Brian M. Henehan and Todd M. Schmit bmh5@cornell.edu Dept of Applied Economics and Management Cornell University

1. Serving Member Needs in Changing Markets: the Case of Pro-Fac Cooperative11th Annual Farmer Cooperatives ConferenceResearch on Structure, Strategy, and FinanceNovember 18, 2008 in St. Paul, MN Brian M. Henehan and Todd M. Schmit bmh5@cornell.edu Dept of Applied Economics and Management Cornell University

2. Acknowledgements • Co-author, Dr. Todd Schmit, Asst. Professor, AEM, Cornell University • Gail Malone, graduate student in AEM, Cornell University • Jenna VanLieshout, undergraduate student in AEM, Cornell University • Kevin McAvey, graduate student, AEM, Cornell University • Steve Wright, General Mgr. Pro-Fac Cooperative • Kevin Murphy, Member Relations, Pro-Fac Cooperative

3. Cornell Cooperative Enterprise Program • Long standing relations with Ag. Cooperatives in region and U.S. • Lecture in undergraduate courses and collaborate with graduate students • Conduct applied research • Deliver extension and outreach program • Coordinate with the NE Cooperative Council, (NECC) www.cooperatives.aem.cornell.edu

4. Why Study Pro-Fac Cooperative? • Original Formation Based on Highly Innovative Business Structure • Pro-Fac Has Effectively “Re-Designed” Itself Throughout It’s History • Useful Case for Understanding How A Cooperative Strategically Re-positioned During Times of Significant Change • Case Includes Review of Structure, Strategy and Finance Dimensions

5. Speakers from Previous Farmer Cooperative Conferences • CB, CFO • PF General Manager • Agrilink, CEO

6. Pro-Fac Cooperative Pro-Fac Cooperative is an agricultural marketing cooperative of 488 members who provide fruits, vegetables and popcorn for processing facilities across the country. These commodities are marketed as branded, private label and food service products, primarily through its main customers, Birds Eye Foods and Allens, Inc. The total value of crops delivered in 2007 was $61.1 million.

7. Map of Pro-Fac Member Crops Source: PF web site – www.profaccoop.com

8. Pro-Fac Member Crops by State • California: Peaches • Delaware: Limas, Peas • Florida: Potatoes • Illinois: Popcorn • Michigan: Apples, Asparagus, Blueberries, Carrots, Dry Beans, Peaches, Potatoes, Tart Cherries • Nebraska: Popcorn • New York: Apples, Beets, Butternut Squash, Carrots, Corn, Kraut Cabbage, Peaches, Peas, Red Cabbage, Snap Beans, Tart Cherries • Oregon: Cucumbers, Potatoes • Pennsylvania: Potatoes • Washington: Cucumbers, Dry Beans, Potatoes

9. Presentation Will Focus on Three Periods of Transformation • Discuss Why the Transformations Took Place • Present Strategies and Structures Utilized for Redesign During Each Phase • Review Financing Approaches • Welcome Kevin Murphy from Pro-Fac • Provide a Member-Relations Perspective • Allow time for Discussion

10. Three Phases of Redesign • First Phase starts with the Formation of the Cooperative in 1961 and runs to 1994 • Second Phase Starts with Acquisition of Curtice-Burns Operations in 1994 and ends in 2002 • Third Phase Begins with Inclusion of Vestar Capital, an Equity Partner Who Becomes Majority Owner of Processing and Marketing Assets in 2002 to today

11. Phase 1. • PF Formed to Help Salvage Fruit and Vegetable Processing in New York • This Period Saw Dramatic Restructuring in the Industry in U.S. and NY • Post WWII Saw Dramatic Decline in Number of Firms and Plants • Two Such Firms Located in W.New York – Curtice Brothers and the Burns-Alton Corp. Came up for Sale bmh5@cornell.edu

12. GLF Steps In • The Grange League Federation, GLF (later became Agway) was the major supply cooperative operating in the Northeast in the 1960’s • Producer concern over the future of the Fruit and Vegetable Processing Industry in New York State • GLF had seen the negative impact of the loss of processing firms on it’s members as well as on it’s supply and input sales

