total
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shares
|
Amount
|
Shares
|
Amount
|
Stock
|
Capital
|
Deficit
|
Loss
|
Interest
|
Equity
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at December 31, 2008
|
23,318,636
|
$
|
233
|
10,082,248
|
$
|
101
|
$
|
(4,316
|
)
|
$
|
134,360
|
$
|
(46,947
|
)
|
$
|
(2,741
|
)
|
$
|
14,069
|
$
|
94,759
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Stock
based compensation
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
413
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
413
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Exchange
of Class B shares to common
|
2,633,663
|
27
|
(2,633,663
|
)
|
(27
|
)
|
—
|
2,263
|
—
|
(121
|
)
|
(2,142
|
)
|
—
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of restricted stock, (net of forfeitures)
|
(19,558
|
)
|
(1
|
)
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
1
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Comprehensive
loss:
|
—
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hedging
settlements
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
2,321
|
853
|
3,174
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Change
in derivative financial instrument fair value
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
299
|
(1,048
|
)
|
(749
|
)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net
loss
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
(13,630
|
)
|
—
|
(6,072
|
)
|
(19,702
|
)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total
comprehensive loss
|
(17,277
|
)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at December 31, 2009
|
25,932,741
|
259
|
7,448,585
|
74
|
(4,316
|
)
|
137,037
|
(60,577
|
)
|
(242
|
)
|
5,660
|
77,895
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stock
based compensation
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
710
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
710
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Exchange
of Class B shares to common
|
336,600
|
3
|
(336,600
|
)
|
(3
|
)
|
—
|
241
|
—
|
(5
|
)
|
(236
|
)
|
—
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of restricted stock, (net of forfeitures)
|
4,118
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Comprehensive
loss:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hedging
settlements
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
155
|
42
|
197
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Change
in derivative financial instrument fair value
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
92
|
26
|
118
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net
loss
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
(17,559
|
)
|
—
|
(4,843
|
)
|
(22,402
|
)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total
comprehensive loss
|
(22,087
|
)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at June 30, 2010
|
26,273,459
|
$
|
262
|
7,111,985
|
$
|
71
|
$
|
(4,316
|
)
|
$
|
137,988
|
$
|
(78,136
|
)
|
$
|
—
|
$
|
649
|
$
|
56,518
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial
statements.
5
BioFuel
Energy Corp.
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows
(in
thousands)
(Unaudited)
Six Months Ended June 30,
|
||||||||
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||
Cash
flows from operating activities
|
||||||||
Net
loss
|
$
|
(22,402
|
)
|
$
|
(20,166
|
)
|
||
Adjustments
to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating
activities:
|
||||||||
Stock
based compensation expense
|
710
|
217
|
||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
14,044
|
13,960
|
||||||
Loss
on disposal of assets
|
1,702
|
-
|
||||||
Changes
in operating assets and liabilities:
|
||||||||
Accounts
receivable
|
5,695
|
(5,218
|
)
|
|||||
Inventories
|
7,370
|
3,484
|
||||||
Prepaid
expenses
|
720
|
754
|
||||||
Accounts
payable
|
(121
|
)
|
(3,981
|
)
|
||||
Other
current liabilities
|
1,692
|
(1,508
|
)
|
|||||
Other
assets and liabilities
|
1,072
|
1,639
|
||||||
Net
cash provided by (used in) operating activities
|
10,482
|
(10,819
|
)
|
|||||
Cash
flows from investing activities
|
||||||||
Capital
expenditures (including payment of construction retainage)
|
(3,899
|
)
|
(11,757
|
)
|
||||
Purchase
of certificates of deposit
|
-
|
(18
|
)
|
|||||
Net
cash used in investing activities
|
(3,899
|
)
|
(11,775
|
)
|
||||
Cash
flows from financing activities
|
||||||||
Proceeds
from issuance of debt
|
6,593
|
16,708
|
||||||
Repayment
of debt
|
(6,400
|
)
|
(1,233
|
)
|
||||
Proceeds
from issuance of notes payable
|
-
|
74
|
||||||
Funding
of debt service reserve
|
-
|
(3
|
)
|
|||||
Repayment
of notes payable and capital leases
|
(507
|
)
|
(449
|
)
|
||||
Repayment
of tax increment financing
|
(34
|
)
|
(228
|
)
|
||||
Payment
of debt issuance costs
|
(54
|
)
|
—
|
|||||
Net
cash provided by (used in) financing activities
|
(402
|
)
|
14,869
|
|||||
Net
increase (decrease) in cash and equivalents
|
6,181
|
(7,725
|
)
|
|||||
Cash
and equivalents, beginning of period
|
6,109
|
12,299
|
||||||
Cash
and equivalents, end of period
|
$
|
12,290
|
$
|
4,574
|
||||
Cash
paid for taxes
|
$
|
5
|
$
|
11
|
||||
Cash
paid for interest
|
$
|
3,975
|
$
|
7,015
|
||||
Non-cash
investing and financing activities:
|
||||||||
Additions
to property, plant and equipment unpaid during period
|
$
|
178
|
$
|
116
|
||||
Additions
to property, plant and equipment financed with notes payable and capital
lease
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
66
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial
statements.
6
Notes
to Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements
1.
|
Organization,
Nature of Business, and Basis of
Presentation
|
Organization
and Nature of Business
BioFuel
Energy Corp. (the “Company”, “we”, “our” or “us”) produces and sells ethanol and
distillers grain, through its two ethanol production facilities located in Wood
River, Nebraska (“Wood River”) and Fairmont, Minnesota (“Fairmont”). Both
facilities, with a combined annual nameplate production capacity of
approximately 230 Mmgy, based on the maximum amount of permitted denaturant,
commenced start-up and began commercial operations in June 2008. At each
location, Cargill, Incorporated, (“Cargill”), with whom we have an extensive
commercial relationship, has a strong local presence and owns adjacent grain
storage and handling facilities. We work closely with Cargill, one of the
world’s leading agribusiness companies. Cargill provides corn procurement
services, purchases the ethanol and distillers grain we produce and provides
transportation logistics for our two plants under long-term contracts. In
addition, we lease their adjacent grain storage and handling facilities. Our
operations and cash flows are subject to wide and unpredictable fluctuations due
to changes in commodity prices, specifically, the price of our main commodity
input, corn, relative to the price of our main commodity product, ethanol, which
is known in the industry as the “crush spread”. Since we have commenced
operations, we have from time to time entered into derivative financial
instruments such as futures contracts, swaps and option contracts with the
objective of limiting our exposure to changes in commodities prices, and we may
enter into these types of instruments in the future. However, we are currently
able to engage in such hedging activities only on a limited basis due to our
lack of financial resources, and we may not have the financial resources to
increase or conduct any of these hedging activities in the future. See Note 8
for further discussion of derivative financial instruments.
We were
incorporated as a Delaware corporation on April 11, 2006 to invest solely in
BioFuel Energy, LLC (the “LLC”), a limited liability company, organized on
January 25, 2006 to build and operate ethanol production facilities in the
Midwestern United States. The Company’s headquarters are located in Denver,
Colorado.
At June
30, 2010, the Company owned 78.7% of the LLC membership units with the remaining
21.3% owned by the historical equity investors of the LLC. The Class B common
shares of the Company are held by the historical equity investors of the LLC,
who held 7,111,985 membership units in the LLC as of June 30, 2010 that,
together with the corresponding Class B shares, can be exchanged for newly
issued shares of common stock of the Company on a one-for-one basis. During the
six months ended June 30, 2010, unit holders exchanged 336,600 membership units
in the LLC for common stock of the Company. LLC membership units held by the
historical equity investors are recorded as noncontrolling interest on the
consolidated balance sheets. Holders of shares of Class B common stock have no
economic rights but are entitled to one vote for each share held. Shares of
Class B common stock are retired upon exchange of the related membership units
in the LLC.
The
aggregate book value of the assets of the LLC at June 30, 2010 and December 31,
2009 was $334.1 million and $354.3 million, respectively, and such assets are
collateral for the LLC’s obligations under our Senior Debt facility with a group
of lenders (see Note 5 – Long-Term Debt). Our bank facility also imposes
restrictions on the ability of the LLC’s subsidiaries that own and operate our
Wood River and Fairmont plants to pay dividends or make other distributions to
us, which restricts our ability to pay dividends.
Basis
of Presentation and Going Concern Considerations
The
accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity
with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America,
which contemplate our continuation as a going concern. Our results of operations
and financial condition depend substantially on the price of our main commodity
input, corn, relative to the price of our main commodity product, ethanol, which
is known in the industry as the “crush spread.” The prices of these commodities
are volatile and beyond our control. As a result of the volatility of the prices
for these and other items, our results fluctuate substantially and in ways that
are largely beyond our control. For example, we were profitable in the fourth
quarter of 2009. However, as shown in the accompanying consolidated financial
statements, the Company incurred net losses of $12.0 million and $22.4 million
during the three and six months ended June 30, 2010, respectively, when crush
spreads contracted significantly. At the margins we experienced during the three
and six months ended June 30, 2010, we will not be able to generate sufficient
cash flow from operations to both service our debt and operate our plants. We
cannot predict when or if crush spreads will narrow further or if the current
narrow margins will improve or continue. In the event crush spreads narrow
further, or remain at current levels for an extended period of time, we may
choose to curtail operations at our plants or cease operations altogether. In
addition, we have fully utilized our debt service reserve availability under our
Senior Credit facility, and may expend all of our other available sources of
liquidity, in which event we would not be able to pay principal or interest on
our debt, which would lead to an event of default under our bank agreements and,
in the absence of forbearance, debt service abeyance or other accommodations
from our lenders, require us to seek relief through a filing under the U.S.
Bankruptcy Code. We expect fluctuations in the crush spread to continue. Any
further reduction in the crush spread may cause our operating margins to
deteriorate further, resulting in an impairment charge in addition to causing
the consequences described above.
7
As shown
in the accompanying consolidated financial statements, the Company has
experienced declining liquidity and as of June 30, 2010 has $29.8 million of
long-term debt due within the next year, including $16.4 million of outstanding
working capital loans which mature in September 2010. If current operating
conditions do not significantly improve, the Company is unlikely to have
sufficient liquidity to both repay these loans when they become due and maintain
its operations. Our failure to repay the outstanding amounts under our working
capital loans would result in an event of default under our Senior Debt facility
and a cross-default under our subordinated debt agreement, and would allow both
the senior lenders and the subordinated lenders to accelerate repayment of
amounts outstanding. Although we have commenced discussions with our lenders to
extend the maturity of the working capital loans, we have no assurance that they
will do so. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow from operations to
repay the working capital loans, we may seek new capital from other sources. We
cannot assure you that we will be successful in achieving any of these
initiatives or, even if successful, that these initiatives will be sufficient to
address our limited liquidity. If we are unable to obtain the requisite consent
from our lenders, raise additional capital or generate sufficient cash flow from
our operations to repay the working capital loans, we may be unable to continue
as a going concern, which could potentially force us to seek relief through a
filing under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The accompanying consolidated financial
statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going
concern; however, the above conditions raise substantial doubt about the
Company’s ability to do so. The accompanying consolidated financial statements
do not include any adjustments to reflect the possible future effects on the
recoverability and classification of assets, including possible impairment in
the carrying value of our property, plant and equipment, or the amounts and
classifications of liabilities that may result should the Company be unable to
continue as a going concern.
8
2.
|
Summary
of Significant Accounting Policies
|
Principles
of Consolidation and Noncontrolling Interest
The
accompanying consolidated financial statements include the Company, the LLC and
its wholly owned subsidiaries: BFE Holdings, LLC; BFE Operating Company, LLC;
Buffalo Lake Energy, LLC; and Pioneer Trail Energy, LLC. All inter-company
balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The Company
treats all exchanges of LLC membership units for Company common stock as equity
transactions, with any difference between the fair value of the Company’s common
stock and the amount by which the noncontrolling interest is adjusted being
recognized in equity.
Use
of Estimates
Preparation
of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and
assumptions that affect reported amounts of assets and liabilities and
disclosures in the accompanying notes at the date of the financial statements
and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.
Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Revenue
Recognition
The
Company sells 100% of its ethanol and distillers grain products to Cargill under
the terms of marketing agreements whereby Cargill has agreed to purchase all
ethanol and distillers grain produced at our ethanol plants through September
2016. Revenue is recognized when risk of loss and title transfers upon shipment
of ethanol and distillers grain to Cargill. In accordance with our agreements
with Cargill, the Company records its revenues based on the amounts payable by
Cargill to us at the time of our sales of ethanol and distillers grain to them.
The amount payable by Cargill for ethanol is equal to the average delivered
price per gallon received by the marketing pool from Cargill’s customers, less
average transportation and storage charges incurred by Cargill, and less a
commission. The amount payable by Cargill for distillers grain is equal to the
market price of distillers grain at the time of sale less a
commission.
Cost
of goods sold
Cost of
goods sold primarily includes costs of raw materials (primarily corn and natural
gas), purchasing and receiving costs, inspection costs, shipping costs, other
distribution expenses, plant management, certain compensation costs and general
facility overhead charges, including depreciation expense.
General
and administrative expenses
General
and administrative expenses consist of salaries and benefits paid to our
management and administrative employees, expenses relating to third party
services, insurance, travel, office rent, marketing and other expenses,
including certain expenses associated with being a public company, such as fees
paid to our independent auditors associated with our annual audit and quarterly
reviews, compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and listing and
transfer agent fees.
Cash
and Equivalents
Cash and
equivalents include highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three
months or less. Cash equivalents are currently comprised of money market mutual
funds. At June 30, 2010, we had $12.3 million held at three financial
institutions, which is in excess of FDIC insurance limits.
Accounts
Receivable
Accounts
receivable are carried at original invoice amount less an estimate made for
doubtful receivables based on a review of all outstanding amounts on a monthly
basis. Management determines the allowance for doubtful accounts by regularly
evaluating individual customer receivables and considering a customer’s
financial condition, credit history and current economic conditions. Receivables
are written off when deemed uncollectible. Recoveries of receivables previously
written off are recorded as a reduction to bad debt expense when received. As of
June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, Cargill was our only customer and no
allowance was considered necessary.
Concentrations
of Credit Risk
Credit
risk represents the accounting loss that would be recognized at the reporting
date if counterparties failed completely to perform as contracted.
Concentrations of credit risk, whether on- or off-balance sheet, that arise from
financial instruments exist for groups of customers or counterparties when they
have similar economic characteristics that would cause their ability to meet
contractual obligations to be similarly affected by changes in economic or other
conditions described below.
9
During
the three and six months ended June 30, 2010 and June 30, 2009, the Company
recorded sales to Cargill representing 100% of total net sales. As of June 30,
2010 and December 31, 2009, the LLC, through its subsidiaries, had receivables
from Cargill of $18.0 million and $23.7 million, respectively, representing 100%
of total accounts receivable.
The LLC,
through its subsidiaries, purchases corn, its largest cost component in
producing ethanol, from Cargill. During the three and six months ended June 30,
2010, corn purchases from Cargill totaled $67.3 million and $134.7 million,
respectively. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2009, corn
purchases from Cargill totaled $78.1 million and $148.7 million, respectively.
As of June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, the LLC, through its subsidiaries,
had payables to Cargill of $3.4 million and $2.1 million, respectively, related
to corn purchases.
Inventories
Raw
materials inventories, which consist primarily of corn, denaturant, supplies,
and chemicals and work in process inventories are valued at the
lower-of-cost-or-market, with cost determined on a first-in, first-out basis.
Finished goods inventories consist of ethanol and distillers grain and are
stated at lower of average cost or market.
A summary
of inventories is as follows (in thousands):
June 30,
|
December 31,
|
|||||||
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||
Raw
materials
|
$
|
8,458
|
$
|
12,292
|
||||
Work
in process
|
2,992
|
2,883
|
||||||
Finished
goods
|
2,065
|
5,710
|
||||||
$
|
13,515
|
$
|
20,885
|
Derivative
Instruments and Hedging Activities
Derivatives
are recognized on the balance sheet at their fair value and are included in the
accompanying balance sheets as “derivative financial instruments”. On the date
the derivative contract is entered into, the Company may designate the
derivative as a hedge of a forecasted transaction or of the variability of cash
flows to be received or paid related to a recognized asset or liability (“cash
flow” hedge). Changes in the fair value of a derivative that is highly effective
and that is designated and qualifies as a cash flow hedge are recorded in other
comprehensive income, net of tax effect, until earnings are affected by the
variability of cash flows (e.g., when periodic settlements on a variable rate
asset or liability are recorded in earnings). Changes in the fair value of
undesignated derivative instruments or derivatives that do not qualify for hedge
accounting are recognized in current period operations. The Company designated
its interest rate swap at December 31, 2009 as a cash flow hedge. The value
of the interest rate swap was recorded on the balance sheet as a
liability under derivative financial instruments, while the unrealized gain/loss
on the change in the fair value has been recorded in other comprehensive income
(loss). The statement of operations impact of these hedges is included in
interest expense. See Note 8 for additional required disclosure.
