Land O'Lakes, Inc., Cenex Harvest States Cooperatives and Farmland Industries today announced that Agriliance, LLC will be the name of the agronomy marketing joint venture between
the three regional cooperatives. The new company name is a combination of the words agriculture
and alliance. Agriliance, LLC will maintain marketing and sales offices in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Kansas City, Missouri.

The agronomy marketing joint venture was originally proposed in anticipation of a planned
unification between Cenex Harvest States and Farmland which did not receive the necessary
member approval. This agronomy alliance is not contingent on a Farmland and Cenex Harvest
States unification.

The agronomy venture will be equally owned and governed by Land O'Lakes (50 percent) and by
a Cenex Harvest States/Farmland LLC (50 percent). Leadership of the Agronomy business, as
originally proposed, will include co-presidents Stan Riemann, Farmland executive vice president
and president of Farmland's Crop Production division and Al Giese, president of the Cenex/Land
0'Lakes Agronomy Company.

Agriliance will be the largest North American crop input provider; marketing approximately 15
million tons of crop nutrients, $1.7 billion of crop protection products, and $300 million of Croplan
Genetics seed (through a joint venture between WILFARM, LLC and Land O'Lakes, Inc.).
Agriliance will market crop nutrients, crop protection products, seed, information management and crop technical services to farmers and ranchers through the cooperative system and independent retail dealers in all 50 states, Canada and Mexico.

"The formation of Agriliance allows us to maximize agronomy production and distribution
efficiencies, which further strengthens the position of our regional and local cooperatives,'' said Al
Giese, co-president, Agriliance.

"Through Agriliance we will achieve significant economies of scale, while continuing to offer local
cooperatives and producers the leading products and services they require to succeed,'' said Stan
Riemann, co-president, Agriliance.

Agriliance, LLC senior management staff includes: Jim Witthaus, vice president, crop nutrients;
Bob Broich, vice president, crop protection products; Jim Greengard, vice president Agro
Distribution and Retail Agronomy Centers; Jane Politiski, co-chief financial officer; John Fuehring,
co-chief financial officer; Dr. Gary Colliver, vice president, agronomy services; Dave Schwantes,
vice president, strategic planning; Steve Dietze, vice president, sales; Pat Burgers, vice president, human resources; and Ron Pilgrim, director, agronomy equipment and farm products.

Cenex Harvest States is a producer-to-consumer cooperative system owned by farmers, ranchers and their local co-ops from the Great Lakes to the Pacific Northwest and from the Canadian border to Texas. This fully integrated agricultural foods cooperative operates petroleum refineries/pipelines and provides a wide variety of products and services ranging from grain marketing to food processing. Through a broad range of working partnerships, Cenex Harvest States also markets and distributes energy products, agronomic inputs and feed to rural America, as well as grain and processed food product to customers around the world.

Land O'Lakes, Inc. is a national farmer-owned food and agricultural cooperative with sales in all 50 states and more than 50 countries. It is a leading marketer of a full line of dairy-based products across the United States; serves international customers with a variety of food products and animal feed ingredients; and provides family farmers and member cooperatives with an extensive line of feed, seed, plant food and crop protection products.

Farmland Industries, Inc., Kansas City, Missouri, is a farmer-owned cooperative with sales in all 50 states and nearly 90 countries. Focused on meeting the needs of its nearly 600,000 farmer-owners in the United States, Canada and Mexico, Farmland is a highly diversified company with major business lines in crop production and crop protection products, livestock feeds, petroleum, grain processing and marketing, and the processing and marketing of pork, beef and catfish products. 

Company news release
N2447