Attached files

file filename
EX-32.2 - CERTIFICATION - GOLDEN GRAIN ENERGYa322certification7-31x17.htm
EX-32.1 - CERTIFICATION - GOLDEN GRAIN ENERGYa321certification7-31x17.htm
EX-31.2 - CERTIFICATION - GOLDEN GRAIN ENERGYa312certification7-31x17.htm
EX-31.1 - CERTIFICATION - GOLDEN GRAIN ENERGYa311certification7-31x17.htm

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
 
FORM 10-Q
x
Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
 
 
 
For the quarterly period ended
July 31, 2017
 
 
 
OR
 
 
o
Transition report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
 
 
 
For the transition period from               to               .
 
 
 
COMMISSION FILE NUMBER 000-51177
 
GOLDEN GRAIN ENERGY, LLC
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Iowa
 
02-0575361
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
 
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
 
 
 
1822 43rd Street SW, Mason City, Iowa 50401
(Address of principal executive offices)
 
(641) 423-8525
(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
x Yes     o No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).
x Yes     o No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer" and "smaller reporting company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act:
Large Accelerated Filer o
Accelerated Filer  o
Non-Accelerated Filer x
Smaller Reporting Company o
 
Emerging Growth Company o
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
o Yes     x No

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer's classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date: 

As of September 14, 2017, there were 18,953,000 Class A membership units outstanding and 920,000 Class B membership units outstanding.


1


INDEX



2


PART I    FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements

GOLDEN GRAIN ENERGY, LLC
Balance Sheets

 ASSETS
 
July 31, 2017
 
October 31, 2016

 
(Unaudited)
 

Current Assets
 

 

Cash and equivalents
 
$
8,090,072

 
$
16,532,190

Marketable securities
 
20,247,381

 
15,785,542

Accounts receivable
 
7,094,171

 
6,202,104

Other receivables
 
665,453

 
568,940

Derivative instruments
 
980,449

 
514,878

Inventory
 
5,119,798

 
6,905,684

Prepaid expenses and other
 
2,423,729

 
1,589,075

Total current assets
 
44,621,053

 
48,098,413


 

 

Property and Equipment
 

 

Land and land improvements
 
12,962,015

 
12,961,713

Building and grounds
 
28,617,796

 
28,305,386

Grain handling equipment
 
15,833,823

 
15,833,823

Office equipment
 
213,207

 
220,527

Plant and process equipment
 
102,843,784

 
95,681,018

Construction in progress
 
1,616,189

 
4,580,801


 
162,086,814

 
157,583,268

Less accumulated depreciation
 
97,743,660

 
90,896,301

Net property and equipment
 
64,343,154

 
66,686,967


 

 

Other Assets
 

 

Investments
 
23,960,604

 
24,474,860

Other assets
 
1,368,174

 
1,503,666

Total other assets
 
25,328,778

 
25,978,526


 

 

Total Assets
 
$
134,292,985

 
$
140,763,906

 
 
 
 
 


Notes to the Financial Statements are an integral part of these Statements.

3


GOLDEN GRAIN ENERGY, LLC
Balance Sheets

LIABILITIES AND MEMBERS' EQUITY
 
July 31, 2017
 
October 31, 2016

 
(Unaudited)
 

Current Liabilities
 

 

Accounts payable
 
$
6,489,374

 
$
7,660,157

Accrued expenses
 
1,469,411

 
1,413,127

Other current liabilities
 
106,306

 
163,884

Total current liabilities
 
8,065,091

 
9,237,168


 

 

Long-term Liabilities
 

 

Deferred compensation
 
420,538

 
355,623

Deferred revenue, net of current portion
 
28,108

 
93,443

Total long-term liabilities
 
448,646

 
449,066


 

 

Commitments and Contingencies
 

 


 

 

Members' Equity (19,873,000 units issued and outstanding)
 
125,779,248

 
131,077,672


 

 

Total Liabilities and Members’ Equity
 
$
134,292,985

 
$
140,763,906

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Notes to the Financial Statements are an integral part of these Statements.