Accounting
guidance for derivatives requires a company to evaluate contracts to determine
whether the contracts are derivatives. Certain contracts that 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. The Company’s contracts for
corn and natural gas that meet these requirements and are designated as normal
purchases are exempted from the derivative accounting and reporting
requirements.
Property,
Plant and Equipment
Property,
plant and equipment is recorded at cost. All costs related to purchasing and
developing land or the engineering, design and construction of a plant are
capitalized. Maintenance, repairs and minor replacements are charged to
operating expenses while major replacements and improvements are capitalized.
Depreciation is computed by the straight-line method over the following
estimated useful lives:
Years
|
||||
Land
improvements
|
20-30
|
|||
Buildings
and improvements
|
7-40
|
|||
Machinery
and equipment:
|
||||
Railroad
equipment
|
20-39
|
|||
Facility
equipment
|
20-39
|
|||
Other
|
5-7
|
|||
Office
furniture and equipment
|
3-10
|
10
Debt
Issuance Costs
Debt
issuance costs are stated at cost, less accumulated amortization. Debt issuance
costs represent costs incurred related to the Company’s senior debt,
subordinated debt and tax increment financing agreements. These costs are being
amortized and expensed over the term of the related debt. Estimated future debt
issuance cost amortization as of June 30, 2010 is as follows (in
thousands):
Remainder
of 2010
|
$
|
750
|
||
2011
|
1,339
|
|||
2012
|
1,294
|
|||
2013
|
1,248
|
|||
2014
|
973
|
|||
Thereafter
|
125
|
|||
Total
|
$
|
5,729
|
Impairment
of Long-Lived Assets
The
Company has two asset groups, its ethanol facility in Fairmont and its ethanol
facility in Wood River, which are evaluated separately when considering whether
the carrying value of these assets has been impaired. The Company continually
monitors whether or not events or circumstances exist that would warrant
impairment testing of its long-lived assets. In evaluating whether impairment
testing should be performed, the Company considers several factors including
projected production volumes at its facilities, projected ethanol and distillers
grain prices that we expect to receive, and projected corn and natural gas costs
we expect to incur. In the ethanol industry, operating margins, and consequently
undiscounted future cash flows, are primarily driven by commodity prices, in
particular the price of corn, our principal production input, and the price of
ethanol, our principal production output. The difference in pricing between
these two commodities is known as the “crush spread”. In the event that the
crush spread is sufficiently depressed to result in negative operating cash flow
at its facilities, the Company will evaluate whether or not an impairment of the
carrying value of its long-lived assets has occurred.
Recoverability
is measured by comparing the carrying value of an asset with estimated
undiscounted future cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset and
its eventual disposition. An impairment loss is reflected as the amount by which
the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value of the asset. Fair value
is determined based on the present value of estimated expected future cash flows
using a discount rate commensurate with the risk involved, quoted market prices
or appraised values, depending on the nature of the assets. As of June 30, 2010,
the Company performed an impairment evaluation of the recoverability of its
long-lived assets due to depressed crush spreads. As a result of the impairment
evaluation, it was determined that the future cash flows from the assets
exceeded the current carrying values, and therefore, no further analysis was
necessary and no impairment was recorded. If depressed crush spreads continue to
persist for an extended period of time, due to continued negative industry
factors, there would likely be an impairment of the Company’s long-lived
assets.
Stock-Based
Compensation
Expense
associated with stock-based awards and other forms of equity compensation is
based on fair value at grant and recognized on a straight line basis in the
financial statements over the requisite service period, if any, for those awards
that are expected to vest. The Company uses historical data to calculate the
expected term for new stock-based grants.
Asset
Retirement Obligations
Asset
retirement obligations are recognized when a contractual or legal obligation
exists and a reasonable estimate of the amount can be made. Changes to the asset
retirement obligation resulting from revisions to the timing or the amount of
the original undiscounted cash flow estimates shall be recognized as an increase
or decrease to both the carrying amount of the asset retirement obligation and
the related asset retirement cost capitalized as part of the related property,
plant, and equipment. At June 30, 2010, the Company had accrued asset retirement
obligation liabilities of $136,000 and $171,000 for its plants at Wood River and
Fairmont, respectively. At December 31, 2009, the Company had accrued asset
retirement obligation liabilities of $134,000 and $168,000 for its plants at
Wood River and Fairmont, respectively.
The asset
retirement obligations accrued for Wood River relate to the obligations in our
contracts with Cargill and Union Pacific Railroad (“Union Pacific”). According
to the grain elevator lease with Cargill, the equipment that is adjacent to the
grain elevator may be required at Cargill’s discretion to be removed at the end
of the lease. In addition, according to the contract with Union Pacific, the
buildings that are built near their land in Wood River may be required at Union
Pacific’s request to be removed at the end of our contract with them. The asset
retirement obligations accrued for Fairmont relate to the obligations in our
contracts with Cargill and in our water permit issued by the state of Minnesota.
According to the grain elevator lease with Cargill, the equipment that is
adjacent to the grain elevator being leased may be required at Cargill’s
discretion to be removed at the end of the lease. In addition, the water permit
in Fairmont requires that we secure all above ground storage tanks whenever we
discontinue the use of our equipment for an extended period of time in Fairmont.
The estimated costs of these obligations have been accrued at the current net
present value of these obligations at the end of an estimated 20 year life for
each of the plants. These liabilities have corresponding assets recorded in
property, plant and equipment, which are being depreciated over 20
years.
11
Income
Taxes
The
Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method, under
which deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax
consequences attributable to temporary differences between financial statement
carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax
bases and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and
liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable
income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be
recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a
change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the
enactment date. The Company regularly reviews historical and anticipated future
pre-tax results of operations to determine whether the Company will be able to
realize the benefit of its deferred tax assets. A valuation allowance is
required to reduce the potential deferred tax asset when it is more likely than
not that all or some portion of the potential deferred tax asset will not be
realized due to the lack of sufficient taxable income. The Company establishes
reserves for uncertain tax positions that reflect its best estimate of
deductions and credits that may not be sustained. As the Company has incurred
losses since its inception and expects to continue to incur losses for the
foreseeable future, we will provide a valuation allowance against all deferred
tax assets until the Company believes that such assets will be realized. The
Company includes interest on tax deficiencies and income tax penalties in the
provision for income taxes.
Fair
Value of Financial Instruments
The
Company’s financial instruments, including cash and equivalents, accounts
receivable, and accounts payable are carried at cost, which approximates their
fair value because of the short-term maturity of these instruments. The fair
value of the Company’s notes payable (excluding the Cargill note payable)
approximates their carrying amounts based on anticipated interest rates that
management believes would currently be available to the Company for similar
issues of debt, taking into account the current credit risk of the Company and
other market factors. The fair value of the Company’s senior debt is
approximately $160 million and is based on the anticipated interest rates the
management believes would currently be available to the Company for similar
issues of debt, taking into account the current credit risk of the Company
and other market factors. The Company is unable to determine a fair value
of its subordinated debt and its note payable to Cargill due to the nature of
the relationships between the parties and the Company. The derivative financial
instruments are carried at fair value.
Comprehensive
Income (Loss)
Comprehensive
income (loss) consists of the unrealized changes in the fair value on the
Company’s financial instruments designated as cash flow hedges. The financial
instrument liabilities are recorded at fair value. The effective portion of any
changes in the fair value is recorded as other comprehensive income (loss) while
the ineffective portion of any changes in the fair value is recorded as interest
expense.
Three Months Ended
|
Six Months Ended
|
|||||||||||||||
(in thousands) |
June 30,
2010
|
June 30,
2009
|
June 30,
2010
|
June 30,
2009
|
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
Net
loss
|
$ | (11,976 | ) | $ | (8,988 | ) | $ | (22,402 | ) | $ | (20,166 | ) | ||||
Hedging
settlements
|
— | 938 | 197 | 1,854 | ||||||||||||
Change
in derivative financial instrument fair value
|
— | (304 | ) | 118 | (579 | ) | ||||||||||
Comprehensive
loss
|
(11,976 | ) | (8,354 | ) | (22,087 | ) | (18,891 | ) | ||||||||
Comprehensive
loss attributable to noncontrolling interest
|
2,571 | 2,295 | 4,775 | 6,397 | ||||||||||||
Comprehensive
loss attributable to BioFuel Energy Corp. common
shareholders
|
$ | (9,405 | ) | $ | (6,059 | ) | $ | (17,312 | ) | $ | (12,494 | ) |
Segment
Reporting
Operating
segments are defined as components of an enterprise for which separate financial
information is available and is evaluated regularly by the chief operating
decision maker or decision making group in deciding how to allocate resources
and in assessing performance. Each of our plants is considered its own unique
operating segment under these criteria. However, when two or more operating
segments have similar economic characteristics, accounting guidance allows for
them to be aggregated into a single operating segment for purposes of financial
reporting. Our two plants are very similar in all characteristics and
accordingly, the Company presents a single reportable segment, the manufacture
of fuel-grade ethanol and the co-products of the ethanol production
process.
Recent
Accounting Pronouncements
From time
to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting
Standards Board (“FASB”) or other standards setting bodies that are adopted by
us as of the specified effective date. Unless otherwise discussed, our
management believes that the impact of recently issued standards that are not
yet effective will not have a material impact on our consolidated financial
statements upon adoption.
12
3.
|
Property,
Plant and Equipment
|
Property,
plant and equipment, stated at cost, consist of the following at June 30, 2010
and December 31, 2009, respectively (in thousands):
June 30,
|
December 31,
|
|||||||
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||
Land
and land improvements
|
$
|
19,639
|
$
|
19,639
|
||||
Construction
in progress
|
193
|
2,449
|
||||||
Buildings
and improvements
|
49,823
|
49,771
|
||||||
Machinery and
equipment
|
246,156
|
242,191
|
||||||
Office
furniture and equipment
|
6,088
|
6,075
|
||||||
321,899
|
320,125
|
|||||||
Accumulated
depreciation
|
(48,880
|
)
|
(35,763
|
)
|
||||
Property,
plant and equipment, net
|
$
|
273,019
|
$
|
284,362
|
Depreciation
expense related to property, plant and equipment was $6,683,000 and $13,371,000
for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010, respectively, and was
$6,583,000 and $13,154,000 for the three and six months ended June 30, 2009,
respectively.
4.
|
Earnings
Per Share
|
Basic
earnings per share are computed by dividing net income by the weighted average
number of common shares outstanding during each period. Diluted earnings per
share are calculated using the treasury stock method and includes the effect of
all dilutive securities, including stock options, restricted stock and Class B
common shares. For those periods in which the Company incurred a net loss, the
inclusion of the potentially dilutive shares in the computation of diluted
weighted average shares outstanding would have been anti-dilutive to the
Company’s loss per share, and, accordingly, all potentially dilutive shares have
been excluded from the computation of diluted weighted average shares
outstanding in those periods.
For the
three and six months ended June 30, 2010, 1,814,336 shares and 1,089,049 shares,
respectively, issuable upon the exercise of stock options have been excluded
from the computation of diluted earnings per share as the exercise price
exceeded the average price of the Company’s shares during the period. For both
the three and six months ended June 30, 2009, 304,075 shares issuable upon the
exercise of stock options have been excluded from the computation of diluted
earnings per share as the exercise price exceeded the average price of the
Company’s shares during the period.
A summary
of the reconciliation of basic weighted average shares outstanding to diluted
weighted average shares outstanding follows:
Three Months Ended June 30,
|
Six Months Ended June 30,
|
|||||||||||||||
2010
|
2009
|
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||||||||
Weighted
average common shares outstanding - basic
|
25,440,674 | 23,334,633 | 25,391,291 | 22,920,852 | ||||||||||||
Potentially
dilutive common stock equivalents
|
||||||||||||||||
Class B
common shares
|
7,111,985 | 9,198,980 | 7,158,434 | 9,606,889 | ||||||||||||
Restricted
stock
|
17,795 | 34,456 | 21,358 | 51,545 | ||||||||||||
7,129,780 | 9,233,436 | 7,179,792 | 9,658,434 | |||||||||||||
32,570,454 | 32,568,069 | 32,571,083 | 32,579,286 | |||||||||||||
Less
anti-dilutive common stock equivalents
|
(7,129,780 | ) | (9,233,436 | ) | (7,179,792 | ) | (9,658,434 | ) | ||||||||
Weighted
average common shares outstanding - diluted
|
25,440,674 | 23,334,633 | 25,391,291 | 22,920,852 |
13
5.
|
Long-Term
Debt
|
The
following table summarizes long-term debt (in thousands):
June 30,
|
December 31,
|
|||||||
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||
Term
(formerly construction) loans
|
$
|
195,680
|
$
|
195,387
|
||||
Subordinated
debt
|
20,787
|
20,315
|
||||||
Working
capital loans
|
16,400
|
16,500
|
||||||
Notes
payable
|
15,709
|
16,196
|
||||||
Capital
leases
|
2,510
|
2,530
|
||||||
251,086
|
250,928
|
|||||||
Less
current portion
|
(29,823
|
)
|
(30,174
|
)
|
||||
Long
term portion
|
$
|
221,263
|
$
|
220,754
|
In
September 2006, the Operating Subsidiaries entered into a Senior Secured
Credit Facility providing for the availability of $230.0 million of borrowings
(“Senior Debt facility”) with BNP Paribas and a syndicate of lenders to finance
construction and operation of our ethanol plants. The Senior Debt facility
initially consisted of two construction loans, which together totaled $210.0
million of available borrowings, and working capital loans of up to $20.0
million. No principal payments were required until the construction loans
were converted to term loans. Thereafter, principal payments are payable
quarterly at a minimum amount of $3,150,000, with additional pre-payments to be
made out of available cash flow.
The
Operating Subsidiaries received a Notice of Default from the lenders, dated May
22, 2009, asserting that a “material adverse effect” had occurred due to the
Company’s lack of liquidity. The Company disagreed with the lenders’ assertion
that a material adverse effect had occurred and, effective September 29, 2009,
the Operating Subsidiaries entered into a Waiver and Amendment to the Senior
Debt facility which converted the two construction loans to two term loans and
waived all defaults previously asserted by the lenders. At conversion, the
Waiver and Amendment to the Senior Debt facility provided for $198.6 million of
total funded debt under the term loans. The Operating Subsidiaries began making
quarterly principal payments on September 30, 2009. The Waiver and Amendment to
the Senior Debt facility also provided for up to $9.7 million in additional
loans (the “DSRA Loan Commitment”) to make future principal and interest
payments under the Senior Debt facility. The Operating Subsidiaries have drawn
the entire $9.7 million of the DSRA Loan Commitment as of June 30, 2010. These
term loans mature in September 2014.
The
Senior Debt facility also includes a working capital facility of up to $20.0
million, of which $16.4 million was outstanding as of June 30, 2010. A portion
of the working capital facility is available to us in the form of letters of
credit. The working capital facility matures on September 26, 2010, and as a
result the entire outstanding amount of the working capital facility was
classified as current as of June 30, 2010. With consent from two-thirds of the
lenders, the maturity date of the working capital facility may be extended to
September 26, 2011.
Interest
rates on the Senior Debt facility (term loans and working capital loans) are, at
management’s option, set at: i) a base rate, which is the higher of the
federal funds rate plus 0.5% or BNP Paribas’ prime rate, in each case plus a
margin of 2.0%; or ii) at LIBOR plus 3.0%. Interest on base rate loans is
payable quarterly and, depending on the LIBOR rate elected, as frequently as
monthly on LIBOR loans, but no less frequently than quarterly. The
weighted average interest rate in effect on the borrowings at June 30, 2010 was
3.4%. Neither the Company nor the LLC is a borrower under the Senior Debt
facility, although the equity interests and assets of our subsidiaries are
pledged as collateral to secure the debt under the facility.
The
Senior Debt facility is secured by a first priority lien on all right, title and
interest in and to the Wood River and Fairmont plants and any accounts
receivable or property associated with those plants and a pledge of all of our
equity interests in our subsidiaries. The Operating Subsidiaries have
established collateral deposit accounts maintained by an agent of the banks,
into which our revenues are deposited subject to security interests to secure
any outstanding obligations under the Senior Debt facility. These funds
are then allocated into various sweep accounts held by the collateral agent,
including accounts that provide funds for the operating expenses of the
Operating Subsidiaries. The collateral accounts have various provisions,
including historical and prospective debt service coverage ratios and debt
service reserve requirements, which determine whether, and the amount of, cash
that can be made available to the LLC from the collateral accounts each
month. The terms of the Senior Debt facility also include covenants that
impose certain limitations on, among other things, the ability of the Operating
Subsidiaries to incur additional debt, grant liens or encumbrances, declare or
pay dividends or distributions, conduct asset sales or other dispositions, merge
or consolidate, and conduct transactions with affiliates. The terms of the
Senior Debt facility also include customary events of default including failure
to meet payment obligations, failure to pay financial obligations, failure of
the Operating Subsidiaries of the LLC to remain solvent and failure to obtain or
maintain required governmental approvals. Under the terms of separate
Management Services Agreements between our Operating Subsidiaries and the LLC,
the Operating Subsidiaries pay a monthly management fee of $834,000 to the LLC
to provide for salaries, rent, and other operating expenses of the LLC, which
payments are unaffected by the terms of the Senior Debt facility or the
collateral accounts.
