Derivatives

Commodity Contracts

The Company’s operating results are affected by changes to commodity prices. The Grain and Ethanol businesses have established “unhedged” position limits (the amount of a commodity, either owned or contracted for, that does not have an offsetting derivative contract to lock in the price). To reduce the exposure to market price risk on commodities owned and forward grain and ethanol purchase and sale contracts, the Company enters into exchange traded commodity futures and options contracts and over the counter forward and option contracts with various counterparties. These contracts are primarily traded via the regulated CME. The Company’s forward purchase and sales contracts are for physical delivery of the commodity in a future period. Contracts to purchase commodities from producers generally relate to the current or future crop years for delivery periods quoted by regulated commodity exchanges. Contracts for the sale of commodities to processors or other commercial consumers generally do not extend beyond one year.

All of these contracts meet the definition of derivatives. While the Company considers its commodity contracts to be effective economic hedges, the Company does not designate or account for its commodity contracts as hedges as defined under current accounting standards. The Company accounts for its commodity derivatives at estimated fair value. The estimated fair value of the commodity derivative contracts that require the receipt or posting of cash collateral is recorded on a net basis (offset against cash collateral posted or received, also known as margin deposits) within commodity derivative assets or liabilities. Management determines fair value based on exchange-quoted prices and in the case of its forward purchase and sale contracts, estimated fair value is adjusted for differences in local markets and non-performance risk. For contracts for which physical delivery occurs, balance sheet classification is based on estimated delivery date. For futures, options and over-the-counter contracts in which physical delivery is not expected to occur but, rather, the contract is expected to be net settled, the Company classifies these contracts as current or noncurrent assets or liabilities, as appropriate, based on the Company’s expectations as to when such contracts will be settled.

Realized and unrealized gains and losses in the value of commodity contracts (whether due to changes in commodity prices, changes in performance or credit risk, or due to sale, maturity or extinguishment of the commodity contract) and grain inventories are included in cost of sales and merchandising revenues.

Generally accepted accounting principles permit a party to a master netting arrangement to offset fair value amounts recognized for derivative instruments against the right to reclaim cash collateral or obligation to return cash collateral under the same master netting arrangement. The Company has master netting arrangements for its exchange traded futures and options contracts and certain over-the-counter contracts. When the Company enters into a future, option or an over-the-counter contract, an initial margin deposit may be required by the counterparty. The amount of the margin deposit varies by commodity. If the market price of a future, option or an over-the-counter contract moves in a direction that is adverse to the Company’s position, an additional margin deposit, called a maintenance margin, is required. The margin deposit assets and liabilities are included in short-term commodity derivative assets or liabilities, as appropriate, in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

The following table presents at December 31, 2017 and 2016, a summary of the estimated fair value of the Company’s commodity derivative instruments that require cash collateral and the associated cash posted/received as collateral. The net asset or liability positions of these derivatives (net of their cash collateral) are determined on a counterparty-by-counterparty basis and are included within current or noncurrent commodity derivative assets (or liabilities) on the Consolidated Balance Sheets:



	December 31, 2017				December 31, 2016
(in thousands)	Net Derivative Asset Position		Net Derivative Liability Position		Net Derivative Asset Position		Net Derivative Liability Position
Collateral paid	$	1,351	$	—	$	28,273	$	—
Fair value of derivatives	17,252		—		1,599		—
Balance at end of period	$	18,603	$	—	$	29,872	$	—

The following table presents, on a gross basis, current and noncurrent commodity derivative assets and liabilities:



	December 31, 2017
(in thousands)	Commodity Derivative Assets - Current			Commodity Derivative Assets - Noncurrent			Commodity Derivative Liabilities - Current			Commodity Derivative Liabilities - Noncurrent			Total
Commodity derivative assets	$	36,929		$	311		$	489		$	1		$	37,730
Commodity derivative liabilities	(7,578		)	(1		)	(30,140		)	(826		)	(38,545		)
Cash collateral	1,351			—			—			—			1,351
Balance sheet line item totals	$	30,702		$	310		$	(29,651	)	$	(825	)	$	536