4


GOLDEN GRAIN ENERGY, LLC
Statements of Operations (Unaudited)


 
Three Months Ended
 
Three Months Ended
 
Nine Months Ended
 
Nine Months Ended

 
July 31, 2017
 
July 31, 2016
 
July 31, 2017
 
July 31, 2016

 

 

 

 

Revenues
 
$
49,760,291

 
$
48,641,969

 
$
156,784,396

 
$
148,934,083


 

 

 

 

Cost of Goods Sold
 
46,034,429

 
41,658,299

 
140,214,791

 
138,375,585


 

 

 

 

Gross Profit
 
3,725,862

 
6,983,670

 
16,569,605

 
10,558,498


 

 

 

 

Operating Expenses
 
1,042,348

 
648,383

 
2,884,924

 
2,544,110


 

 

 

 

Operating Income
 
2,683,514

 
6,335,287

 
13,684,681

 
8,014,388


 

 

 

 

Other Income (Expense)
 

 

 

 

Other income
 
173,407

 
187,296

 
279,850

 
477,280

Interest income (expense)
 
(13,080
)
 
(6,626
)
 
(13,101
)
 
(7,706
)
Equity in net income of investments
 
996,733

 
1,830,948

 
5,591,396

 
5,684,572

Total Other Income
 
1,157,060

 
2,011,618

 
5,858,145

 
6,154,146


 

 

 

 

Net Income
 
$
3,840,574

 
$
8,346,905

 
$
19,542,826

 
$
14,168,534

 
 
 
 

 

 

Basic & diluted net income per unit
 
$
0.19

 
$
0.42

 
$
0.98

 
$
0.71

Weighted average units outstanding for the calculation of basic & diluted net income per unit
 
19,873,000

 
19,873,000

 
19,873,000

 
19,873,000

Distributions Per Unit
 
$
0.50

 
$
0.25

 
$
1.25

 
$
0.95

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 






Notes to the Financial Statements are an integral part of these Statements.

5


GOLDEN GRAIN ENERGY, LLC
Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited)

 
Nine Months Ended
 
Nine Months Ended

 
July 31, 2017
 
July 31, 2016
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
 

 

Net income
 
$
19,542,826

 
$
14,168,534

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
 

 

Depreciation and amortization
 
6,907,938

 
6,509,582

Unrealized loss on risk management & marketable securities
 
(927,410
)
 
(820,484
)
Amortization of deferred revenue
 
(122,913
)
 
(82,794
)
Change in accretion of interest on grant & note receivable
 
(40,013
)
 
(46,927
)
Distributions in excess of earnings from investments
 
514,256

 
2,327,332

Gain on insurance proceeds from involuntary conversion
 
(489,852
)
 

Deferred compensation expense
 
64,915

 
25,454

Change in assets and liabilities
 

 

Accounts receivable
 
(892,067
)
 
(2,764,049
)
Inventory
 
1,785,886

 
(16,407
)
Prepaid expenses and other
 
(931,167
)
 
(843,185
)
Accounts payable
 
(618,092
)
 
(443,354
)
Accrued expenses
 
56,284

 
(272,345
)
Net cash provided by operating activities
 
24,850,591

 
17,741,357


 

 

Cash Flows from Investing Activities
 

 

Capital expenditures
 
(5,184,469
)
 
(10,532,948
)
Insurance proceeds from involuntary conversion
 
648,752

 

Purchase of marketable securities
 
(6,750,000
)
 
(12,250,000
)
Proceeds from sale of marketable securities
 
2,750,000

 
10,500,000

   Net cash (used in) investing activities
 
(8,535,717
)
 
(12,282,948
)

 

 

Cash Flows from Financing Activities
 

 

Refund on utility right costs
 

 

Distributions to members
 
(24,841,250
)
 
(18,879,350
)
Payments received on grant receivable
 
84,258

 

Net cash (used in) financing activities
 
(24,756,992
)
 
(18,879,350
)

 

 

Net (Decrease) in Cash and Equivalents
 
(8,442,118
)
 
(13,420,941
)

 

 

Cash and Equivalents – Beginning of Period
 
16,532,190

 
21,084,029


 

 

Cash and Equivalents – End of Period
 
$
8,090,072

 
$
7,663,088

 
 
 
 

Supplemental Cash Flow Information
 

 

Cash paid for interest
 
$
38,296

 
$
33,023

 
 
 
 
 
Supplemental Disclosure of Noncash Operating, Investing & Financing Activities
 
 
 
 
Accounts payable related to construction in progress
 
$

 
$
675,342

Distributions declared and unpaid by equity method investee
 

 
852,576


Notes to the Financial Statements are an integral part of these Statements.