As of
June 30, 2010, the Operating Subsidiaries had $212.1 million outstanding
under the Senior Debt facility, which included $195.7 million of outstanding
term loans and $16.4 million of outstanding working capital loans. The
amount of outstanding working capital loans does not include $1.0 million of
undrawn letters of credit outstanding. The remaining availability under
the working capital loan facility is subject to compliance with the restrictions
and covenants described above.
14
A
quarterly commitment fee of 0.50% per annum on the unused portion of available
Senior Debt facility is payable. Debt issuance fees and expenses of $8.5
million ($4.4 million, net of accumulated amortization) have been incurred in
connection with the Senior Debt facility at June 30, 2010. These
costs have been deferred and are being amortized and expensed over the term of
the Senior Debt facility.
In
September 2006, the LLC entered into a loan agreement with certain
Class A unitholders (the “Sub Lenders”) providing for up to $50.0 million
of loans (“Subordinated Debt”) to be used for general corporate purposes
including construction of the Wood River and Fairmont plants. The
Subordinated Debt must be repaid by no later than March 2015.
Interest on Subordinated Debt was payable quarterly in arrears at a 15.0% annual
rate. The LLC did not make the scheduled quarterly interest payments that
were due on September 30, 2008 and December 31, 2008. Under the
terms of the Subordinated Debt, the failure to pay interest when due is an event
of default. In January 2009, the LLC and the Sub Lenders entered into
a waiver and amendment agreement to the loan agreement (“Waiver and
Amendment”). Under the Waiver and Amendment, an initial payment of $2.0
million, which was made on January 16, 2009, was made to pay the $767,000
of accrued interest due September 30, 2008 and to reduce outstanding
principal by $1,233,000. Effective upon the $2.0 million initial payment,
the Sub Lenders waived the defaults and any associated penalty interest relating
to the LLC’s failure to make the September 30, 2008 and the
December 31, 2008 quarterly interest payments. Effective
December 1, 2008, interest on the Subordinated Debt began accruing at a
5.0% annual rate, a rate that will apply until the debt with Cargill (under an
agreement entered into simultaneously) has been paid in full, at which time the
rate will revert to a 15.0% annual rate and quarterly payments in arrears are
required. As long as the debt with Cargill remains outstanding, future
payments to the Sub Lenders are contingent upon available cash received by the
LLC, as defined in the Waiver and Amendment. The Subordinated Debt is
secured by the equity of the subsidiaries of the LLC owning the Wood River and
Fairmont plant sites and fully and unconditionally guaranteed by those
subsidiaries, which guarantees are subordinated to the obligations of the
subsidiaries under our Senior Debt facility. A default under our Senior
Debt facility would also constitute a default under our Subordinated Debt and
would entitle the lenders to accelerate the repayment of amounts
outstanding.
Debt
issuance fees and expenses of $5.5 million ($1.3 million, net of accumulated
amortization) have been incurred in connection with the Subordinated Debt at
June 30, 2010. Debt issuance costs associated with the Subordinated
Debt have been deferred and are being amortized and expensed over the term of
the agreement.
In
January 2009, the LLC and Cargill entered into an agreement (“Cargill
Agreement”) which finalized the payment terms for $17.4 million owed to Cargill
(“Cargill Debt”) by the LLC related to hedging losses with respect to corn
hedging contracts that had been liquidated in the third quarter of 2008.
The Cargill Agreement required an initial payment of $3.0 million on the
outstanding balance, which was paid on December 5, 2008. Upon the
initial payment of $3.0 million, Cargill also forgave $3.0 million.
Effective December 1, 2008, interest on the Cargill Debt began accruing at
a 5.0% annual rate compounded quarterly. Future payments to Cargill of
both principal and interest are contingent upon available cash received by the
LLC, as defined in the Cargill Agreement. Cargill will forgive, on a
dollar for dollar basis a further $2.8 million as it receives the next $2.8
million of principal payments. The Cargill Debt is being accounted for as
a troubled debt restructuring. As the future cash payments specified by
the terms of the Cargill Agreement exceed the carrying amount of the debt before
the $3.0 million was forgiven, the carrying amount of the debt is not reduced
and no gain is recorded. As future payments are made, the LLC will
determine, based on the timing of payments, whether or not any gain should be
recorded.
As of
June 30, 2010 the Company has three letters of credit outstanding which total
$1,040,000. These letters of credit have been provided as collateral to
the natural gas provider at the Fairmont plant and the electrical service
providers at both the Fairmont and Wood River plants, and are issued by the
lenders under our Senior Debt facility as part of the working capital
facility.
The LLC,
through its subsidiary that constructed the Fairmont plant, has entered into an
agreement with the local utility pursuant to which the utility has built and
owns and operates a substation and distribution facility in order to supply
electricity to the plant. The LLC is paying a fixed facilities charge
based on the cost of the substation and distribution facility of $34,000 per
month, over the 30-year term of the agreement. This fixed facilities
charge is being accounted for as a capital lease in the accompanying financial
statements. The agreement also includes a $25,000 monthly minimum energy
charge, which also began in the first quarter of 2008.
Notes
payable relate to certain financing agreements in place at each of our sites, as
well as the Cargill Debt. The subsidiaries of the LLC that constructed the
plants entered into financing agreements in the first quarter of 2008 for the
purchase of certain rolling stock equipment to be used at the facilities for
$748,000. The notes have fixed interest rates (weighted average rate of
approximately 5.6%) and require 48 monthly payments of principal and interest,
maturing in the first and second quarter of 2012. In addition, the
subsidiary of the LLC that constructed the Wood River facility has entered into
a note payable for $2,220,000 with a fixed interest rate of 11.8% for the
purchase of our natural gas pipeline. The note requires 36 monthly payments of
principal and interest and matures in the first quarter of 2011. In
addition, the subsidiary of the LLC that constructed the Wood River facility has
entered into a note payable for $419,000 with the City of Wood River for special
assessments related to street, water, and sanitary improvements at our Wood
River facility. This note requires annual payments of $58,000, including
interest at 6.5% per annum, and matures in 2018.
The
following table summarizes the aggregate maturities of our long term debt as of
June 30, 2010 (in thousands):
Remainder
of 2010
|
$ | 23,267 | ||
2011
|
12,997 | |||
2012
|
12,705 | |||
2013
|
12,648 | |||
2014
|
151,631 | |||
Thereafter
|
37,838 | |||
Total
|
$ | 251,086 |
15
6.
Tax Increment Financing
In
February 2007, the subsidiary of the LLC that constructed the Wood River
plant received $6.0 million from the proceeds of a tax increment revenue note
issued by the City of Wood River, Nebraska. The proceeds funded
improvements to property owned by the subsidiary. The City of Wood River
will pay the principal and interest of the note from the incremental increase in
the property taxes related to the improvements made to the property. The
interest rate on the note is 7.85%. The proceeds have been recorded as a
liability which is reduced as the subsidiary of the LLC remits property taxes to
the City of Wood River, which began in 2008 and will continue through
2021.
The LLC
has guaranteed the principal and interest of the tax increment revenue note if,
for any reason, the City of Wood River fails to make the required payments
to the holder of the note or the subsidiary of the LLC fails to make the
required payments to the City of Wood River. Semiannual principal payments
on the tax increment revenue note began in June 2008. Due to lower than
anticipated assessed property values, the subsidiary of the LLC was required to
pay $468,000 in 2009 and $34,000 in the first half of 2010 as a portion of the
note payments.
The
following table summarizes the aggregate maturities of the tax increment
financing debt as of June 30, 2010 (in thousands):
Remainder
of 2010
|
$
|
160
|
||
2011
|
343
|
|||
2012
|
370
|
|||
2013
|
399
|
|||
2014
|
431
|
|||
Thereafter
|
4,048
|
|||
Total
|
$
|
5,751
|
7.
Stockholders’ Equity
On
October 15, 2007, the Company announced the adoption of a stock repurchase
plan authorizing the repurchase of up to $7.5 million of the Company’s common
stock. Purchases will be funded out of cash on hand and made from time to
time in the open market. From the inception of the buyback program through
June 30, 2010, the Company had repurchased 809,606 shares at an average price of
$5.30 per share, leaving $3,184,000 available under the repurchase plan.
The shares repurchased are being held as treasury stock. As of June 30,
2010, there were no plans to repurchase any additional shares.
The
Company has not declared any dividends on its common stock and does not
anticipate paying dividends in the foreseeable future. In addition, the
terms of the Senior Debt facility contain restrictions on the ability of the LLC
to pay dividends or other distributions, which will restrict the Company’s
ability to pay dividends in the future.
8.
Derivative Financial
Instruments
Prior to
March 31, 2010, we used interest rate swaps to manage the economic effect of
variable interest obligations associated with our floating rate Senior Debt
facility so that the interest payable on a portion of the principal value of the
Senior Debt facility effectively becomes fixed at a certain rate, thereby
reducing the impact of future interest rate changes on our future interest
expense. The unrealized losses on these interest rate swaps are included in
accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) and the corresponding fair value
liabilities are included in the current portion of derivative financial
instrument liability in our consolidated balance sheet. The monthly
interest settlements are reclassified from other comprehensive income (loss) to
interest expense as they are settled each month. The full amount of
accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) at December 31, 2009 related
to one interest rate swap and was reclassified to the statement of operations in
the first two months of 2010 as it expired. See Note 5 for further
discussion of interest rates on the Senior Debt facility.
In
September 2007, the LLC, through its subsidiary, entered into an interest
rate swap for a two-year period that had been designated as a hedge of cash
flows related to the interest payments on the underlying debt. The
contract was for $60.0 million principal with a fixed interest rate of 4.65%,
payable by the subsidiary and the variable interest rate, the one-month LIBOR,
payable by the third party. The difference between the subsidiary’s fixed
rate of 4.65% and the one-month LIBOR rate, which was reset every 30 days, was
received or paid every 30 days in arrears. The interest rate swap expired
in September 2009, and therefore, there was no fair value for this swap on the
consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2009 or June 30, 2010. The
LLC, through its subsidiary, made payments under this swap arrangement for the
three and six months ended June 30, 2009 totaling $641,000 and $1,271,000,
respectively.
16
In
March 2008, the LLC, through its subsidiary, entered into a second interest
rate swap for a two-year period that had been designated as a hedge of cash
flows related to the interest payments on the underlying debt. The
contract was for $50.0 million principal with a fixed interest rate of 2.766%,
payable by the subsidiary and the variable interest rate, the one-month LIBOR,
payable by the third party. The difference between the subsidiary’s fixed
rate of 2.766% and the one-month LIBOR rate, which was reset every 30 days, was
received or paid every 30 days in arrears. The interest rate swap expired
in February 2010, and therefore, there is no fair value for this swap on the
consolidated balance sheet at June 30, 2010. The LLC, through its
subsidiary, made payments under this swap arrangement for both the three and six
months ended June 30, 2010 totaling $197,000 and for the three and six months
ended June 30, 2009 totaling $297,000 and $583,000, respectively.
The
effects of derivative instruments on our consolidated financial statements were
as follows as of June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009 and for the three and six
months ended June 30, 2010 and June 30, 2009 (in thousands) (amounts presented
exclude any income tax effects and have not been adjusted for the amount
attributable to the noncontrolling interest):
Fair
Values of Deriative Instruments
Liability Derivatives
|
||||||||
Fair Value at
|
||||||||
Consolidated Balance Sheet Location
|
June 30, 2010
|
December 31, 2009
|
||||||
Derivative
designated as hedging instrument:
|
|
|
||||||
Interest
rate contract
|
Derivative
financial instrument (current liabilities)
|
$
|
-
|
$ |
315
|
Effect
of Derivative Instruments on the Consolidated Statement of
Operations
|
Three Months Ended
|
Six
Months Ended
|
||||||||||||||||
Consolidated Statements of Operations Location
|
June 30,
2010
|
June 30, 2009
|
June
30, 2010
|
June
30, 2009
|
||||||||||||||
gain
(loss)
|
gain (loss)
|
gain (loss)
|
gain (loss)
|
|||||||||||||||
Derivative not designated as
hedging instrument:
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Commodity
contract
|
Net
sales
|
$ | - | $ | - | $ | 230 | $ | - | |||||||||
Derivative
designated as hedging instrument:
|
||||||||||||||||||
Interest
rate contract
|
Interest
expense
|
- | (939 | ) | (197 | ) | (1,854 | ) | ||||||||||
Net
amount recognized in earnings
|
$ | - | $ | (939 | ) | $ | 33 | $ | (1,854 | ) |
Effective
January 1, 2008, the Company adopted the framework for measuring fair value and
the expanded disclosures about fair value measurements. In accordance with these
provisions, we have categorized our financial assets and liabilities, based on
the priority of the inputs to the valuation technique, into a three-level fair
value hierarchy as set forth below. If the inputs used to measure the financial
instruments fall within different levels of the hierarchy, the categorization is
based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value
measurement of the instrument.
Financial
assets and liabilities recorded on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets are
categorized based on the inputs to the valuation techniques as
follows:
Level 1 —
Financial assets and liabilities whose values are based on unadjusted quoted
prices for identical assets or liabilities in an active market that the Company
has the ability to access at the measurement date. We currently do not have any
Level 1 financial assets or liabilities.
Level 2 —
Financial assets and liabilities whose values are based on quoted prices in
markets where trading occurs infrequently or whose values are based on quoted
prices of instruments with similar attributes in active
markets. Level 2 inputs include the following:
|
·
|
Quoted prices for identical or
similar assets or liabilities in non-active markets (examples include
corporate and municipal bonds which trade
infrequently);
|
17
|
·
|
Inputs other than quoted prices
that are observable for substantially the full term of the asset or
liability (examples include interest rate and currency swaps);
and
|
|
·
|
Inputs that are derived
principally from or corroborated by observable market data for
substantially the full term of the asset or liability (examples include
certain securities and
derivatives).
|
Level 3 —
Financial assets and liabilities whose values are based on prices or valuation
techniques that require inputs that are both unobservable and significant to the
overall fair value measurement. These inputs reflect management’s own
assumptions about the assumptions a market participant would use in pricing the
asset or liability. We currently do not have any Level 3 financial assets or
liabilities.
(in thousands)
|
June 30,
|
December 31,
|
||||||
Level 2
|
2010
|
2009
|
||||||
Financial
Liabilities:
|
||||||||
Interest
rate contract
|
$
|
—
|
$
|
(315
|
)
|
|||
Total
liabilities
|
$
|
—
|
$
|
(315
|
)
|
|||
Total
net position
|
$
|
—
|
$
|
(315
|
)
|
The fair
value of our interest rate swap was derived from market data, primarily
market rates for Eurodollar futures and adjusted for credit risk.
9.
Stock-Based Compensation
The
following table summarizes the stock based compensation incurred by the
Company:
Three Months Ended, June 30
|
Six Months Ended, June 30
|
|||||||||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
2010
|
2009
|
2010
|
2009
|
||||||||||||
Stock
options
|
$ | 235 | $ | 80 | $ | 689 | $ | 126 | ||||||||
Restricted
stock
|
2 | 59 | 21 | 91 | ||||||||||||
Total
|
$ | 237 | $ | 139 | $ | 710 | $ | 217 |
2007
Equity Incentive Compensation Plan
Immediately
prior to the Company’s initial public offering, the Company adopted the 2007
Equity Incentive Compensation Plan (“2007 Plan”). The 2007 Plan provides for the
grant of options intended to qualify as incentive stock options, non-qualified
stock options, stock appreciation rights or restricted stock awards and any
other equity-based or equity-related awards. The 2007 Plan is administered by
the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors. Subject to adjustment for
changes in capitalization, the aggregate number of shares that may be delivered
pursuant to awards under the 2007 Plan is 3,000,000 and the term of the Plan is
ten years, expiring in June 2017.
Stock Options —
Except as otherwise directed by the Compensation Committee, the exercise price
for options cannot be less than the fair market value of our common stock on the
grant date. Other than the stock options issued to Directors, the options will
generally vest and become exercisable with respect to 30%, 30% and 40% of the
shares of our common stock subject to such options on each of the first three
anniversaries of the grant date. Compensation expense related to these options
is expensed on a straight line basis over the three year vesting period. Options
issued to Directors generally vest and become exercisable on the first
anniversary of the grant date. All stock options have a five year term from the
date of grant.