13. GLF/Agway as a Catalyst • GLF Acted as a Catalyst to Effect the Merger of two family canning business to form Curtice-Burns, (CB) • Concurrently Helped to Form and Capitalize Pro-Fac Cooperative, (PF) • Pro-Fac is a Contraction of the terms “Producers” and “Facilities” • GLF (and later Agway) Assisted in Developing, Financing, and Managing the Joint Venture Between CB and PF

14. Having Observed Fruit and Vegetable Cooperative Failures • The Founders of Pro-Fac Observed a Number of Pitfalls that Failed Cooperatives Encountered: • Being under-capitalized • Carrying the expense of an over supply of raw product in inventory • Inexperienced management that did not understand the market for member products • Marketing single crops and a lack of product diversification • Not allowing professional management to operate at arms length in daily operations • Lack of diverse sources of capital • Inability to turn around unprofitable operations lacking a strong marketing focus

15. Phase 1. Integrated Operations – PF & CB Member Farm Food Service Member Farm Ag. Services Crop Delivery Crop Coordination & Harvest Retail Food Manufacturing Branded Products Sales & Marketing Distribution Production Planning Member Farm Specialty Products ----- F a r m P r o d u c t V a l u e C h a i n ---------- Member Farm CB Functions PF Functions

17. Pro-Fac Cooperative, GLF/Agway, and Curtice Burns Organization and Integrated Agreement, 1961 – 1994. GLF/Agway Farmer-Members Elect Directors Pro-Fac Grower-Members Elect Directors GLF/ Agway Inc. Board of Directors Controlling interest in CB Appoints CB Board Pro-Fac Cooperative (PF) Board of Directors Agway Rep. on Board CB Rep. on Board Curtice Burns (CB) Board of Directors PF Rep. on Board Pro-Fac Cooperative (PF) Management & Staff Curtice Burns (CB) Management & Staff • Integrated Agreement: • Finance • Management • Marketing • Supply

18. Phase 2. Begins in 1992 • Agway, Holding Majority Ownership, is Forced to Sell It’s CB Interest to Raise Cash • The Long Standing Integrated Agreement Venture with CB Came to an End in 1994 as PF Purchases Agway’s Interest • Created Initial Leverage on PF’s Balance Sheet

19. Phase 2. Vertically Integrated Operations – Pro-Fac & Agrilink Foods Member Farm Food Service Member Farm Ag. Services Crop Delivery Crop Coordination & Harvest Retail Food Manufacturing Branded Products Sales & Marketing Distribution Production Planning Member Farm Specialty Products ----- F a r m P r o d u c t V a l u e C h a i n ---------- Member Farm Pro-Fac/Agrilink Functions

20. Phase 2. Developments • PF Becomes the First Farmer Cooperative to Acquire a Publicly Traded Company • Later Becomes the First Farmer Cooperative with a Security (cumulative preferred stock) Listed on a Major Exchange – NASDAQ (symbol PFACP) • To Signify It’s Role in Linking the Agricultural and Marketing Segments, CB Changed It’s Name to Agrilink

21. Pro-Fac Cooperative, Curtice Burns/Agrilink/Birdseye Foods Organization, 1994-2002. Grower-Members Elect Directors Pro-Fac Cooperative (PF) Board of Directors 12 - Elected by Membership 3 - Independent, appointed by elected directors Curtice Burns / Agrilink / Birds Eye (CB/AL/BE) Board of Directors 15 – Appointed by PF Board Pro-Fac Cooperative Management & Staff Curtice Burns / Agrilink / Birds Eye Management & Staff • Notables: • CB/AF/BE wholly-owned subsidiary of PF (1994) • Pro-Fac Board & CB/AL/BE Board meet jointly as a single board, separate votes as necessary • CB changes name to Agrilink Foods (1997) & to Birds Eye Foods (2003) • Agrilink controlled brands, including acquisition of Birdseye & other brands from Dean Foods Vegetable Co. (1998) • Dean’s acquisition effectively doubles size of Birds Eye Foods • Birds Eye Foods finds itself in a highly leveraged position

22. Phase 3. Begins in 2002 • Agrilink is in a Highly Leveraged Position • Thin Margins Limit Earnings • Capacity of Members to Provide Needed Equity is Being Tested • Board Explores Other Sources and Reviews Many Options • Accepts Proposal from Vestar Capital Partners and Approved by Member Vote

