Cargill, CHS, ConAgra must sell 4 mills before merger
A merger that includes the flour operations of two Minnesota companies, Cargill Inc., Minnetonka, and CHS Inc., Inver Grove Heights, will go forward after the U.S. Department of Justice mandates the sale of four mills because of antitrust concerns.The four mills, including one in New Prague, will be sold for $215 million to Bloomington-based Miller Milling Co., a subsidiary of Japanese flour giant Nisshin Seifun.
Cargill, CHS and Omaha, Neb.-based ConAgra Foods announced the merger in March 2013, combining flour operations into a powerhouse with 44 mills and more than $4 billion in sales. Cargill and CHS already pool flour operations in a joint venture called Horizon Milling.