During
the three and six months ended June 30, 2010, the Company issued 25,000 and
763,932 stock options, respectively, under the 2007 Plan to certain of our
employees and our non-employee Directors with a per share exercise price equal
to the market price of the stock on the date of grant. During the three and six
months ended June 30, 2009, the Company issued 30,000 stock options under the
2007 Plan to certain of our non-employee Directors with a per share exercise
price equal to the market price of the stock on the date of grant. The
determination of the fair value of the stock option awards, using the
Black-Scholes model, incorporated the assumptions in the following table for
stock options granted during the three and six months ended June 30, 2010 and
June 30, 2009. The risk-free rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in
effect at the time of grant over the expected term. Expected volatility is
calculated by considering, among other things, the expected volatilities of
public companies engaged in the ethanol industry.
18
The
weighted average variables used in calculating fair value and the resulting
compensation expense in the six months ended June 30, 2010 are as
follows:
Expected stock price volatility
|
151.4 | % | ||
Expected
life (in years)
|
3.2 | |||
Risk-free
interest rate
|
2.3 | % | ||
Expected
dividend yield
|
0.0 | % | ||
Expected
forfeiture rate
|
28.0 | % | ||
Weighted
average grant date fair value
|
$ | 2.28 |
A summary
of the status of outstanding stock options at June 30, 2010 and the changes
during the six months ended June 30, 2010 is as follows:
Weighted
|
Weighted
|
Unrecognized
|
||||||||||||||||||
Average
|
Average
|
Aggregate
|
Remaining
|
|||||||||||||||||
Exercise
|
Remaining
|
Intrinsic
|
Compensation
|
|||||||||||||||||
Shares
|
Price
|
Life (years)
|
Value
|
Expense
|
||||||||||||||||
Options
outstanding, January 1, 2010
|
1,196,900
|
$
|
4.00
|
|||||||||||||||||
Granted
|
763,932
|
2.74
|
||||||||||||||||||
Exercised
|
-
|
-
|
||||||||||||||||||
Forfeited
|
(96,496
|
)
|
7.58
|
|||||||||||||||||
Options
outstanding, June 30, 2010
|
1,864,336
|
$
|
3.30
|
4.3
|
$
|
15,000
|
||||||||||||||
Options
vested or expected to vest at June 30, 2010
|
1,211,221
|
$
|
3.45
|
4.2
|
$
|
15,000
|
$
|
1,859,586
|
||||||||||||
Options
exercisable, June 30, 2010
|
303,338
|
$
|
4.71
|
3.4
|
$
|
15,000
|
Restricted Stock -
During the three and six months ended June 30, 2010, the Company granted
12,500 shares to its non-employee Directors under the 2007 Plan. During the
three and six months ended June 30, 2009, the Company granted 15,000 shares
to its non-employee Directors under the 2007 Plan.
A summary
of the restricted stock activity during the six months ended June 30, 2010
is as follows:
Weighted
|
||||||||||||||||
Average
|
Unrecognized
|
|||||||||||||||
Grant Date
|
Aggregate
|
Remaining
|
||||||||||||||
Fair Value
|
Intrinsic
|
Compensation
|
||||||||||||||
Shares
|
per Award
|
Value
|
Expense
|
|||||||||||||
Restricted
stock outstanding, January 1, 2010
|
24,962
|
$
|
4.63
|
|||||||||||||
Granted
|
12,500
|
1.72
|
||||||||||||||
Vested
|
(17,040
|
)
|
1.90
|
|||||||||||||
Cancelled
or expired
|
(5,882
|
)
|
10.50
|
|||||||||||||
Restricted
stock outstanding, June 30, 2010
|
14,540
|
$
|
2.95
|
$
|
19,338
|
|||||||||||
Restricted
stock expected to vest at June 30, 2010
|
9,885
|
$
|
2.91
|
$
|
13,148
|
$
|
27,124
|
The
remaining unrecognized option and restricted stock expense will be recognized
over 2.3 and 0.9 years, respectively. After considering the stock option
and restricted stock awards issued and outstanding, net of forfeitures, the
Company had 1,037,720 shares of common stock available for future grant under
our 2007 Plan at June 30, 2010.
19
10.
Income Taxes
The
Company has not recognized any income tax provision (benefit) for the three and
six months ended June 30, 2010 and June 30, 2009.
The U.S.
statutory federal income tax rate is reconciled to the Company’s effective
income tax rate as follows:
Three Months Ended,
|
Six Months Ended,
|
|||||||||||||||
June 30, 2010
|
June 30, 2009
|
June 30, 2010
|
June 30, 2009
|
|||||||||||||
Statutory
U.S. federal income tax rate
|
(34.0 | )% | (34.0 | )% | (34.0 | )% | (34.0) | % | ||||||||
Expected
state tax benefit, net
|
(3.6 | )% | (3.6 | )% | (3.6 | )% | (3.6) | % | ||||||||
Valuation
allowance
|
37.6 | % | 37.6 | % | 37.6 | % | 37.6 | % | ||||||||
0.0 | % | 0.0 | % | 0.0 | % | 0.0 | % |
The
effects of temporary differences and other items that give rise to deferred tax
assets and liabilities are presented below (in thousands).
June 30,
|
December 31,
|
|||||||
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||
Deferred
tax assets:
|
||||||||
Capitalized
start up costs
|
$
|
3,981
|
$
|
4,216
|
||||
Net
unrealized loss on derivatives
|
-
|
36
|
||||||
Stock
options
|
316
|
179
|
||||||
Net
operating loss carryover
|
56,451
|
48,879
|
||||||
Other
|
32
|
33
|
||||||
Deferred
tax asset
|
60,780
|
53,343
|
||||||
Valuation
allowance
|
(30,624
|
)
|
(24,130
|
)
|
||||
Deferred
tax liabilities:
|
||||||||
Property,
plant and equipment
|
(30,156
|
)
|
(29,213
|
)
|
||||
Deferred
tax liabilities
|
(30,156
|
)
|
(29,213
|
)
|
||||
Net
deferred tax asset
|
$
|
—
|
$
|
—
|
The
Company assesses the recoverability of deferred tax assets and the need for a
valuation allowance on an ongoing basis. In making this assessment,
management considers all available positive and negative evidence to determine
whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax
assets will be realized in future periods. This assessment requires
significant judgment and estimates involving current and deferred income taxes,
tax attributes relating to the interpretation of various tax laws, historical
bases of tax attributes associated with certain assets and limitations
surrounding the realization of deferred tax assets.
As of
June 30, 2010, the net operating loss carryforward is $150 million, which
will begin to expire if not used by December 31, 2028. The
U.S. federal statute of limitations remains open for our 2006 and
subsequent tax years.
11.
Employee Benefit Plan
401(k) Plan
The LLC
sponsors a 401(k) profit sharing and savings plan for its employees. Employee
participation in this plan is voluntary. Prior to January 1, 2010,
contributions to the plan by the LLC were discretionary and were made on an
annual basis at year end. Effective January 1, 2010, the LLC began
matching up to 3% of eligible employee contributions on a biweekly
basis. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2010,
contributions to the plan by the LLC totaled $54,000 and $131,000,
respectively. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2009 there were no
contributions to the plan by the LLC.
20
12.
Commitments and Contingencies
The LLC,
through its subsidiaries, entered into two operating lease agreements with
Cargill. Cargill’s grain handling and storage facilities, located adjacent to
the Wood River and Fairmont plants, are being leased for 20 years, which began
in September 2008 for both plants. Minimum annual payments are $800,000 for the
Fairmont plant and $1,000,000 for the Wood River plant so long as the associated
corn supply agreements with Cargill remain in effect. Should the Company not
maintain its corn supply agreements with Cargill, the minimum annual payments
under each lease increase to $1,200,000 and $1,500,000, respectively. The leases
contain escalation clauses which are based on the percentage change in the
Midwest Consumer Price Index. The escalation clauses are considered to be
contingent rent and, accordingly, are not included in minimum lease payments.
Rent expense is recognized on a straight line basis over the terms of the
leases. Events of default under the leases include failure to fulfill monetary
or non-monetary obligations and insolvency. Effective September 1, 2009, the
subsidiaries and Cargill entered into Omnibus Agreements whereby the two
operating lease agreements were modified, for a period of one year, to defer a
portion of the monthly lease payments. The deferred lease payments will be
payable to Cargill over a two year period beginning September 1,
2010.
Subsidiaries
of the LLC entered into agreements to lease a total of 875 railroad cars.
Pursuant to these lease agreements, which began in the second quarter of 2008,
these subsidiaries will pay an average of approximately $7.4 million per year
for ten years. Monthly rental charges escalate if modifications of the
cars are required by governmental authorities or mileage exceeds 30,000 miles in
any calendar year. Rent expense is recognized on a straight line basis
over the terms of the leases. Events of default under the leases include
failure to fulfill monetary or non-monetary obligations and
insolvency.
In
April 2008, the LLC entered into a five year lease that began July 1,
2008 for office space for its corporate headquarters. Rent expense is
being recognized on a straight line basis over the term of the
lease.
Future
minimum operating lease payments at June 30, 2010 are as follows (in
thousands):
Remainder
of 2010
|
$
|
5,192
|
||
2011
|
10,461
|
|||
2012
|
10,036
|
|||
2013
|
9,496
|
|||
2014
|
9,276
|
|||
Thereafter
|
49,580
|
|||
Total
|
$
|
94,041
|
Rent
expense recorded for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010 totaled
$2,196,000 and $4,586,000, respectively. Rent expense recorded for the three and
six months ended June 30, 2009 totaled $2,287,000 and $4,714,000,
respectively.
The LLC,
through its subsidiaries that constructed the Wood River and Fairmont plants,
has entered into agreements with electric utilities pursuant to which the
electric utilities built, own and operate substation and distribution facilities
in order to supply electricity to the plants. For its Wood River plant,
the LLC paid the utility $1.5 million for the cost of the substation and
distribution facility, which was recorded as property, plant and
equipment. The balance of the utilities direct capital costs is being
recovered from monthly demand charges of approximately $124,000 per month for
three years which began in the second quarter of 2008.
Subsidiaries
of the LLC entered into engineering, procurement and construction contracts with
The Industrial Company — Wyoming (“TIC”) for the construction of the Wood River
and Fairmont plants. In March 2010, the subsidiaries of the LLC entered
into warranty settlement agreements with TIC which settled all remaining
warranty obligations of TIC. In exchange for the subsidiaries of the LLC
agreeing to release TIC from any and all present and future warranty
obligations, TIC agreed to pay $600,000 for each plant to a vendor that
fabricated replacement equipment for each plant in the second quarter of
2010..
Pursuant
to long-term agreements, Cargill is the exclusive supplier of corn to the Wood
River and Fairmont plants for twenty years commencing September 2008.
The price of corn purchased under these agreements is based on a formula
including cost plus an origination fee of $0.045 per bushel. The minimum
annual origination fee payable to Cargill per plant under the agreements is $1.2
million. The agreements contain events of default that include failure to
pay, willful misconduct, purchase of corn from another supplier, insolvency or
the termination of the associated grain facility lease. Effective
September 1, 2009, the subsidiaries and Cargill entered into Omnibus Agreements
whereby the two corn supply agreements were modified, for a period of one year,
extending payment terms for our corn purchases which payment terms will revert
back to the original terms on September 1, 2010.
At
June 30, 2010, the LLC, through its subsidiaries, had contracted to
purchase 11,104,000 bushels of corn to be delivered between July 2010 and July
2011 at our Fairmont location, and 12,219,000 bushels of corn to be delivered
between July 2010 and June 2011 at our Wood River location. These purchase
commitments represent 25% and 30% of the projected corn requirements during
those periods for Fairmont and Wood River, respectively. The purchase
price of the corn will be determined at the time of delivery. At
June 30, 2010, the LLC, through its subsidiaries, had contracted for future
ethanol deliveries valued at $5.8 million between July 2010 and December
2010 for each of our plants. These sales commitments represent 7% of the
projected ethanol sales during the period at each plant. These normal
purchase and sale commitments are not marked to market or recorded in the
consolidated balance sheet.
21
Cargill
has agreed to purchase all ethanol and distillers grain produced at the Wood
River and Fairmont plants through September 2016. Under the terms of the ethanol
marketing agreements, the Wood River and Fairmont plants will generally
participate in a marketing pool where all parties receive the same net price.
That price will be the average delivered price per gallon received by the
marketing pool less average transportation and storage charges and less a 1%
commission. In certain circumstances, the plants may elect not to participate in
the marketing pool. Minimum annual commissions are payable to Cargill and
represent 1% of Cargill’s average selling price for 82.5 million gallons of
ethanol from each plant. Under the distillers grain marketing agreements, the
Wood River and Fairmont plants will receive the market value at time of sale
less a commission. Minimum annual commissions are payable to Cargill and range
from $500,000 to $700,000 depending upon certain factors as specified in the
agreement. The marketing agreements contain events of default that include
failure to pay, willful misconduct and insolvency. Effective September 1, 2009,
the subsidiaries and Cargill entered into Omnibus Agreements whereby the two
ethanol marketing agreements were modified, for a period of one year, to defer a
portion of the monthly ethanol commission payments. The deferred commission
payments will be payable to Cargill over a two year period beginning September
1, 2010.
The
Company is not currently a party to any material legal, administrative or
regulatory proceedings that have arisen in the ordinary course of business or
otherwise that would result in loss contingencies.
13.
Noncontrolling Interest
Noncontrolling
interest consists of equity issued to members of the LLC. Under its original LLC
agreement, the LLC was authorized to issue 9,357,500 Class A; 950,000 Class B;
425,000 Class M; 2,683,125 Class C; and 894,375 Class D Units. Class M, C and D
Units were considered “profits interests” for which no cash consideration was
received upon issuance. In accordance with the LLC agreement, all classes of the
LLC’s equity units were converted to one class of LLC equity upon the Company’s
initial public offering in June 2007. As provided in the LLC agreement, the
exchange ratio of the various existing classes of equity for the single class of
equity was based on the Company’s initial public offering price of $10.50 per
share and the resulting implied valuation of the Company. The exchange resulted
in the issuance of 17,957,896 LLC membership units and Class B common shares.
Each LLC membership unit combined with a share of Class B common stock is
exchangeable at the holder’s option into one share of Company common stock. The
LLC may make distributions to members as determined by the Company.
Exchange
of LLC Units
LLC
membership units, when combined with the Class B shares, can be exchanged
for newly issued shares of common stock of the Company on a one-for-one
basis. The following table summarizes the exchange activity since the
Company’s initial public offering:
LLC
Membership Units and Class B common shares outstanding at
initial public offering, June 2007
|
17,957,896
|
|||
LLC
Membership Units and Class B common shares exchanged in
2007
|
(561,210
|
)
|
||
LLC
Membership Units and Class B common shares exchanged in
2008
|
(7,314,438
|
)
|
||
LLC
Membership Units and Class B common shares exchanged in
2009
|
(2,633,663
|
)
|
||
LLC
Membership Units and Class B common shares exchanged in the six months
ended June 30, 2010
|
(336,600
|
)
|
||
Remaining
LLC Membership Units and Class B common shares at June 30,
2010
|
7,111,985
|
At the
time of its initial public offering, the Company owned 28.9% of the LLC
membership units of the LLC. At June 30, 2010, the Company owned 78.7% of
the LLC membership units. The noncontrolling interest will continue to be
reported until all Class B common shares and LLC membership units have been
exchanged for the Company’s common stock.
The table
below shows the effects of the changes in BioFuel Energy Corp.’s ownership
interest in LLC on the equity attributable to BioFuel Energy Corp.’s common
shareholders for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010 and June 30,
2009 (in thousands):
22
Net
Loss Attributable to BioFuel Energy Corp.’s common
shareholders and
Transfers
(to) from the Noncontrolling Interest
Three Months Ended, June 30
|
Six Months Ended, June 30
|
|||||||||||||||
2010
|
2009
|
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||||||||
Net
income (loss) attributable to BioFuel Energy Corp.
|
$ | (9,405 | ) | $ | (6,534 | ) | $ | (17,559 | ) | $ | (14,244 | ) | ||||
Transfers
(to) from the noncontrolling interest
|
||||||||||||||||
Increase
in BioFuel Energy Corp.’s stockholders equity
from issuance of common shares in exchange for Class B
common shares and units of BioFuel Energy, LLC
|
- | 1,480 | 236 | 1,794 | ||||||||||||
Net
transfers (to) from noncontrolling interest
|
- | 1,480 | 236 | 1,794 | ||||||||||||
Change in
equity from net loss attributable to BioFuel Energy Corp. and
transfers (to) from noncontrolling interest
|
$ | (9,405 | ) | $ | (5,054 | ) | $ | (17,323 | ) | $ | (12,450 | ) |
Tax
Benefit Sharing Agreement
Membership
units in the LLC combined with the related Class B common shares held by
the historical equity investors may be exchanged in the future for shares of our
common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to customary conversion rate
adjustments for stock splits, stock dividends and reclassifications. The
LLC will make an election under Section 754 of the IRS Code effective for
each taxable year in which an exchange of membership units and Class B
shares for common shares occurs, which may result in an adjustment to the tax
basis of the assets owned by the LLC at the time of the exchange.
