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SEGMENT INFORMATION
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2021
Segment Reporting [Abstract]  
SEGMENT INFORMATION SEGMENT INFORMATION
The Company reports three business segments: Human Nutrition & Health, Animal Nutrition & Health, and Specialty Products. Sales and production of products outside of our reportable segments and other minor business activities are included in "Other and Unallocated."
Human Nutrition & Health
The Human Nutrition & Health ("HNH") segment provides human grade choline nutrients and mineral amino acid chelated products through this segment for nutrition and health applications. Choline is recognized to play a key role in the development and structural integrity of brain cell membranes in infants, processing dietary fat, reproductive development and neural functions, such as memory and muscle function. HNH's mineral amino acid chelates, specialized mineral salts, and mineral complexes are used as raw materials for inclusion in premier human nutrition products. Proprietary technology has been combined to create an organic molecule in a form the body can readily assimilate. Sales growth for human nutrition applications is reliant on differentiation from lower-cost competitive products through scientific data, intellectual property and customers' appreciation of brand value. Consequently, the Company makes investments in such activities for long-term value differentiation. This segment also serves the food and beverage industry for beverage, bakery, dairy, confectionary, and savory manufacturers. The Company partners with its customers from ideation through commercialization to bring on-trend beverages, baked goods, confections, dairy and meat products to market. The Company has expertise in trends analysis and product development. When combined with its strong manufacturing capabilities in customized spray dried and emulsified powders, extrusion and agglomeration, blended lipid systems, liquid flavor delivery systems, juice and dairy bases, chocolate systems, as well as ice cream bases and variegates, the Company is a one-stop solutions provider for beverage and dairy product development needs. Additionally, this segment provides microencapsulation solutions to a variety of applications in food, pharmaceutical and nutritional ingredients to enhance performance of nutritional fortification, processing, mixing, and packaging applications and shelf-life. Major product applications are baked goods, refrigerated and frozen dough systems, processed meats, seasoning blends, confections, sports and protein bars, dietary plans, and nutritional supplements. The Company also creates cereal systems for ready-to-eat cereals, grain-based snacks, and cereal based ingredients.
Animal Nutrition & Health
The Company’s Animal Nutrition & Health ("ANH") segment provides nutritional products derived from its microencapsulation and chelation technologies in addition to basic choline chloride. For ruminant animals, ANH’s microencapsulated products boost health and milk production, delivering nutrient supplements that are biologically available, providing required nutritional levels. The Company’s proprietary chelation technology provides enhanced nutrient absorption for various species of production and companion animals and is marketed for use in animal feed throughout the world. ANH also manufactures and supplies choline chloride, an essential nutrient for monogastric animal health, predominantly to the poultry, pet and swine industries. Choline, which is manufactured and sold in both dry and aqueous forms, plays a vital role in the metabolism of fat. In poultry, choline
deficiency can result in reduced growth rates and perosis in young birds, while in swine production choline is a necessary and required component of gestating and lactating sow diets for both liver health and prevention of leg deformity.
Sales of value-added encapsulated products are highly dependent on overall industry economics as well as the Company's ability to leverage the results of university and field research on the animal health and production benefits of our products. Management believes that success in the commodity-oriented basic choline chloride marketplace is highly dependent on the Company’s ability to maintain its strong reputation for excellent product quality and customer service. The Company continues to drive production efficiencies in order to maintain its competitive-cost position to effectively compete in a global marketplace.
Specialty Products
Ethylene oxide, at the 100% level and blended with carbon dioxide, is sold as a sterilant gas, primarily for use in the health care industry. It is used to sterilize a wide range of medical devices because of its versatility and effectiveness in treating hard or soft surfaces, composites, metals, tubing and different types of plastics without negatively impacting the performance of the device being sterilized. Specialty Products' 100% ethylene oxide product and blends are distributed worldwide in specially designed, reusable and recyclable drum and cylinder packaging, to assure compliance with safety, quality and environmental standards as outlined by the applicable regulatory agencies in the countries our products are shipped to. The Company’s inventory of these specially built drums and cylinders, along with its five filling facilities, represents a significant capital investment. Contract sterilizers and medical device manufacturers are principal customers for this product. The Company also sells single use canisters with 100% ethylene oxide for use in sterilizing re-usable devices typically processed in autoclave units in hospitals. As a fumigant, ethylene oxide blends are highly effective in killing bacteria, fungi, and insects in spices and other seasoning materials.
