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Loveland Products, Inc. and AMS Announce Strategic Partnership and Investment

LOVELAND, CO and PILOT POINT, TX – August 2, 2012 – Loveland Products, Inc., a leading provider of high performance crop input products, and Advanced Microbial Solutions, LLC (AMS), an agricultural technology company delivering biochemical solutions for efficient and sustainable plant nutrition, today announced that the Companies have signed a strategic partnership agreement giving Loveland exclusive, worldwide distribution rights to existing AMS technology as well as access to an integrated pipeline of new product and technology opportunities. As part of the agreement, Loveland has acquired an ownership position in AMS, producer of two of Loveland’s fastest growing plant nutrition brands, Accomplish^® LM and Titan^®. Loveland Products is part of Agrium Inc. (TSX and NYSE: AGU).

“This partnership and investment is a key step in the continuing implementation of our sustainable plant nutrition growth strategy for Loveland Products and Agrium Retail globally,” said Brent Smith, Vice President, Loveland Products. “The AMS innovations that are behind our leading plant nutrition brands are another example of our continued focus on integrating and advancing our business and products with proprietary technology.”

“By combining Loveland’s deep experience and extensive reach in the agriculture industry with our biochemical and applied science expertise, we are further strengthening the value this partnership brings to growers,” said Michael Totora, CEO of AMS. “AMS will continue to operate as an emerging technology company, separate from but strategically aligned with Loveland Products, providing Loveland the continued support from AMS that has been integral to our growth together.”

AMS products are biochemical fertilizer catalysts derived from a naturally occurring community of beneficial microorganisms and their byproducts, which work in the soil system to enhance the performance of fertilizers. They have been shown to perform consistently over a broad range of plant species, soil types and application methods in over 600 field and greenhouse studies conducted by AMS, universities, the USDA and other third-party evaluators. In addition to distribution under Loveland's Accomplish and Titan product lines, the companies will also continue to market the SoilBuilder^® and NutriLife™ brands into the agricultural and professional turf markets, respectively.

AMS recently added a new, state of the art, manufacturing facility in Denton, TX that has significantly increased production volume and efficiency. In addition to the rapid growth Loveland is experiencing with the AMS technology in the US, the companies are also exploring several opportunities for expansion in key international regions.

About Agrium Inc.

Agrium Inc. is a major retail supplier of agricultural products and services in North America, South America and Australia and a leading global wholesale producer and marketer of all three major agricultural nutrients and the premier supplier of specialty fertilizers in North America through our Advanced Technologies business unit. Agrium’s strategy is to grow across the value chain through acquisition, incremental expansion of its existing operations and through the development, commercialization and marketing of new products and international opportunities. For more information, please visit www.agrium.com.

About Loveland Products, Inc.

Loveland Products, Inc. is a manufacturer of a complete line of high performance input products to the agricultural industry through Crop Production Services (CPS), our exclusive North American distributor. Our diversified portfolio of premium products consists of seed treatment, plant nutrition, fertilizer, adjuvant and crop protection products. Loveland Products strives to bring new, unique products and technologies to the marketplace to provide innovative solutions to problems across the agricultural and professional non-crop industries. For more information, please visit www.lovelandproducts.com.

About Advanced Microbial Solutions, LLC

AMS is an agricultural technology company leading the development of applied, biochemistry-based solutions for efficient and sustainable plant nutrition. AMS helps growers adapt to the rapidly changing demands of modern agriculture by providing the most effective tools to increase nutrient availability and uptake, improve sustainability and increase yields. AMS technology has been tested – and proven – in over 600 field and greenhouse studies conducted by AMS, universities, the USDA and other third-party evaluators. For more information, please visit www.AMSag.com.

Accomplish and Titan are registered trademarks of Loveland Products, Inc. SoilBuilder is a trademark and NutriLife is a registered trademark of AMS, Inc.

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