Increases in tax basis, if any, would reduce the amount of tax that the Company
would otherwise be required to pay in the future, although the IRS may challenge
all or part of the tax basis increases, and a court could sustain such a
challenge. The Company has entered into tax benefit sharing agreements with its
historical LLC investors that will provide for a sharing of these tax benefits,
if any, between the Company and the historical LLC equity investors. Under these
agreements, the Company will make a payment to an exchanging LLC member of 85%
of the amount of cash savings, if any, in U.S. federal, state and local income
taxes the Company actually realizes as a result of this increase in tax
basis. The Company and its common stockholders will benefit from the
remaining 15% of cash savings, if any, in income taxes realized. For purposes of
the tax benefit sharing agreement, cash savings in income tax will be computed
by comparing the Company’s actual income tax liability to the amount of such
taxes the Company would have been required to pay had there been no increase in
the tax basis in the assets of the LLC as a result of the exchanges. The
term of the tax benefit sharing agreement commenced on the Company’s initial
public offering in June 2007 and will continue until all such tax benefits
have been utilized or expired, unless a change of control occurs and the Company
exercises its resulting right to terminate the tax benefit sharing agreement for
an amount based on agreed payments remaining to be made under the
agreement.
True
Up Agreement
At the
time of formation of the LLC, the founders agreed with certain of our principal
stockholders as to the relative ownership interests in the Company of our
management members and affiliates of Greenlight Capital, Inc.
(“Greenlight”) and Third Point LLC (“Third Point”). Certain management
members and affiliates of Greenlight and Third Point agreed to exchange LLC
membership interests, shares of common stock or cash at a future date, referred
to as the “true-up date”, depending on the Company’s performance. This provision
functions by providing management with additional value if the Company’s value
improves and by reducing management’s interest in the Company if its value
decreases, subject to a predetermined rate of return accruing to Greenlight and
Third Point. In particular, if the value of the Company increases from the time
of the initial public offering to the “true-up date”, the management members
will be entitled to receive LLC membership units, shares of common stock or cash
from the affiliates of Greenlight and Third Point. On the other hand, if the
value of the Company decreases from the time of the initial public offering to
the “true-up date” or if a predetermined rate of return is not met, the
affiliates of Greenlight and Third Point will be entitled to receive LLC
membership units or shares of common stock from the management
members.
The
“true-up date” will be the earlier of (1) the date on which the Greenlight
and Third Point affiliates sell a number of shares of our common stock equal to
or greater than the number of shares of common stock or Class B common
stock received by them at the time of our initial public offering in respect of
their original investment in the LLC, and (2) five years from the date of
the initial public offering which is June 2012. On the “true-up date”, the
LLC’s value will be determined, based on the prices at which the Greenlight and
Third Point affiliates sold shares of our common stock prior to that date, with
any remaining shares (or LLC membership units exchangeable for shares) held by
them deemed to have been sold at the then-current trading price. If the number
of LLC membership units held by the management members at the time of the
offering is greater than the number of LLC membership units the management
members would have been entitled to in connection with the “true-up” valuation,
the management members will be obligated to deliver to the Greenlight and Third
Point affiliates a portion of their LLC membership units or an equivalent number
of shares of common stock. Conversely, if the number of LLC membership units the
management members held at the time of the offering is less than the number of
LLC membership units the management members would have been entitled to in
connection with the “true-up” valuation, the Greenlight and Third Point
affiliates will be obligated to deliver, at their option, to the management
members a portion of their LLC membership interests or an equivalent amount of
cash or shares of common stock. In no event will any management member be
required to deliver more than 50% of the membership units in the LLC, or an
equivalent number of shares of common stock, held on the date of the initial
public offering, provided that Mr. Thomas J. Edelman may be required
to deliver up to 100% of his LLC membership units, or an equivalent amount of
cash or number of shares of common stock. No new shares will be issued as a
result of the true-up. As a result there will be no impact on our public
shareholders, but rather a redistribution of shares among certain members of our
management group and our two largest investors, Greenlight and Third Point. This
agreement was considered a modification of the awards granted to the
participating management members; however, no incremental fair value was created
as a result of the modification.
23
ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND
ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
You
should read the following discussion in conjunction with the unaudited
consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes included in this
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. This discussion contains forward-looking
statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Specifically, forward-looking
statements may be preceded by, followed by or may include such words as
“estimate”, “plan”, “project”, “forecast”, “intend”, “expect”, “is to be”,
“anticipate”, “goal”, “believe”, “seek”, “target” or other similar
expressions. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this
Form 10-Q, or in the case of a document incorporated by reference, as of
the date of that document. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation
to publicly update or release any revisions to these forward-looking statements
to reflect any events or circumstances after the date of this Form 10-Q or
to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Our actual results may
differ materially from those discussed in or implied by any of the
forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including but not
limited to those listed elsewhere in this Form 10-Q and those listed in our
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009 or in
other documents we have filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
Overview
BioFuel
Energy Corp. produces and sells ethanol and distillers grain through its two
ethanol production facilities located in Wood River, Nebraska and Fairmont,
Minnesota. In late June 2008, we commenced start-up of commercial operations and
began to produce ethanol at both of our plants, each having a nameplate capacity
of approximately 115 million gallons per year (“Mmgy”), based on the
maximum amount of permitted denaturant. We work closely with
Cargill, Inc., one of the world’s leading agribusiness companies and a
related party, with whom we have an extensive commercial relationship. The two
plant locations were selected primarily based on access to corn supplies, the
availability of rail transportation and natural gas and Cargill’s competitive
position in the area. At each location, Cargill, has a strong local
presence and owns adjacent grain storage and handling facilities, which we lease
from them. Cargill provides corn procurement services, markets the ethanol
and distillers grain we produce and provides transportation logistics for our
two plants under long-term contracts.
We are a
holding company with no operations of our own, and are the sole managing member
of BioFuel Energy, LLC, or the LLC, which is itself a holding company and
indirectly owns all of our operating assets. The Company’s ethanol plants are
owned and operated by the Operating Subsidiaries of the LLC.
Going
Concern and Liquidity Considerations
Our
results of operations and financial condition depend substantially on the price
of our main commodity input, corn, relative to the price of our main commodity
product, ethanol, which is known in the industry as the “crush spread.” The
prices of these commodities are volatile and beyond our control. As a
result of the volatility of the prices for these and other items, our results
fluctuate substantially and in ways that are largely beyond our control.
For example, we were profitable in the fourth quarter of 2009, when crush
spreads averaged $0.49 per gallon, based on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT)
prices for ethanol and corn. However, as reported in the unaudited
consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report, we
reported net losses of $12.0 million and $22.4 million during the
three and six months ended June 30, 2010, respectively. During each
of these periods, crush spreads contracted significantly, averaging $0.24 and
$0.28 per gallon based on CBOT prices during the three and six months ended June
30, 2010, respectively. The crush spread averaged $0.19 per gallon, based
on CBOT prices, during the month of July 2010. Since we commenced
operations, we have from time to time entered into derivative financial
instruments such as futures contracts, swaps and option contracts with the
objective of limiting our exposure to changes in commodities prices.
However, we are currently able to engage in such hedging activities only on a
limited basis due to our lack of financial resources, and we may not have the
financial resources to increase or conduct any of these hedging activities in
the future.
At the
margins we experienced during the six months ended June 30, 2010, we will not be
able to generate sufficient cash flow from operations to both service our debt
and operate our plants. We cannot predict when or if crush spreads will
narrow further or if the current narrow margins will improve or continue. In the
event crush spreads narrow further, or remain at current levels for an extended
period of time, we may choose to curtail operations at our plants or cease
operations altogether. In addition, we have fully utilized our debt
service reserve availability under our Senior Credit facility, and may expend
all of our other available sources of liquidity, in which event we would not be
able to pay principal or interest on our debt, which would lead to an event of
default under our bank agreements and, in the absence of forbearance, debt
service abeyance or other accommodations from our lenders, require us to seek
relief through a filing under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. See “Management’s
discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of
operations—Liquidity and capital resources.” We expect fluctuations
in the crush spread to continue. Any further reduction in the crush spread may
cause our operating margins to deteriorate further, resulting in an impairment
charge in addition to causing the consequences described above. See “Risk
Factors—Narrow commodity margins have resulted in decreased liquidity and
continue to present a significant risk to our ability to service our
debt.”
24
As of
June 30, 2010, the Company's subsidiaries had $29.8 million of long-term debt
due within the next year, including $16.4 million of outstanding working capital
loans, which mature in September 2010, and, if current operating conditions
do not significantly improve, the Company is unlikely to have sufficient
liquidity to both repay these loans when they become due and maintain its
operations. Our failure to repay the outstanding amounts under our working
capital loans would result in an event of default under our Senior Debt facility
and a cross-default under our subordinated debt agreement, and would allow both
the senior lenders and the subordinated lenders to accelerate repayment of
amounts outstanding. Although we have commenced discussions with our
lenders to extend the maturity of the working capital loans, we have no
assurance that they will do so. If we are unable to generate sufficient
cash flow from operations to repay the working capital loans, we may seek
new capital from other sources. We cannot assure you that we will be
successful in achieving any of these initiatives or, even if successful, that
these initiatives will be sufficient to address our limited liquidity. If
we are unable to obtain the requisite consent from our lenders, raise additional
capital or generate sufficient cash flow from our operations to repay the
working capital loans, we may be unable to continue as a going concern, which
could potentially force us to seek relief through a filing under the U.S.
Bankruptcy Code.
Basis
for Consolidation
At
June 30, 2010, the Company owned 78.7% of the LLC and the remainder was
owned by our founders and some of our original equity investors. As a result,
the Company consolidates the results of the LLC. The amount of income or loss
allocable to the 21.3% holders is reported as noncontrolling interest in our
consolidated statements of operations. The Class B common shares of
the Company are held by the historical equity investors of the LLC, who held
7,111,985 membership units in the LLC as of June 30, 2010 that, together with
the corresponding Class B shares, can be exchanged for newly issued shares
of common stock of the Company on a one-for-one basis. As of December 31,
2009, the unit holders owned 7,448,585 membership units, or 22.9% of the
membership units in the LLC. During the six months ended June 30, 2010,
unit holders exchanged 336,600 membership units in the LLC, (together with the
corresponding shares of Class B common stock) for shares of our common stock,
substantially all of which are eligible for sale under Rule 144 promulgated
under the Securities Act of 1933 upon lapse of a six-month holding
period.
Revenues
Our
primary source of revenue is the sale of ethanol. The selling prices we
realize for our ethanol are largely determined by the market supply and demand
for ethanol, which, in turn, is influenced by industry factors over which we
have little control. Ethanol prices are extremely volatile.
We also
receive revenue from the sale of distillers grain, which is a residual
co-product of the processed corn used in the production of ethanol and is sold
as animal feed. The selling prices we realize for our distillers grain are
largely determined by the market supply and demand, primarily from livestock
operators and marketing companies in the U.S. and internationally.
Distillers grain is sold by the ton and, based upon the amount of moisture
retained in the product, can either be sold “wet” or “dry”.
Cost
of goods sold and gross profit (loss)
Our gross
profit (loss) is derived from our revenues less our cost of goods sold. Our cost
of goods sold is affected primarily by the cost of corn and natural gas. The
prices of both corn and natural gas are volatile and can vary as a result of a
wide variety of factors, including weather, market demand, regulation and
general economic conditions, all of which are outside of our
control.
Corn is
our most significant raw material cost. Historically, rising corn prices
result in lower profit margins because ethanol producers are unable to pass
along increased corn costs to customers. The price and availability of corn is
influenced by weather conditions and other factors affecting crop yields, farmer
planting decisions and general economic, market and regulatory factors. These
factors include government policies and subsidies with respect to agriculture
and international trade, and global and local demand and supply for corn and for
other agricultural commodities for which it may be substituted, such as
soybeans. Historically, the spot price of corn tends to rise during the spring
planting season in May and June and tends to decrease during the fall
harvest in October and November.
We also
purchase natural gas to power steam generation in our ethanol production process
and as fuel for our dryers to dry our distillers grain. Natural gas represents
our second largest operating cost after corn, and natural gas prices are
extremely volatile. Historically, the spot price of natural gas tends to be
highest during the heating and cooling seasons and tends to decrease during the
spring and fall.
Corn
procurement fees paid to Cargill are included in our cost of goods sold. Other
cost of goods sold primarily consists of our cost of chemicals and enzymes,
electricity, depreciation, manufacturing overhead and rail car lease
expenses.
25
General
and administrative expenses
General
and administrative expenses consist of salaries and benefits paid to our
management and administrative employees, expenses relating to third party
services, insurance, travel, office rent, marketing and other expenses,
including expenses associated with being a public company, such as fees paid to
our independent auditors associated with our annual audit and quarterly reviews,
compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and listing and
transfer agent fees.
Results
of operations
The
following discussion summarizes the significant factors affecting the
consolidated operating results of the Company for the three and six months ended
June 30, 2010 and June 30, 2009. This discussion should be read in conjunction
with the unaudited consolidated financial statements and notes to the unaudited
consolidated financial statements contained in this Form 10-Q.
The
following table sets forth net sales, expenses and net loss, as well as the
percentage relationship to net sales of certain items in our consolidated
statements of operations:
Three Months Ended
|
Six
Months Ended
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
June
30,
2010
|
June
30,
2009
|
June
30,
2010
|
June
30,
2009
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(unaudited)
|
(unaudited)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands)
|
(dollars
in thousands)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net
sales
|
$ | 96,398 | 100.0 | % | $ | 106,464 | 100.0 | % | $ | 197,285 | 100.0 | % | $ | 203,958 | 100.0 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Cost
of goods sold
|
102,613 | 106.4 | 107,307 | 100.8 | 208,197 | 105.5 | 209,872 | 102.9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gross
loss
|
(6,215 | ) | (6.4 | ) | (843 | ) | (0.8 | ) | (10,912 | ) | (5.5 | ) | (5,914 | ) | (2.9 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
General
and administrative expenses
|
3,181 | 3.3 | 4,232 | 4.0 | 6,212 | 3.1 | 6,874 | 3.4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operating
loss
|
(9,396 | ) | (9.7 | ) | (5,075 | ) | (4.8 | ) | (17,124 | ) | (8.6 | ) | (12,788 | ) | (6.3 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Other
expense
|
(2,580 | ) | (2.7 | ) | (3,913 | ) | (3.6 | ) | (5,278 | ) | (2.7 | ) | (7,378 | ) | (3.6 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Net
loss
|
(11,976 | ) | (12.4 | ) | (8,988 | ) | (8.4 | ) | (22,402 | ) | (11.3 | ) | (20,166 | ) | (9.9 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Less:
Net loss attributable to the noncontrolling interest
|
2,571 | 2.6 | 2,454 | 2.3 | 4,843 | 2.4 | 5,922 | 2.9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net
loss attributable to BioFuel Energy Corp. common
shareholders
|
$ | (9,405 | ) | (9.8 | ) % | $ | (6,534 | ) | (6.1 | ) % | $ | (17,559 | ) | (8.9 | )% | $ | (14,244 | ) | (7.0 | )% |
The
following table sets forth key operational data for the three and six months
ended June 30, 2010 and June 30, 2009 that we believe are important indicators
of our results of operations:
Three Months Ended
|
Six
Months Ended
|
|||||||||||||||
June 30,
2010
|
June 30,
2009
|
June
30,
2010
|
June
30,
2009
|
|||||||||||||
(unaudited)
|
(unaudited)
|
(unaudited)
|
(unaudited)
|
|||||||||||||
Ethanol sold (gallons, in thousands)
|
56,715 | 55,950 | 111,548 | 111,011 | ||||||||||||
Dry
distillers grains sold (tons, in thousands)
|
119.1 | 123.7 | 246.1 | 243.5 | ||||||||||||
Wet
distillers grains sold (tons, in thousands)
|
96.9 | 94.6 | 200.8 | 198.8 | ||||||||||||
Average
price of ethanol sold (per gallon)
|
$ | 1.49 | $ | 1.59 | $ | 1.54 | $ | 1.53 | ||||||||
Average
price of dry distillers grains sold (per ton)
|
$ | 91.34 | $ | 119.76 | $ | 95.19 | $ | 119.51 | ||||||||
Average
price of wet distillers grains sold (per ton)
|
$ | 23.59 | $ | 40.81 | $ | 22.98 | $ | 39.11 | ||||||||
Average
corn cost (per bushel)
|
$ | 3.48 | $ | 3.99 | $ | 3.58 | $ | 3.83 |
Three
Months Ended June 30, 2010 Compared to the Three Months Ended June 30,
2009
Net Sales: Net
Sales were $96,398,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2010 compared to
$106,464,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2009, a decrease of $10,066,000
or 9.5%. This decrease was attributable to a decrease in ethanol revenues
of $4,494,000 and a decrease in distillers grains revenue of
$5,572,000. The decreases in both ethanol revenue and distillers
grains revenue was primarily due to a decrease in the per unit price we received
for each product as a result of declines in their respective market
prices.