The Company also distributes a number of other gases for various uses, most notably propylene oxide and ammonia. Propylene oxide is marketed and sold in the U.S. as a fumigant to aid in the control of insects and microbiological spoilage; and to reduce bacterial and mold contamination in certain shell and processed nut meats, processed spices, cacao beans, cocoa powder, raisins, figs and prunes. The Company distributes its propylene oxide product in the U.S. primarily in recyclable, single-walled, carbon steel cylinders according to standards outlined by the Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") and the Department of Transportation ("DOT"). Propylene oxide is also sold worldwide to customers in approved reusable and recyclable drum and cylinder packaging for various chemical synthesis applications, such as increasing paint durability and manufacturing specialty starches and textile coatings. Ammonia is used primarily as a refrigerant, and also for heat treatment of metals and various chemical synthesis applications, and is distributed in reusable and recyclable drum and cylinder packaging, which are approved for use in the countries these products are shipped to. The Company's inventory of cylinders for these products also represents a significant capital investment.
The Company’s micronutrient agricultural nutrition business sells chelated minerals primarily into high value crops. The Company has a unique and patented two-step approach to solving mineral deficiency in plants to optimize health, yield and shelf-life.  First, the Company determines optimal mineral balance for plant health. The Company then has a foliar applied Metalosate® product range, utilizing patented amino acid chelate technology. Its products quickly and efficiently deliver mineral nutrients. As a result, the farmer/grower gets healthier crops that are more resistant to disease and pests, larger yields and healthier food for the consumer with extended shelf life for produce being shipped long distances.
The segment information is summarized as follows:
Business Segment AssetsSeptember 30,
2021		December 31,
2020
Human Nutrition & Health$728,215 $717,232 
Animal Nutrition & Health157,647 157,454 
Specialty Products185,001 190,449 
Other and Unallocated (1)
108,486 100,708 
Total$1,179,349 $1,165,843 
Business Segment Net SalesThree Months Ended
September 30,		Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 2021202020212020
Human Nutrition & Health$111,200 $103,589 $327,187 $296,525 
Animal Nutrition & Health56,192 46,354 161,821 141,339 
Specialty Products27,615 23,003 89,645 79,193 
Other and Unallocated (2)
2,862 2,194 7,237 5,874 
Total$197,869 $175,140 $585,890 $522,931 
Business Segment Earnings Before Income TaxesThree Months Ended
September 30,		Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 2021202020212020
Human Nutrition & Health$19,801 $17,499 $58,512 $45,131 
Animal Nutrition & Health7,442 7,011 16,059 21,485 
Specialty Products6,455 5,348 23,373 21,342 
Other and Unallocated (2)
(1,185)(830)(4,263)(5,735)
Interest and other expense(428)(1,121)(1,594)(3,853)
Total$32,085 $27,907 $92,087 $78,370 
Depreciation/AmortizationThree Months Ended
September 30,		Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 2021202020212020
Human Nutrition & Health$7,472 $8,188 $22,486 $24,047 
Animal Nutrition & Health1,932 1,842 5,512 5,390 
Specialty Products1,997 2,461 6,351 7,225 
Other and Unallocated (2)
758 564 2,273 1,687 
Total$12,159 $13,055 $36,622 $38,349 
Capital ExpendituresNine Months Ended
September 30,
 20212020
Human Nutrition & Health$14,492 $13,481 
Animal Nutrition & Health4,557 3,958 
Specialty Products2,281 1,542 
Other and Unallocated (2)
238 298 
Total$21,568 $19,279 
(1) Other and Unallocated assets consist of certain cash, capitalized loan issuance costs, other assets, investments, and income taxes, which the Company does not allocate to its individual business segments. It also includes assets associated with a few minor businesses which individually do not meet the quantitative thresholds for separate presentation.
(2) Other and Unallocated consists of a few minor businesses which individually do not meet the quantitative thresholds for separate presentation and corporate expenses that have not been allocated to a segment. Unallocated corporate expenses consist of: (i) Transaction and integration costs, ERP implementation costs, and unallocated legal fees totaling $305 and $1,005 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively, and $161 and $2,179 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively, and (ii) Unallocated amortization expense of $675 and $2,024 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively, and $470 and $1,417 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively, related to an intangible asset in connection with a company-wide ERP system implementation and capitalized loan issuance costs that were included in interest expense in the Company's consolidated statement of earnings.