	December 31, 2016
(in thousands)	Commodity Derivative Assets - Current			Commodity Derivative Assets - Noncurrent			Commodity Derivative Liabilities - Current			Commodity Derivative Liabilities - Noncurrent			Total
Commodity derivative assets	$	36,146		$	140		$	1,447		$	6		$	37,739
Commodity derivative liabilities	(18,972		)	(40		)	(24,614		)	(345		)	(43,971		)
Cash collateral	28,273			—			—			—			28,273
Balance sheet line item totals	$	45,447		$	100		$	(23,167	)	$	(339	)	$	22,041

The net pre-tax gains on commodity derivatives not designated as hedging instruments included in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations and the line items in which they are located for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015 are as follows:



	Year Ended December 31,
(in thousands)	2017		2016		2015
Gains (Losses) on commodity derivatives included in cost of sales and merchandising revenues	$	5,417	(15,012	)	62,541

The Company had the following volume of commodity derivative contracts outstanding (on a gross basis) as of December 31, 2017 and 2016:



	December 31, 2017
Commodity (in thousands)	Number of Bushels	Number of Gallons	Number of Pounds	Number of Tons
Non-exchange traded:
Corn	218,391			—
Soybeans	18,127	—	—	—
Wheat	14,577	—	—	—
Oats	25,953	—	—	—
Ethanol	—	197,607	—	—
Corn oil	—	—	6,074	—
Other	47	—	—	97
Subtotal	277,095	197,607	6,074	97
Exchange traded:
Corn	82,835	—	—	—
Soybeans	37,170	—	—	—
Wheat	65,640	—	—	—
Oats	1,345	—	—	—
Ethanol	—	39,438	—	—
Other	—	840	—	—
Subtotal	186,990	40,278	—	—
Total	464,085	237,885	6,074	97



	December 31, 2016
Commodity (in thousands)	Number of Bushels	Number of Gallons	Number of Pounds	Number of Tons
Non-exchange traded:
Corn	175,549	—	—	—
Soybeans	20,592	—	—	—
Wheat	7,177	—	—	—
Oats	36,025	—	—	—
Ethanol	—	215,081	—	—
Corn oil	—	—	9,358	—
Other	108	1,144	—	110
Subtotal	239,451	216,225	9,358	110
Exchange traded:
Corn	63,225	—	—	—
Soybeans	39,005	—	—	—
Wheat	45,360	—	—	—
Oats	4,120	—	—	—
Ethanol	—	78,120	—	—
Subtotal	151,710	78,120	—	—
Total	391,161	294,345	9,358	110

Interest Rate and Other Derivatives

The Company periodically enters into interest rate contracts to manage interest rate risk on borrowing or financing activities. While the Company considers all of its interest rate derivative positions to be effective economic hedges of specified risks, these interest rate contracts are recorded on the balance sheet in other current assets or liabilities (if short-term in nature) or in other assets or other long-term liabilities (if non-current in nature) and changes in fair value are recognized currently in earnings as a component of interest expense. The Company also has foreign currency derivatives which are considered effective economic hedges of specified economic risks.

The following table presents the open interest rate contracts at December 31, 2017:



Interest Rate Hedging Instrument	Year Entered	Year of Maturity	Initial Notional Amount (in millions)		Hedged Item	Interest Rate
Long-term
Swap	2012	2023	$	23.0	Interest rate component of debt - not accounted for as a hedge	1.9%
Collar	2013	2021	40.0		Interest rate component of debt - not accounted for as a hedge	2.9% to 4.8%
Total			$	63.0

At December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company had recorded the following amounts for the fair value of the Company's other derivatives not designated as hedging instruments:



	December 31,
(in thousands)	2017			2016
Interest rate contracts included in Other long term liabilities	$	(1,244	)	$	(2,530	)
Foreign currency contracts included in Other current assets (Accrued expenses and other current liabilities)	$	426		$	(112	)

The gains and losses included in the Company's Consolidated Statements of Operations and the line item in which they are located for derivatives not designated as hedging instruments are as follows:



	Year ended December 31,
(in thousands)	2017		2016
Interest rate derivative gains (losses) included in Interest expense	$	1,286	$	603
Foreign currency contracts included in Other income	$	539	$	(112	)