Cost of goods sold and gross
loss: The following table sets forth the components of cost
of goods sold for the three months ended June 30, 2010 and June 30,
2009:
26
Three Months Ended June 30,
|
||||||||||||||||
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||||||||||
Amount
|
Per Gallon of
Ethanol
|
Amount
|
Per Gallon of
Ethanol
|
|||||||||||||
(amounts in thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||
Corn
|
$
|
70,324
|
$
|
1.24
|
$
|
79,476
|
$
|
1.43
|
||||||||
Natural
gas
|
7,465
|
$
|
0.13
|
5,517
|
$
|
0.10
|
||||||||||
Denaturant
|
2,214
|
$
|
0.04
|
1,629
|
$
|
0.03
|
||||||||||
Electricity
|
3,334
|
$
|
0.06
|
3,122
|
$
|
0.06
|
||||||||||
Chemicals
and enzymes
|
3,892
|
$
|
0.07
|
3,978
|
$
|
0.07
|
||||||||||
General
operating expenses
|
9,001
|
$
|
0.16
|
7,303
|
$
|
0.13
|
||||||||||
Depreciation
|
6,383
|
$
|
0.11
|
6,282
|
$
|
0.11
|
||||||||||
Cost
of goods sold
|
$
|
102,613
|
$
|
107,307
|
Cost of
goods sold was $102,613,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2010
compared to $107,307,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2009, a decrease of
$4,694,000 or 4.4%. The decrease was primarily attributable to a
$9,152,000 reduction in the cost of corn, offset in part by higher natural gas
and general operating expense costs. The decrease in corn cost was
attributable to both an increase in yield, that is, in the amount of ethanol we
were able to produce per bushel of corn used, and a decrease in the price per
bushel paid for corn. The increase in natural gas cost was attributable to a
higher price per Mmbtu while the increase in general operating expenses resulted
mostly from an increase in repairs and maintenance costs of
$1,170,000.
General and administrative
expenses: General and administrative expenses decreased
$1,051,000 or 24.8%, to $3,181,000 for the three months ended June 30,
2010, compared to $4,232,000 for the three months ended June 30,
2009. The decrease was primarily due to $1,649,000 of legal and financial
advisory expenses, primarily related to the Company’s negotiations with the
lenders under the Senior Debt facility concerning restructuring and loan
conversion, which were incurred during the three months ended June 30,
2009. No such costs were incurred during the three months ended June
30, 2010.
Other income (expense):
Interest expense was $2,580,000 for the three months ended June 30,
2010, compared to $3,937,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2009, a
decrease of $1,357,000 or 34.5%. During the three months ended June 30,
2009, the Company paid $938,000 relating to two interest rate swaps, both of
which were in effect for the entire quarter. These interest rate swaps
were not in effect during the three months ended June 30, 2010. The remainder of
the decrease was primarily attributable to a $350,000 decrease in interest on
the Senior Debt facility as a result of the higher default interest rate the
Company was required to pay for the month of June 2009, which was not in effect
during the three months ended June 30, 2010.
Noncontrolling Interest:
The net loss attributable to the noncontrolling interest increased
$117,000 to $2,571,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2010, compared
to $2,454,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2009. The increase
was attributable to the Company’s net loss increasing from $8,988,000 for the
three months ended June 30, 2009 to $11,976,000 for the three months ended
June 30, 2010, which was offset by a decrease in the percentage ownership
of the noncontrolling interest from 25.0% at June 30, 2009 to 21.3% at
June 30, 2010.
Six
Months Ended June 30, 2010 Compared to the Six Months Ended June 30,
2009
Net Sales: Net
Sales were $197,285,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2010 compared to
$203,958,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2009, a decrease of $6,673,000 or
3.3%. This decrease was attributable to a decrease in distillers grains
revenues of $8,707,000, which was partially offset by an increase in ethanol
revenues of $2,034,000. The decrease in distillers grains revenue was
primarily due to a decrease in the per unit price we received while the increase
in ethanol revenue was primarily due to an increase in the number of gallons
sold.
Cost of goods sold and gross
loss: The following table sets forth the components of cost
of goods sold for the six months ended June 30, 2010 and June 30,
2009:
Six Months Ended June
30,
|
||||||||||||||||
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||||||||||
Amount
|
Per Gallon of
Ethanol
|
Amount
|
Per Gallon of
Ethanol
|
|||||||||||||
(amounts in thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||
Corn
|
$
|
140,856
|
$
|
1.26
|
$
|
151,280
|
$
|
1.36
|
||||||||
Natural
gas
|
17,219
|
$
|
0.15
|
13,134
|
$
|
0.12
|
||||||||||
Denaturant
|
4,531
|
$
|
0.04
|
3,116
|
$
|
0.03
|
||||||||||
Electricity
|
6,457
|
$
|
0.06
|
5,993
|
$
|
0.05
|
||||||||||
Chemicals
and enzymes
|
7,974
|
$
|
0.07
|
9,149
|
$
|
0.08
|
||||||||||
General
operating expenses
|
18,395
|
$
|
0.16
|
14,650
|
$
|
0.13
|
||||||||||
Depreciation
|
12,765
|
$
|
0.11
|
12,550
|
$
|
0.11
|
||||||||||
Cost
of goods sold
|
$
|
208,197
|
$
|
209,872
|
27
Cost of
goods sold was $208,197,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2010 compared
to $209,872,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2009, a decrease of $1,675,000
or 0.8%. The decrease was primarily attributable to a $10,424,000
reduction in the cost of corn and lower costs per gallon for chemicals and
enzymes, offset in part by higher natural gas, denaturant, and general operating
expense costs. The decrease in corn cost was attributable to both an increase in
yield, that is, in the amount of ethanol we were able to produce per bushel of
corn used, and a decrease in the price per bushel paid for corn. The
decrease in chemical and enzyme cost was a result of lower usage due to more
efficient operations. The increase in natural gas and denaturant cost was
attributable to a higher price per unit while the increase in general operating
expenses resulted mostly from an increase in repairs and maintenance costs of
$2,961,000.
General and administrative
expenses: General and administrative expenses decreased
$662,000 or 9.6%, to $6,212,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2010,
compared to $6,874,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2009. The
decrease was primarily due to a decrease in legal and financial advisory
expenses of $1,649,000, partially offset by an increase in share based
compensation expense of $493,000. The legal and financial advisory
expenses incurred during the six months ended June 30, 2009 primarily related to
the Company’s negotiations with the lenders under the Senior Debt facility
concerning restructuring and loan conversion. No such costs were
incurred during the six months ended June 30, 2010.
Other income (expense):
Interest expense was $5,278,000 for the six months ended June 30,
2010, compared to $7,438,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2009, a
decrease of $2,160,000 or 29.0%. During the six months ended June 30,
2009, the Company paid $1,854,000 relating to two interest rate swaps, both of
which were in effect for the entire period. During the six months ended
June 30, 2010, the Company paid $197,000 as only one swap remained in effect for
the first two months of the period. The remaining decrease was
primarily attributable to a $350,000 decrease as a result of the higher default
interest rate the Company was required to pay on the Senior Debt facility for
the month of June 2009, which was not in effect during the six months ended June
30, 2010.
Noncontrolling Interest.
The net loss attributable to the noncontrolling interest decreased
$1,079,000 to $4,843,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2010, compared
to $5,922,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2009. The decrease
was attributable to a decrease in the percentage ownership of the noncontrolling
interest during those periods, which was offset by the Company’s net loss
increasing from $20,166,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2009 to
$22,402,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2010.
Liquidity
and capital resources
Our cash
flows from operating, investing and financing activities during the six months
ended June 30, 2010 and June 30, 2009 are summarized below (in
thousands):
Six Months Ended
|
||||||||
June
30, 2010
|
June
30, 2009
|
|||||||
Cash
provided by (used in):
|
||||||||
Operating
activities
|
$
|
10,482
|
$
|
(10,819
|
)
|
|||
Investing
activities
|
(3,899
|
)
|
(11,775
|
)
|
||||
Financing
activities
|
(402
|
)
|
14,869
|
|||||
Net
increase (decrease) in cash and equivalents
|
$
|
6,181
|
$
|
(7,725
|
)
|
28
Cash used in investing
activities. Net cash used in investing activities was
$3,899,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2010, compared to $11,775,000
for the six months ended June 30, 2009. The net cash used in
investing activities during the six months ended June 30, 2010 was for
various capital expenditure projects at the plants. The net cash used in
investing activities during the six months ended June 30, 2009 was comprised of
the payment of the construction retainage to TIC, the general contractor that
constructed our two plants, which totaled $9,407,000, and $2,368,000 for various
capital expenditures at the plants.
Cash provided by (used in) financing
activities. Net cash used in financing activities was
$402,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2010, compared to net cash
provided by financing activities of $14,869,000 for the six months ended
June 30, 2009. For the six months ended June 30, 2010, the
amount was primarily comprised of $6,593,000 of borrowings under our term loan
facility, which were offset by $6,300,000 in payments under our term loan
facility, $100,000 in payments under our working capital facility, and $507,000
in payments of notes payable and capital leases. For the six months ended
June 30, 2009 the amount was primarily comprised of $3,000,000 of
borrowings under our working capital facility and $13,708,000 in borrowings
under our term loan (formerly construction) facility, which were partially
offset by $1,233,000 in payments on the Subordinated Debt and $449,000 in
payments of notes payable and capital leases.
Our
principal sources of liquidity at June 30, 2010 consisted of cash and
equivalents of $12,290,000, and available borrowings under our working capital
facility of $2,560,000. Under an amendment to our corn supply
agreement with Cargill, we may also extend payment terms for corn which would
provide approximately another $7,000,000 in liquidity. That amendment is
scheduled to expire on September 1, 2010.
As noted
elsewhere in this report, crush spreads narrowed during the three and six months
ending June 30, 2010, resulting in lower margins and decreased liquidity.
Our principal liquidity needs are expected to be funding our plant operations,
funding capital expenditures, debt service requirements of our indebtedness, and
general corporate purposes. We cannot predict when or if crush
spreads will fluctuate again or if the current margins will improve or
worsen. In the event crush spreads narrow further, or remain at current
levels for an extended period of time, we may choose to curtail or cease
operations at our plants. In addition, we have fully utilized our debt
service reserve availability under our Senior Debt facility and may not be able
to pay principal or interest on our debt. This would lead to an event of
default under our bank agreements and, in the absence of forbearance, debt
service abeyance or other accommodations from our lenders, require us to cease
operating altogether.
Senior
Debt facility
In
September 2006, our Operating Subsidiaries entered into a
$230.0 million senior secured bank facility with BNP Paribas and a
syndicate of lenders to finance the construction of our ethanol plants. Neither
the Company nor the LLC is a borrower under the Senior Debt facility, although
the equity interests and assets of our subsidiaries are pledged as collateral to
secure the debt under the facility.
The
Senior Debt facility initially consisted of two construction loans, which
together totaled $210.0 million of available borrowings, and working capital
loans of up to $20.0 million. No principal payments were required until
the construction loans were converted to term loans. Thereafter, principal
payments are payable quarterly at a minimum amount of $3,150,000, with
additional pre-payments to be made out of available cash flow.
The
Operating Subsidiaries received a Notice of Default from the lenders, dated May
22, 2009, asserting that a “material adverse effect” had occurred due to the
Company’s lack of liquidity. The Company disagreed with the lenders’
assertion that a material adverse effect had occurred and, effective September
29, 2009, the Operating Subsidiaries entered into a Waiver and Amendment to the
Senior Debt facility which converted the two construction loans to two term
loans and waived all defaults previously asserted by the lenders. At
conversion, the Waiver and Amendment to the Senior Debt facility provided for
$198.6 million of total funded debt under the term loans. The Operating
Subsidiaries began making quarterly principal payments on September 30,
2009. The Waiver and Amendment to the Senior Debt facility also provided
for up to $9.7 million in additional loans (the “DSRA Loan Commitment”) to make
future principal and interest payments under the Senior Debt facility. The
Operating Subsidiaries have drawn the entire $9.7 million of the DSRA Loan
Commitment as of June 30, 2010. These term loans mature in
September 2014.
The
Senior Debt facility also includes a working capital facility of up to
$20.0 million, of which $16.4 million was outstanding as of June 30,
2010. A portion of the working capital facility is available to us in the
form of letters of credit. The working capital loans are available to pay
certain operating expenses of the plants, and may be drawn on and repaid at any
time until maturity. The working capital loans mature in
September 2010, and as a result the entire outstanding amount of such loans
was classified as current as of June 30, 2010. With consent from
two-thirds of the lenders, the maturity date of the working capital loans may be
extended to September 2011.
29
The
Senior Debt facility is secured by a first priority lien on all right, title and
interest in and to the Wood River and Fairmont plants and any accounts
receivable or property associated with those plants, and a pledge of all of our
equity interests in the Operating Subsidiaries. The Operating Subsidiaries
have established collateral deposit accounts maintained by an agent of the
banks, into which our revenues are deposited, subject to security interests to
secure any outstanding obligations under the Senior Debt facility. These
funds are then allocated into various sweep accounts held by the collateral
agent, including accounts that provide funds for the operating expenses of the
Operating Subsidiaries. The collateral accounts have various provisions,
including historical and prospective debt service coverage ratios and debt
service reserve requirements, which determine whether, and the amount of, cash
that can be made available to the LLC from the collateral accounts each
month. The terms of the Senior Debt facility also include covenants that
impose certain limitations on, among other things, the ability of the Operating
Subsidiaries to incur additional debt, grant liens or encumbrances, declare or
pay dividends or distributions, conduct asset sales or other dispositions, merge
or consolidate, and conduct transactions with affiliates. The terms of the
Senior Debt facility also include customary events of default including failure
to meet payment obligations, failure to pay financial obligations, failure of
the Operating Subsidiaries of the LLC to remain solvent and failure to obtain or
maintain required governmental approvals. Under the terms of separate
Management Services Agreements between our Operating Subsidiaries and the LLC,
the Operating Subsidiaries pay a monthly management fee of $834,000 to the LLC
to cover salaries, rent, and other operating expenses of the LLC, which payments
are unaffected by the terms of the Senior Debt facility or the collateral
accounts.
Interest
rates on each of the loans under the Senior Debt facility will be, at our
option, (a) a base rate equal to the higher of (i) the federal funds effective
rate plus 0.5% or (ii) BNP Paribas’ prime rate, in each case, plus 2.0% or (b) a
Eurodollar rate equal to LIBOR adjusted for reserve requirements plus 3.0%.
Interest periods for loans based on a Eurodollar rate will be, at our option,
one, three or six months, or, if available, nine or twelve months. Accrued
interest is due quarterly in arrears for base rate loans, on the last date of
each interest period for Eurodollar loans with interest periods of one or three
months, and at three month intervals for Eurodollar loans with interest periods
in excess of three months. Overdue amounts bear additional interest at a default
rate of 2.0%. The average interest rate in effect on the borrowings at June 30,
2010 was 3.4%.
We are
required to pay certain fees in connection with our Senior Debt facility,
including a commitment fee equal to 0.50% per annum on the daily average unused
portion of the working capital loans and letter of credit fees.
Debt
issuance fees and expenses of $8.5 million ($4.4 million, net of accumulated
amortization) have been incurred in connection with the Senior Debt facility
through June 30, 2010. These costs have been deferred and are being amortized
and expensed over the term of the Senior Debt facility.
As of
June 30, 2010, the Operating Subsidiaries had $212.1 million outstanding
under the Senior Debt facility, which included $195.7 million of outstanding
term loans and $16.4 million of outstanding working capital loans. The
amount of outstanding working capital loans does not include $1.0 million of
undrawn letters of credit outstanding. The remaining availability under the
working capital loan facility is subject to compliance with the restrictions and
covenants described above.
Subordinated
Debt agreement
The LLC
is the borrower of subordinated debt under a loan agreement dated September 25,
2006, entered into with certain affiliates of Greenlight Capital, Inc. and Third
Point LLC, both of which are related parties. All $50.0 million that was
available under the subordinated debt agreement was borrowed in the first six
months of 2007 to fund the development and construction of our plants and for
general corporate purposes. During the third quarter of 2007, the Company
retired $30.0 million of its subordinated debt with a portion of the initial
public offering proceeds. Interest up until December 1, 2008 on the
subordinated debt was payable quarterly in arrears at a 15.0% annual rate. The
entire principal balance, if any, plus all accrued and unpaid interest will be
due in March 2015. Once repaid, the subordinated debt may not be re-borrowed.