6

GOLDEN GRAIN ENERGY, LLC
Notes to Unaudited Condensed Financial Statements
July 31, 2017


1. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The accompanying unaudited condensed financial statements have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Certain information and notes disclosures normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America have been condensed or omitted as permitted by such rules and regulations. These financial statements and related notes should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company's audited financial statements for the year ended October 31, 2016, contained in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for 2016.

In the opinion of management, the interim condensed financial statements reflect all adjustments considered necessary for fair presentation. The adjustments made to these statements consist only of normal recurring adjustments.

Nature of Business
Golden Grain Energy, LLC ("Golden Grain Energy" and "the Company") is an approximately 120 million gallon annual production ethanol plant near Mason City, Iowa. The Company sells its production of ethanol, distiller grains with solubles and corn oil primarily in the continental United States. The Company also holds several investments in various companies that focus on ethanol production, marketing and/or logistics.

Organization
Golden Grain Energy is organized as an Iowa limited liability company.  The members' liability is limited as specified in Golden Grain Energy's operating agreement and pursuant to the Iowa Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act. 

Accounting Estimates
Management uses estimates and assumptions in preparing these financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.  Those estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, and the reported revenues and expenses. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Cash and Equivalents
The Company's cash balances are maintained in bank depositories and regularly exceed federally insured limits. The Company has not experienced any losses in connection with these balances. Also included in cash and equivalents are highly liquid investments, that are readily convertible into known amounts of cash, which are subject to an insignificant risk of change in value due to interest rate, quoted price or penalty on withdrawal and have a maturity of three months or less.

Marketable Securities
The Company determines the appropriate classification of its investments in debt and equity securities at the time of purchase and reevaluates such determinations at each balance sheet date. Debt securities are classified as held to maturity when the Company has the positive intent and ability to hold the securities to maturity. Held-to-maturity securities are recorded as either short term or long term on the Balance Sheet, based on contractual maturity date and are stated at cost. Marketable securities that are bought and held principally for the purpose of selling them in the near term are classified as trading securities and are reported at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses recognized in earnings.

Marketable securities consist of certificates of deposits with original maturities of greater than three months and mutual funds. Certificates of deposit are considered held-to-maturity securities, which are measured at cost. Mutual funds are considered trading securities which are measured at fair value using prices obtained from pricing services. Any unrealized or realized gains and losses on the trading securities are recorded as part of other income.

Marketable securities consisted of mutual funds invested in intermediate-term municipal and government bonds and certificates of deposit all with maturities of less than one year. For the periods ended July 31, 2017 and 2016, there was no other-than-temporary impairment recognized. The Company recorded interest, dividends and net realized and unrealized gains (losses) from these investments as part of other income as follows:

7

GOLDEN GRAIN ENERGY, LLC
Notes to Unaudited Condensed Financial Statements
July 31, 2017


 
 
Three Months Ended July 31,
 
Nine Months Ended July 31,
 
 
2017
 
2016
 
2017
 
2016
Net earnings on marketable securities
 
$
28,000

 
$
187,000

 
$
134,000

 
$
390,000

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Marketable Securities
 
 
 
 
As of
 
Cost
 
Fair Market Value
 
Certificates of Deposit
 
 
July 31, 2017
 
$
18,562,000

 
$
18,496,000

 
$
1,750,000

 
 
October 31, 2016
 
$
12,967,000

 
$
13,036,000

 
$
2,750,000

 
 

Accounts Receivable
Credit sales are made primarily to one customer and no collateral is required. The Company carries these accounts receivable at original invoice amount with no allowance for doubtful accounts due to the historical collection rates on these accounts.

Investments
The Company has less than a 20% investment interest in five companies in related industries. These investments are being accounted for by the equity method of accounting under which the Company's share of net income is recognized as income in the Company's statement of operations and added to the investment account. Distributions or dividends received from the investments are treated as a reduction of the investment account. Distributions or dividends received in excess of the carrying value are recognized as income in the statement of operations. The investments are evaluated for indications of impairment on a regular basis. A loss would be recognized when the fair value is determined to be less than the carrying value.