23. Number of Pro-Fac Members, 1974 - 2008

24. Pro-Fac shareholder and member capitalization and investment, 1974-2008.

25. Commercial market value (CMV) of raw product deliveries, total and per member, 1962-2008

26. Pro-Fac debt levels and debt ratio, 1974 - 2008

27. Phase 3. Vestar, PF, and Allens Operations Member Farm Food Service Member Farm Private Label Products Private Label Products Sales & Marketing Ag. Services Crop Delivery Crop Coordination & Harvest Allen’s Food Manufacturing Retail Bird’s Eye Brand Products Sales & Marketing Distribution Supply agreements Member Farm Specialty Products ----- F a r m P r o d u c t V a l u e C h a i n ---------- Allens Foods Functions PF & Farm Fresh First, LLC Functions Minority Share of BEF Member Farm Birds Eye Foods Functions Vestar Majority Owner of BEF

28. Pro-Fac Cooperative, Vestar, & Birds Eye Foods Organization, 2008 Vestar Capital Partners Private Equity Firm Grower-Members Elect Directors Vestar LLC Capital Investment - 56% Management - 3% Pro-Fac Cooperative (PF) – 41% Board of Directors 12 - Elected by Membership 3 - Independent, appointed by elected directors Birds Eye Holdings LLC Board of Directors 9 – Vestar 2 – Appointed by PF board Pro-Fac Cooperative Management & Staff Birds Eye Foods, Inc. Management & Staff • Notables: • Vestar holds controlling interest in Birds Eye Holdings LLC • Birds Eye Holdings owns facilities (assets) and Birds Eye brands • Allens Inc. purchased NY plant facilities and private label brands in 2006 • PF received $120 million distribution from Birds Eye Holdings in 2007, used primarily for equity redemption and dividend payments

29. Phase 3. Developments • In August 2002, Vestar Becomes Majority Owner of Agrilink (approx. 56%) • Agrilink Name Changed to Birds Eye Foods, BEF • PF: • Maintains significant minority ownership of BEF (approx. 40%) with management accounting for (approx.4%) • Has 10 year supply agreement • Receives $10 million annually for 5 years • Can secure $1 million line of credit for each of 5 years

30. Phase 3. Developments • Bird Eye Foods Rolls Out Successful New Products • Vestar Sells Processing Plants and Private Label Business to Allens, Inc. in 2006 • Vestar Subsidiary- BEF Holdings Distributes 120 Million to PF • PF Uses Distribution to Redeem Equity and Pay Dividends on Selected Securities

31. Management and Governance for Each Phase • Phase I. • Phase II. • Phase III. • Integrated Agreement Includes Management • Interlocking Boards of Directors • Create Board for Subsidiary and Meet Jointly • Manage All Phases of Operations • Board Representation on Holding Company Board • PF Manages Supply and Procurement Operations Only

32. Information and Knowledge for Each Phase • Phase I. • Phase II. • Phase III. • Valuable feedback from processing and marketing arm of CB • Interlocking Boards of Directors Exchange valuable knowledge • PF & Subsidiary Boards Meet Jointly • Strong Market Signals Transmitted Back to PF from Birdseye Foods • Board Representation on Holding Company Board – BEF, LLC • Limited Access to Market Info. from Privately Held Firms

33. Strategy, Financing, & Structure Across Phases

34. Summary • The PF story present a unique case in the world of cooperatives • A Number of “Firsts” for a farmer cooperative: • leveraged buyout of publicly traded company, • having a security listed on a major exchange • Continue to Change and Adapt to New Players and Markets

35. Summary, cont’d • Utilized a number of innovative strategies to overcome potential constraints encountered by traditional agricultural cooperatives: • Transferable delivery rights • Multi-commodity pool • Diverse set of crops and products • Board geographic membership base • Conversion of equity to publicly traded securities to create liquidity for member investment • Partnering with successful firms and capital groups

36. Current Situation for Most Members • Significant Increase in Prices for Most Crops (Input costs also increasing) • Growing Demand Results in Increased Acreage for Most Crops • $120M Distribution in 2007 Generated Higher ROE • Situation Varies Across Crops and Regions • It Remains to Be Seen, How Long It will Last

37. Relationships with CB, AF, BEF & Communication Across Phases