The subordinated debt is secured by the subsidiary equity interests owned by the
LLC and are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by all of the LLC’s
subsidiaries, which guarantees are subordinated to the obligations of these
subsidiaries under our Senior Debt facility. A default under our Senior Debt
facility would also constitute a default under our subordinated debt and would
entitle the lenders to accelerate the repayment of amounts
outstanding.
In
January 2009, the LLC and the subordinated debt lenders entered into a waiver
and amendment agreement to the subordinated debt agreement. Under the waiver and
amendment, interest on the subordinated debt began accruing at a 5.0% annual
rate compounded quarterly, a rate that will apply until the debt owed to
Cargill, under an agreement entered into simultaneously, has been paid in full,
at which time the rate will revert to a 15.0% annual rate and quarterly payments
in arrears are required. As long as the debt to Cargill remains outstanding,
future payments to the subordinated debt lenders will be contingent upon
available cash (as defined in both agreements) being received by the LLC. As of
June 30, 2010, the LLC had $20.8 million outstanding under its subordinated debt
facility.
30
Debt
issuance fees and expenses of $5.5 million ($1.3 million, net of accumulated
amortization) have been incurred in connection with the subordinated debt
through June 30, 2010. Debt issuance costs associated with the subordinated
debt have been deferred and are being amortized and expensed over the term of
the agreement.
Cargill
debt agreement
In
January 2009, the LLC and Cargill entered into an agreement which finalized the
payment terms for $17.4 million owed to Cargill by the LLC related to hedging
losses with respect to corn hedging contracts that had been liquidated in
the third quarter of 2008. The agreement with Cargill required an initial
payment of $3.0 million on the outstanding balance, which was paid on December
5, 2008. Upon the initial payment of $3.0 million, Cargill also forgave $3.0
million. Effective December 1, 2008, interest on the Cargill debt began accruing
at a 5.0% annual rate compounded quarterly. Future payments to Cargill of both
principal and interest are contingent upon the receipt by the LLC of available
cash, as defined in the agreement. Cargill will forgive, on a dollar for dollar
basis, a further $2.8 million as it receives the next $2.8 million of principal
payments. The Cargill Debt is being accounted for as a troubled debt
restructuring. As the future cash payments specified by the terms of the
Cargill Agreement exceed the carrying amount of the debt before the $3.0 million
was forgiven, the carrying amount of the debt is not reduced and no gain is
recorded. As future payments are made, the LLC will determine, based on
the timing of payments, whether or not any gain should be recorded.
Capital
lease
The LLC,
through its subsidiary that constructed the Fairmont plant, entered into an
agreement with the local utility pursuant to which the utility has built and
owns and operates a substation and distribution facility in order to supply
electricity to the plant. The LLC is paying a fixed facilities charge based on
the cost of the substation and distribution facility of $34,000 per month, over
the 30-year term of the agreement. This fixed facilities charge is being
accounted for as a capital lease in the accompanying financial statements. The
agreement also includes a $25,000 monthly minimum energy charge that also began
in the first quarter of 2008.
Notes
payable
Notes
payable relate to certain financing agreements in place at each of our sites.
The subsidiaries of the LLC that constructed the plants entered into finance
agreements in the first quarter of 2008 for the purchase of certain rolling
stock equipment to be used at the facilities for $748,000. The notes have fixed
interest rates (weighted average rate of approximately 5.6%) and require 48
monthly payments of principal and interest, maturing in the first and second
quarter of 2012. In addition, the subsidiary of the LLC that constructed the
Wood River facility has entered into a note payable for $2,220,000 with a fixed
interest rate of 11.8% for the purchase of our natural gas pipeline. The note
requires 36 monthly payments of principal and interest and matures in the first
quarter of 2011. In addition, the subsidiary of the LLC that constructed the
Wood River facility has entered into a note payable for $419,000 with the City
of Wood River for special assessments related to street, water, and sanitary
improvements at our Wood River facility. This note requires ten annual payments
of $58,000, including interest at 6.5% per annum, and matures in
2018.
Tax
increment financing
In
February 2007, the subsidiary of the LLC that constructed the Wood River plant
received $6.0 million from the proceeds of a tax increment revenue note issued
by the City of Wood River, Nebraska. The proceeds funded improvements to
property owned by the subsidiary. The City of Wood River will pay the principal
and interest of the note from the incremental increase in the property taxes
related to the improvements made to the property. The proceeds have been
recorded as a liability which is reduced as the subsidiary of the LLC remits
property taxes to the City of Wood River, which began in 2008 and will
continue through 2021.
The LLC
has guaranteed the principal and interest of the tax increment revenue note if,
for any reason, the City of Wood River fails to make the required payments to
the holder of the note or the subsidiary of the LLC fails to make the required
payments to the City of Wood River. Semiannual principal payments on the
tax increment revenue note began in June 2008. Due to lower than
anticipated assessed property values, the subsidiary of the LLC was required to
pay $468,000 in 2009 and $34,000 in the first half of 2010 as a portion of the
note payments.
Letters
of credit
As of
June 30, 2010 the Company has three letters of credit outstanding which total
$1,040,000. These letters of credit have been provided as collateral to
the natural gas provider at the Fairmont plant and the electrical service
providers at both the Fairmont and Wood River plants, and are issued by the
lenders under our Senior Debt facility as part of the working capital
facility.
Off-balance
sheet arrangements
Except
for our operating leases, we do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements that
have or are reasonably likely to have a material current or future effect on our
financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses,
results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital
resources.
31
Summary
of critical accounting policies and significant estimates
The
consolidated financial statements of BioFuel Energy Corp. included in this Form
10-Q have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States. Note 2 to these consolidated financial
statements contains a summary of our significant accounting policies, certain of
which require the use of estimates and assumptions. Accounting estimates are an
integral part of the preparation of financial statements and are based on
judgments by management using its knowledge and experience about the past and
current events and assumptions regarding future events, all of which we consider
to be reasonable. These judgments and estimates reflect the effects of matters
that are inherently uncertain and that affect the carrying value of our assets
and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent liabilities and reported amounts
of expenses during the reporting period.
The
accounting estimates and assumptions discussed in this section are those that we
believe involve significant judgments and the most uncertainty. Changes in these
estimates or assumptions could materially affect our financial position and
results of operations and are therefore important to an understanding of our
consolidated financial statements.
Recoverability
of property, plant and equipment
The
Company has two asset groups, its ethanol facility in Fairmont and its ethanol
facility in Wood River, which are evaluated separately when considering whether
the carrying value of these assets has been impaired. The Company
continually monitors whether or not events or circumstances exist that would
warrant impairment testing of its long-lived assets. In evaluating whether
impairment testing should be performed, the Company considers several factors
including projected production volumes at its facilities, projected ethanol and
distillers grain prices that we expect to receive, and projected corn and
natural gas costs we expect to incur. In the ethanol industry operating
margins, and consequently undiscounted future cash flows, are primarily driven
by commodity prices, in particular the price of corn, our principal production
input, and the price of ethanol, our principal production output. The
difference in pricing between these two commodities is known as the “crush
spread”. In the event that the crush spread is sufficiently depressed to
result in negative operating cash flow at its facilities, the Company will
evaluate whether or not an impairment of the carrying value of its long-lives
assets has occurred. See “Risk Factors – Narrow commodity margins have
resulted in decreased liquidity and continue to present a significant risk to
our ability to service our debt.”
Recoverability
is measured by comparing the carrying value of an asset with estimated
undiscounted future cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset and
its eventual disposition. An impairment loss is reflected as the amount by which
the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value of the asset. Fair
value is determined based on the present value of estimated expected future cash
flows using a discount rate commensurate with the risk involved, quoted market
prices or appraised values, depending on the nature of the assets. As of
June 30, 2010, the Company performed an impairment evaluation of the
recoverability of its long-lived assets due to depressed crush spreads. As
a result of this impairment evaluation, it was determined that the future cash
flows from the assets exceeded the current carrying values, and therefore, no
further analysis was necessary and no impairment was recorded. If depressed
crush spreads continue to persist for an extended period of time, due to
continued negative industry factors, there would likely be an impairment of the
Company’s long-lived assets.
Share-based
compensation
Under the
fair value recognition provisions of this guidance, share-based compensation
cost for stock options granted is measured at the grant date based on the
award’s fair value as calculated by the Black-Scholes option-pricing model and
is recognized as expense over the requisite service period. The key assumptions
generally used in the Black-Scholes calculations include the expected term, the
estimated volatility of our common stock, and the risk-free rate of return
during the expected term. Additionally, we are required to estimate the expected
forfeiture rate, as we recognize expense only for those shares or stock options
expected to vest. Due to the uncertainties inherent in these estimates, the
amount of compensation expense to be recorded will be dependent on the
assumptions used in making the estimates.
32
Income
Taxes
The
Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method, under
which deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax
consequences attributable to temporary differences between financial statement
carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax
bases and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets
and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to
taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to
be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities
of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the
enactment date. The Company regularly reviews historical and anticipated
future pre-tax results of operations to determine whether the Company will be
able to realize the benefit of its deferred tax assets. A valuation
allowance is required to reduce the potential deferred tax asset when it is more
likely than not that all or some portion of the potential deferred tax asset
will not be realized due to the lack of sufficient taxable income. The
Company establishes reserves for uncertain tax positions that reflect its best
estimate of deductions and credits that may not be sustained. As the
Company has incurred losses since its inception and expects to continue to incur
losses for the foreseeable future, we will provide a valuation allowance against
all deferred tax assets until the Company believes that such assets will be
realized. The Company includes interest on tax deficiencies and income tax
penalties in the provision for income taxes.
Recent
accounting pronouncements
From time
to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the FASB or other standards
setting bodies that are adopted by us as of the specified effective date. Unless
otherwise discussed, our management believes that the impact of recently issued
standards that are not yet effective will not have a material impact on our
consolidated financial statements upon adoption.
ITEM
3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
We are
subject to significant risks relating to the prices of four primary commodities:
corn and natural gas, our principal production inputs, and ethanol and
distillers grain, our principal products. These commodities are also subject to
geographic basis differentials, which can vary considerably. In recent years,
ethanol prices have been primarily influenced by gasoline prices, the
availability of other gasoline additives and federal, state and local laws,
regulations, subsidies and tariffs. Distillers grain prices tend to be
influenced by the prices of alternative animal feeds. However, in the short to
intermediate term, logistical issues may have a significant impact on ethanol
prices. In addition, the acceptance by livestock operators of the anticipated
sharp increase in quantities of distillers grain production as new ethanol
plants become operational could significantly depress its price.
We expect
that lower ethanol prices will tend to result in lower profit margins even when
corn prices decrease due to the significance of fixed costs. The price of
ethanol is subject to wide fluctuations due to domestic and international supply
and demand, infrastructure, government policies, including subsidies and
tariffs, and numerous other factors. Ethanol prices are extremely volatile. From
July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2010, the CBOT ethanol prices have fluctuated from a
low of $1.40 per gallon in December 2008 to a high of $2.86 per gallon in July
2008 and averaged $1.77 per gallon during this period.
We expect
that lower distillers grain prices will tend to result in lower profit margins.
The selling prices we realize for our distillers grain are largely determined by
market supply and demand, primarily from livestock operators and marketing
companies in the U.S. and internationally. Distillers grain is sold by the
ton and can either be sold “wet” or “dry”.
We
anticipate that higher corn prices will tend to result in lower profit margins,
as it is unlikely that such an increase in costs can be passed on to ethanol
customers. The availability as well as the price of corn is subject to wide
fluctuations due to weather, carry-over supplies from the previous year or
years, current crop yields, government agriculture policies, international
supply and demand and numerous other factors. Using recent corn prices of
$3.75 per bushel, we estimate that corn will represent approximately 73% of our
operating costs. Historically, the spot price of corn tends to rise during the
spring planting season in May and June and tends to decrease during the fall
harvest in October and November. From July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2010 the CBOT
price of corn has fluctuated from a low of $3.01 per bushel in September 2009 to
a high of $7.49 per bushel in July 2008 and averaged $3.99 per bushel during
this period.
Higher
natural gas prices will tend to reduce our profit margin, as it is unlikely that
such an increase in costs can be passed on to ethanol customers. Natural gas
prices and availability are affected by weather, overall economic conditions,
oil prices and numerous other factors. Using recent corn prices of $3.75 per
bushel and recent natural gas prices of $4.75 per Mmbtu, we estimate that
natural gas will represent approximately 9% of our operating costs.
Historically, the spot price of natural gas tends to be highest during the
heating and cooling seasons and tends to decrease during the spring and fall.
From July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2010, the Nymex price of natural gas has
fluctuated from a low of $2.51 per Mmbtu in September 2009 to a high of $13.58
per Mmbtu in July 2008 and averaged $5.21 per Mmbtu during this
period.
33
To reduce
the risks implicit in price fluctuations of these four principal commodities and
variations in interest rates, we plan to continuously monitor these markets and
to hedge a portion of our exposure, provided we have the financial resources to
do so. In hedging, we may buy or sell exchange-traded commodities futures or
options, or enter into swaps or other hedging arrangements. While there is an
active futures market for corn and natural gas, the futures market for ethanol
is still in its infancy and very illiquid, and we do not believe a futures
market for distillers grain currently exists. Although we will attempt to link
our hedging activities such that sales of ethanol and distillers grain match
pricing of corn and natural gas, there is a limited ability to do this against
the current forward or futures market for ethanol and corn. Consequently, our
hedging of ethanol and distillers grain may be limited or have limited
effectiveness due to the nature of these markets. Due to the Company’s limited
liquidity resources and the potential for required postings of significant cash
collateral or margin deposits resulting from changes in commodity prices
associated with hedging activities, the Company is currently unable to
hedge with third-party brokers. We also may vary the amount of hedging
activities we undertake, and may choose to not engage in hedging transactions at
all. As a result, our operations and financial position may be adversely
affected by increases in the price of corn or natural gas or decreases in the
price of ethanol or unleaded gasoline.
We have
prepared a sensitivity analysis as set forth below to estimate our exposure to
market risk with respect to our projected corn and natural gas requirements and
our ethanol and distillers grain sales for the last six months of 2010.
Market risk related to these factors is estimated as the potential change in
pre-tax income, resulting from a hypothetical 10% adverse change in the cost of
our corn and natural gas requirements and the selling price of our ethanol and
distillers grain sales based on current prices as of June 30, 2010, excluding
activity we may undertake related to corn and natural gas forward and futures
contracts used to hedge our market risk. Actual results may vary from these
amounts due to various factors including significant increases or decreases in
the LLC’s production capacity during the last six months of 2010.
Volume
Requirements
|
Units
|
Price per Unit
at June 30,
2010
|
Hypothetical
Adverse Change
in Price
|
Change in
Six months ended
12/31/10 Pre-tax
Income
|
|||||||||||||
(in millions)
|
(in millions)
|
||||||||||||||||
Ethanol
|
112.9
|
Gallons
|
$
|
1.53
|
10
|
%
|
$
|
(17.3
|
)
|
||||||||
Dry
Distillers
|
0.3
|
Tons
|
$
|
76.56
|
10
|
%
|
$
|
(2.3
|
)
|
||||||||
Wet
Distillers
|
0.2
|
Tons
|
$
|
19.00
|
10
|
%
|
$
|
(0.4
|
)
|
||||||||
Corn
|
41.2
|
Bushels
|
$
|
3.41
|
10
|
%
|
$
|
(14.0
|
)
|
||||||||
Natural
Gas
|
3.4
|
Mmbtu
|
$
|
4.81
|
10
|
%
|
$
|
(1.6
|
)
|
We are
subject to interest rate risk in connection with our Senior Debt facility. Under
the facility, our bank borrowings bear interest at a floating rate based, at our
option, on LIBOR or an alternate base rate. As of June 30, 2010, we had
borrowed $212.1 million under our Senior Debt facility. A hypothetical 100
basis points increase in interest rates under our Senior Debt facility would
result in an increase of $2,121,000 on our annual interest expense.
At June
30, 2010, we had $12.3 million of cash and equivalents invested in both standard
cash accounts and money market mutual funds held at three financial
institutions, which is in excess of FDIC insurance limits. The money
market mutual funds are not invested in any auction rate
securities.
ITEM
4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Controls
and Procedures
The
Company’s management carried out an evaluation, as required by Rule 13a-15(b) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), with the participation
of our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, of the
effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of our
last fiscal quarter. Based upon this evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and
the Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and
procedures were effective as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q, such that the information relating to the Company and its
consolidated subsidiaries required to be disclosed in our Exchange Act reports
filed with the SEC (i) is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within
the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms, and (ii) is accumulated and
communicated to the Company’s management, including our Chief Executive Office
and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding
required disclosure.