The fiscal years of Renewable Products Marketing Group, LLC (RPMG) and Guardian Energy Janesville, LLC end on September 30 and the fiscal years of Absolute Energy, LLC, Homeland Energy Solutions, LLC and Lawrenceville Tank, LLC, end on December 31. The Company consistently follows the practice of recognizing the net income based on the most recent reliable data. Therefore, the net income which is reported in the Company's statement of operations for the period ended July 31, 2017, for all companies, is based on the investee's results for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2017.

Note Receivable
The Company has a note receivable from an unrelated party. The Company carries the note at original face value plus accrued interest which is equal to 6% as of July 31, 2017 and is compounded monthly. The note commenced in December 2014 with a face value of $510,000 and has a maturity of 5 years. Annual payments are to begin in September 2018. Balance of the note receivable, including accrued interest, as of July 31, 2017 and October 31, 2016 was approximately $592,000 and $566,000, respectively.
  
Revenue and Cost Recognition
Revenue from the sale of the Company's products is recognized at the time title to the goods and all risks of ownership transfer to the customers.  This generally occurs upon shipment, loading of the goods or when the customer picks up the goods. Collectability of revenue is reasonably assured based on historical evidence of collectability between the Company and its customers. Interest income is recognized as earned.

Shipping costs incurred by the Company in the sale of ethanol, distiller grains and corn oil are not specifically identifiable and as a result, revenue from the sale of ethanol, distiller grains and corn oil are recorded based on the net selling price reported to the Company from its marketer. Railcar lease costs incurred by the Company in the sale and shipment of distiller grain products are included in cost of goods sold.

Inventory
Inventories are generally valued at the lower of weighted average cost or net realizable value.  In the valuation of inventories and purchase commitments, net realizable value is defined as estimated selling price in the ordinary course of business less reasonable predictable costs of completion, disposal and transportation.

8

GOLDEN GRAIN ENERGY, LLC
Notes to Unaudited Condensed Financial Statements
July 31, 2017



Property & Equipment
Property and equipment are stated at historical cost. Significant additions and betterments are capitalized, while expenditures for maintenance and repairs are charged to operations when incurred. The Company uses the straight-line method of computing depreciation over the estimated useful lives between 3 and 40 years.

The Company reviews its property and equipment for impairment whenever events indicate that the carrying amount of the asset group may not be recoverable. If circumstances require a long-lived asset group to be tested for possible impairment, the Company first compares undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by an asset group to the carrying value of the asset group. If the carrying value of the asset group is not recoverable on an undiscounted cash flow basis, an impairment is recognized to the extent that the carrying value exceeds its fair value. Fair value is determined through various valuation techniques including discounted cash flow models, quoted market values and third-party independent appraisals, as considered necessary.

Investment in commodities contracts, derivative instruments and hedging activities
The Company evaluates its contracts to determine whether the contracts are derivative instruments. Certain contracts that meet the definition of a derivative may be exempted from derivative accounting and treated as normal purchases or normal sales if documented as such. Normal purchases and normal sales are contracts that provide for the purchase or sale of something other than a financial instrument or derivative instrument that will be delivered in quantities expected to be used or sold over a reasonable period in the normal course of business.

The Company enters into short-term cash, option and futures contracts as a means of securing corn and natural gas for the ethanol plant and managing exposure to changes in commodity and energy prices. The Company occasionally also enters into derivative contracts to hedge its exposure to price risk as it relates to ethanol sales. As part of its risk management process, the Company uses futures and option contracts through regulated commodity exchanges or through the over-the-counter market to manage its risk related to pricing of inventories. All of the Company's derivatives, other than those excluded under the normal purchases and sales exclusion, are designated as non-hedge derivatives, with changes in fair value recognized in net income. Although the contracts are economic hedges of specified risks, they are not designated or accounted for as hedging instruments.
 
Realized and unrealized gains and losses related to derivative contracts related to corn and natural gas are included as a component of cost of goods sold and derivative contracts related to ethanol are included as a component of revenues in the accompanying financial statements. The fair values of contracts are presented on the accompanying balance sheet as derivative instruments net of cash due from/to broker.

Net income per unit
Basic and diluted earnings per unit are computed using the weighted-average number of Class A and B units outstanding during the period.

