9. Pension Plan

The Company and certain subsidiaries have a noncontributory defined benefit retirement plan (the “Pension Plan”), covering approximately 9% of aggregate employees. Benefits are based on years of service and the employee’s average compensation for the highest five compensation years preceding retirement or termination. The Company’s funding policy is to contribute annually an amount in accordance with the requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”).

Pension expense is composed of the following components included in cost of goods sold and selling, general and administrative expenses in the Company’s consolidated statements of earnings (in thousands):


	Three months ended						Six months ended
	August 31,						August 31,
	2013			2012			2013			2012
Components of net periodic benefit cost
Service cost	$	316		$	320		$	631		$	641
Interest cost		600			601			1,201			1,201
Expected return on plan assets		(873	)		(802	)		(1,745	)		(1,604	)
Amortization of:
Prior service cost		(36	)		(36	)		(72	)		(72	)
Unrecognized net loss		513			456			1,025			912

Net periodic benefit cost	$	520		$	539		$	1,040		$	1,078

The Company is required to make contributions to the Pension Plan. These contributions are required under the minimum funding requirements of ERISA. Due to the recent enactment of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21^st Century Act (MAP-21) in July 2012, plan sponsors can calculate the discount rate used to measure the Pension Plan liability using a 25-year average of interest rates plus or minus a corridor. Prior to MAP-21, the discount rate used in measuring the pension liability was based on the 24-month average of interest rates. As a result of the enactment, which effectively raises the discount rates mandated for determining the value of a pension plan’s benefit liability and annual cost of accruals, the Company’s minimum required contribution to the Pension Plan is zero for the Pension Plan year ending February 28, 2014. However, the Company expects to make a cash contribution to the Pension Plan of between $2.0 million and $3.0 million during fiscal year 2014. The Company contributed $3.0 million to the Pension Plan during fiscal year 2013.