In
addition, the Company’s management carried out an evaluation, as required by
Rule 13a-15(d) of the Exchange Act, with the participation of our Chief
Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, of changes in the Company’s
internal control over financial reporting. Based on this evaluation, the Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that no change in
internal control over financial reporting occurred during the quarter ended June
30, 2010, that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially
affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
PART II.
OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM
1A.
|
RISK
FACTORS
|
The
Company included in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2009 a description of certain risks and uncertainties that
could affect the Company’s business, future performance or financial condition
(See Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors” in our Form 10-K). The Risk
Factors as included in our Form 10-K are updated by the risk factors
described below. You should carefully consider these risks, and the risks
described in our Form 10-K, as well as other information contained in this
Form 10-Q, including “Management’s discussion and analysis of financial
condition and results of operations”. Any of these risks could
significantly and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition
and results of operations. These risks are not the only risks facing the
Company. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or
that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our
business, financial condition or future results.
Narrow
commodity margins have resulted in decreased liquidity and continue to present a
significant risk to our ability to service our debt.
Our
results of operations and financial condition depend substantially on the price
of our main commodity input, corn, relative to the price of our main commodity
product, ethanol, which is known in the industry as the “crush spread.” The
prices of these commodities are volatile and beyond our control. For
example, from July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2010, spot corn prices on the
Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) ranged from $3.01 to $7.49 per bushel, with an
average price of $3.99 per bushel, while CBOT ethanol prices ranged from $1.40
to $2.86 per gallon, with an average price of $1.77 per gallon. However,
the volatility in corn prices and the volatility in ethanol prices are not
correlated, and as a result, the crush spread fluctuated widely throughout 2009,
ranging from $0.06 per gallon to $0.68 per gallon, and during the first half of
2010, ranging from $0.15 to $0.47. Since we commenced operations, we have from
time to time entered into derivative financial instruments such as futures
contracts, swaps and option contracts with the objective of limiting our
exposure to changes in commodities prices. However, we are currently able
to engage in such hedging activities only on a limited basis due to our
lack of financial resources, and we may not have the financial resources to
increase or conduct any of these hedging activities in the future. In
addition, if geographic basis differentials are not hedged, they could cause our
hedging programs to be ineffective or less effective than
anticipated.
As a
result of the volatility of the prices for these and other items, our results
fluctuate substantially and in ways that are largely beyond our control.
For example, we were profitable in the fourth quarter of 2009, when crush
spreads averaged $0.49 per gallon. However, as reported in the unaudited
consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report, we
reported net losses of $12.0 million and $22.4 million during the
three and six months ended June 30, 2010, respectively. During each
of these periods, crush spreads contracted significantly, averaging $0.24 and
$0.28 per gallon during the three and six months ended June 30, 2010,
respectively. The crush spread averaged $0.19 per gallon during the month of
July 2010. At these margins, we will not be able to generate sufficient
cash flow from operations to both service our debt and operate our
plants.
Narrow
commodity margins present a significant risk to our cash flows and
liquidity. We cannot predict when or if crush spreads will narrow further
or if the current narrow margins will improve or continue. In the event crush
spreads narrow further, or remain at current levels for an extended period of
time, we may choose to curtail operations at our plants or cease operations
altogether. In addition, we have fully utilized our debt service reserve
availability under our Senior Debt facility and we may expend all of our other
sources of liquidity, in which event we would not be able to pay principal or
interest on our debt, which would lead to an event of default under our bank
agreements and, in the absence of forbearance, debt service abeyance or other
accommodations from our lenders, require us to seek relief through a filing
under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. We expect fluctuations in the crush spread to
continue. Any further reduction in the crush spread may cause our operating
margins to deteriorate further, resulting in an impairment charge in addition to
causing the consequences described above.
The
pending maturity of our working capital facility, unless extended, raises
substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
In
connection with its year-end audit of our annual 2009 financial statements, our
independent auditor expressed substantial doubt about our ability to continue as
a going concern. As of June 30, 2010, the Company's subsidiaries had $29.8
million of long-term debt due within the next year, including $16.4 million of
outstanding working capital loans, which mature in September 2010, and, if
current operating conditions do not significantly improve, the Company is
unlikely to have sufficient liquidity to both repay these loans when they become
due and maintain its operations. Our failure to repay the outstanding
amounts under our working capital loans would result in an event of default
under our Senior Debt facility and a cross-default under our subordinated debt
agreement, and would allow both the senior lenders and the subordinated lenders
to accelerate repayment of amounts outstanding. Although we intend to seek
the consent of our lenders to extend the maturity of the working capital loans,
we have no assurance that they will do so. If we are unable to generate
sufficient cash flow from operations to repay the working capital loans, we may
seek new capital from other sources. We cannot assure you that we will be
successful in achieving any of these initiatives or, even if successful, that
these initiatives will be sufficient to address our limited liquidity. If
we are unable to obtain the requisite consent from our lenders, raise additional
capital or generate sufficient cash flow from our operations to repay the
working capital loans, we may be unable to continue as a going concern, which
could potentially force us to seek relief through a filing under the U.S.
Bankruptcy Code.
35
Excess
production capacity in our industry may result in over-supply of ethanol which
could adversely affect our business.
According
to the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), a trade group, domestic ethanol
production capacity has increased from approximately 1.8 billion gallons
per year (Bgpy) in 2001, to an estimated 13.0 Bgpy at the end of 2009. The RFA
estimates that, as of January 1, 2010, approximately 1.4 Bgpy of additional
production capacity, an increase of approximately 11% over current production
levels, is under construction at 11 new and existing facilities. In
July 2010, Archer Daniels Midland Company, the second largest domestic ethanol
producer, announced the start-up of operations at a new plant representing
expanded capacity of 300 Mmgy. In addition, the Energy Information Agency
(EIA) of the U.S. Department of Energy recently estimated that, during the month
of May 2010, the most recent month for which statistics were available, daily
ethanol production in the U.S. was 847,000 barrels per day, which would equate
to an annualized output of approximately 13.0 bgy, matching the all-time
high output in March 2010. As a result of this increase in production, the
ethanol industry faces the risk of excess capacity. In a manufacturing industry
with excess capacity, producers have an incentive to continue manufacturing
products as long as the price of the product exceeds the marginal cost of
production (i.e., the cost of producing only the next unit, without regard
to interest, overhead or other fixed costs). We believe that excess
capacity may be one of the main reasons that ethanol prices have been depressed
lately, relative to the price of unleaded gasoline.
Excess
ethanol production capacity also may result from decreases in the demand for
ethanol, which could result from a number of factors, including regulatory
developments and reduced gasoline consumption in the United States. Reduced
gasoline consumption could occur as a result of a decrease in general economic
conditions, as a result of increased prices for gasoline or crude oil, which
could cause businesses and consumers to reduce driving or acquire vehicles with
more favorable gasoline mileage, or as a result of technological advances, such
as the commercialization of hydrogen fuel-cells, which could supplant
gasoline-powered engines. There are a number of governmental initiatives
designed to reduce gasoline consumption, including tax credits for hybrid
vehicles and consumer education programs. According to preliminary data
published by the EIA, motor fuel consumption in the United States, which
includes ethanol blended with gasoline, declined to approximately 137.8 billion
gallons in 2009 from 138.2 billion gallons the prior year. Management
believes that this decline in overall motor fuel consumption was the result of
the severe economic recession recently experienced in the U.S., and has also
contributed to the declining price of ethanol.
If there
is excess capacity in our industry, and it continues to outstrip demand for a
significant period of time, the market price of ethanol could remain at a level
that is inadequate to generate sufficient cash flow to cover costs, which could
result in an impairment charge, could have an adverse effect on our results of
operations, cash flows and financial condition, and which could render us unable
to make debt service payments and cause us to cease operating
altogether.
The elimination of, or any
significant reduction in, the blenders’ credit could have a material impact on
our results of operations and financial position.
The cost
of production of ethanol is made significantly more competitive with that of
gasoline as a result of federal tax incentives. The Volumetric Ethanol
Excise Tax Credit, commonly referred to a the “blenders credit”, is a federal
excise tax incentive program that allows gasoline distributors that blend
ethanol with gasoline to receive a federal excise tax rate reduction for each
blended gallon they sold. The original $0.51 per gallon credit was reduced to
$0.45 per gallon beginning on January 1, 2009 and is scheduled to expire on
December 31, 2010. It is possible that the blenders’ credit will not
be renewed beyond 2010 or will be renewed on different terms. If the
blenders’ credit is not renewed, or is renewed at a reduced rate, it may
decrease the demand for ethanol, which is likely to result in lower prices for
ethanol, or it may result in a decrease in the price that gasoline blenders and
marketers are able to pay for ethanol. In such event, there would likely
be a material adverse affect on our results of operations, liquidity and
financial condition.
We
may be adversely affected by environmental, health and safety laws, regulations
and liabilities.
We are
subject to various federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations,
including those relating to the discharge of materials into the air, water and
ground, the generation, storage, handling, use, transportation and disposal of
hazardous materials, access to and impacts on water supply, and the health and
safety of our employees. Some of these laws and regulations require our
facilities to operate under permits that are subject to renewal or modification.
These laws, regulations and permits can require expensive emissions testing and
pollution control equipment or operational changes to limit actual or potential
impacts to the environment. A violation of these laws and regulations or permit
conditions can result in substantial fines, natural resource damages, criminal
sanctions, permit revocations and facility shutdowns. We may not
be in compliance with these laws, regulations or permits at all times
or we may not have all permits required to operate our business. We may be
subject to legal actions brought by environmental advocacy groups and other
parties for actual or alleged violations of environmental laws or permits. In
addition, we may be required to make significant capital expenditures on an
ongoing basis to comply with increasingly stringent environmental laws,
regulations and permits.
36
During
the start-up and initial operation of our two plants, we have occasionally
failed to meet all of the parameters of our air and water discharge
permits. We have addressed these issues primarily through adjustments to
our equipment and operations, including significant upgrades to our water
treatment system in Fairmont, Minnesota, and subsequent re-tests have indicated
that we are operating within our permitted limits. We have received
Notices of Violations with respect to both sites from environmental regulators
relating to these issues. In Nebraska, we have not been subject to any
enforcement action. In Minnesota, we are in the process of resolving
all of our outstanding enforcement issues through a Stipulated Agreement with
the state, which we expect will require payment of an immaterial fine. We do not
anticipate a material adverse impact on our business or financial condition as a
result of these prior violations.
Our water
permits are issued under the federal National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES), as administered by the states. Our Minnesota NPDES permit
contains certain discharge variances from the water quality standards adopted by
the U.S. EPA, which variances expire on July 31, 2011. As part of the
Stipulated Agreement with the state of Minnesota, we expect that we will be
required to implement further upgrades to our water treatment system in Fairmont
and to implement additional alternative technologies to allow us to meet the
water quality standards. In the event these technologies prove to be
infeasible, we expect that we would be required to implement alternative
discharge solutions, such as a pipeline to a larger, more remote receiving
stream. Each of these undertakings would require significant expenditures
which we expect will represent a significant portion of our capital improvement
budgets in Fairmont in 2011 and 2012. However, we have no assurances
at this time that we will be able to meet the timelines for implementing the
proposed solutions or, if we are able to identify a solution, that the necessary
equipment, technology or construction will not be prohibitively expensive or
economically feasible. Failure to meet the water quality standards on or
after the July 31, 2011 expiration date, or as otherwise set forth in the
Stipulated Agreement, when finalized, may result in additional enforcement
actions, including substantial fines, and may result in legal actions by private
parties, any one or combination of which could have a material adverse affect on
our financial condition.
ITEM
6.
|
EXHIBITS
|
|
Number
|
Exhibit
|
|
3.1
|
Amended
and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of BioFuel Energy Corp.,
incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Current
Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 19,
2007.
|
|
3.2
|
BioFuel
Energy Corp. Bylaws, as Amended and Restated, incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 3.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed
with the SEC on March 23, 2009.
|
|
Waiver
and Amendment dated September 29, 2009, pursuant to that certain Credit
Agreement, dated as of September 25, 2006, among BFE Operating Company,
LLC, Buffalo Lake Energy, LLC, and Pioneer Trail Energy, LLC
(collectively, as "Borrowers "), BFE Operating Company,
LLC as Borrowers’ Agent, the Lenders party thereto, BNP Paribas, as
Administrative Agent and Arranger, and Deutsche Bank Trust Company
Americas, as Collateral Agent, incorporated by reference from the
Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September 30,
2009.
|
||
10.2
|
Agreement
and Omnibus Amendment dated as of July 30, 2009, among Buffalo Lake
Energy, LLC, Cargill, Incorporated and Cargill Commodity Services, Inc.,
incorporated by reference from the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q
for the period ended June 30, 2009, filed with the SEC on August 14,
2009.
|
37
10.3
|
Agreement
and Omnibus Amendment dated as of July 30, 2009, among Pioneer Trail
Energy, LLC, Cargill, Incorporated and Cargill Commodity Services, Inc.,
incorporated by reference from the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q
for the period ended June 30, 2009, filed with the SEC on August 14,
2009.
|
|
10.4
|
Executive
Severance, Release and Waiver Agreement dated as of June 30, 2010 between
BioFuel Energy Corp. and Daniel J. Simon, incorporated by reference from
the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 2,
2010.
|
|
31.1
|
Certification
of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer Pursuant To Section 302 of
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (18 U.S.C.
Section 7241).
|
|
31.2
|
Certification
of the Company’s Chief Financial Officer Pursuant To Section 302 of
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (18 U.S.C.
Section 7241).
|
|
32.1
|
Certification
of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer Pursuant To Section 906 of
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (18 U.S.C.
Section 1350).
|
|
32.2
|
Certification
of the Company’s Chief Financial Officer Pursuant To Section 906 of
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (18 U.S.C.
Section 1350).
|
|
99.1
|
Press
Release Announcing Results for Second Quarter of
2010.
|
38
Pursuant
to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) 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.
BIOFUEL
ENERGY CORP.
|
||
(Registrant)
|
||
Date:
August 16, 2010
|
By:
|
/s/ Scott H. Pearce
|
Scott
H. Pearce,
|
||
President,
|
||
Chief
Executive Officer and Director
|
||
Date:
August 16, 2010
|
By:
|
/s/ Kelly G. Maguire
|
Kelly
G. Maguire,
|
||
Vice
President - Finance and Chief Financial
Officer
|
39
INDEX
TO EXHIBITS
Exhibit
Number
|
Exhibit
|
|
3.1
|
Amended
and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of BioFuel Energy Corp.,
incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Current
Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 19,
2007.
|
|
3.2
|
BioFuel
Energy Corp. Bylaws, as Amended and Restated, incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 3.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed
with the SEC on March 23, 2009.
|
|
10.1
|
Waiver
and Amendment dated September 29, 2009, pursuant to that certain Credit
Agreement, dated as of September 25, 2006, among BFE Operating Company,
LLC, Buffalo Lake Energy, LLC, and Pioneer Trail Energy, LLC
(collectively, as "Borrowers "),
BFE Operating Company, LLC as Borrowers’ Agent, the Lenders party thereto,
BNP Paribas, as Administrative Agent and Arranger, and Deutsche Bank Trust
Company Americas, as Collateral Agent, incorporated by reference from the
Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September 30,
2009.
|
|
10.2
|
Agreement
and Omnibus Amendment dated as of July 30, 2009, among Buffalo Lake
Energy, LLC, Cargill, Incorporated and Cargill Commodity Services, Inc.,
incorporated by reference from the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q
for the period ended June 30, 2009, filed with the SEC on August 14,
2009.
|
|
10.3
|
Agreement
and Omnibus Amendment dated as of July 30, 2009, among Pioneer Trail
Energy, LLC, Cargill, Incorporated and Cargill Commodity Services, Inc.,
incorporated by reference from the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q
for the period ended June 30, 2009, filed with the SEC on August 14,
2009.
|
|
10.4
|
Executive
Severance, Release and Waiver Agreement dated as of June 30, 2010 between
BioFuel Energy Corp. and Daniel J. Simon, incorporated by reference from
the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 2,
2010.
|
|
31.1
|
Certification
of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer Pursuant To Section 302 of
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (18 U.S.C.
Section 7241).
|
|
31.2
|
Certification
of the Company’s Chief Financial Officer Pursuant To Section 302 of
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (18 U.S.C.
Section 7241).
|
|
32.1
|
Certification
of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer Pursuant To Section 906 of
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (18 U.S.C.
Section 1350).
|
|
32.2
|
Certification
of the Company’s Chief Financial Officer Pursuant To Section 906 of
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (18 U.S.C.
Section 1350).
|
|
99.1
|
Press
Release Announcing Results for Second Quarter of
2010
|
40