Fair Value
Financial instruments include cash and equivalents, marketable securities, receivables, accounts payable, accrued expenses and derivative instruments. The fair value of marketable securities and derivative financial instruments is based on quoted market prices, as disclosed in Note 7. The fair value, determined using level 3 inputs, of all other current financial instruments is estimated to approximate carrying value due to the short-term nature of these instruments.

Risks and Uncertainties
The Company has certain risks and uncertainties that it will experience during volatile market conditions, which can have a severe impact on operations. The Company's revenues are derived from the sale and distribution of ethanol and distiller grains to customers primarily located in the United States. Corn for the production process is supplied to the plant primarily from local agricultural producers and from purchases on the open market. For the three months ended July 31, 2017, ethanol sales accounted for approximately 84% of total revenue, distiller grains sales accounted for approximately 11% of total revenue and corn oil sales accounted for approximately 5% of total revenue while corn costs averaged approximately 74% of cost of goods sold. For the nine months ended July 31, 2017, ethanol sales accounted for approximately 84% of total revenue, distiller grains sales accounted for approximately 12% of total revenues and corn oil sales account of approximately 4% of total revenue while corn costs averaged approximately 76% of cost of goods sold.


9

GOLDEN GRAIN ENERGY, LLC
Notes to Unaudited Condensed Financial Statements
July 31, 2017


The Company's operating and financial performance is largely driven by the prices at which ethanol is sold and the net expense of corn. The price of ethanol is influenced by factors such as supply and demand, weather, government policies and programs, and unleaded gasoline and the petroleum markets with ethanol selling, in general, for less than gasoline at the wholesale level. Excess ethanol supply in the market, in particular, puts downward pressure on the price of ethanol. The Company's largest cost of production is corn. The cost of corn is generally impacted by factors such as supply and demand, weather, and government policies and programs. The Company's risk management program is used to protect against the price volatility of these commodities.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09,"Revenue from Contracts with Customers". The ASU supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in "Accounting Standard Codification 605 - Revenue Recognition" and most industry-specific guidance. The standard requires that entities recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which a company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and for interim periods within that fiscal year. Although early application as of the original date is permitted, we expect to adopt ASU No. 2014-09 and the related ASUs during our fiscal year beginning November 1, 2018. We are evaluating the effect this guidance will have on our financial statements, including potential impacts on the timing of revenue recognition and additional information that may be necessary for expanded disclosures regarding revenue beginning in our 2019 fiscal year.


2.    INVENTORY

Inventory consisted of the following as of July 31, 2017 and October 31, 2016:

 
 
July 31, 2017

 
October 31, 2016

Raw Materials
 
$
2,662,854

 
$
3,808,935

Work in Process
 
1,202,667

 
1,170,767

Finished Goods
 
1,254,277

 
1,925,982

Totals
 
$
5,119,798

 
$
6,905,684


3.    BANK FINANCING

The Company has entered into a master loan agreement with Farm Credit Services of America (FLCA) which includes revolving loans with original maximum borrowings of $35 million, which currently has availability of $10 million and matures on February 1, 2020. Interest on the term loan is payable monthly at 3.15% above the one-month LIBOR (4.38% as of July 31, 2017). The borrowings are secured by substantially all the assets of the Company. The credit agreements are subject to covenants, requiring the Company to maintain various financial ratios, as well as certain distribution limitations. As of July 31, 2017, the Company was in compliance with all of the loan covenants. Failure to comply with the protective loan covenants or maintain the required financial ratios may cause acceleration of any outstanding principal balances on the loans and/or imposition of fees and penalties. As of July 31, 2017 and October 31, 2016, the Company had no borrowings outstanding.

4.    RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

The Company purchased corn and materials from members of its Board of Directors or Risk Management Committee that own or manage elevators. The Company also purchased ingredients from RPMG. Purchases from the related parties during the three and nine months ended July 31, 2017 totaled approximately $5,611,000 and $24,991,000, respectively. Purchases during the three and nine months ended July 31, 2016 totaled approximately $7,510,000 and $55,312,000, respectively. As of July 31, 2017 and October 31, 2016, the amount owed to related parties was approximately $364,000 and $518,000, respectively (See Note 5).


10

GOLDEN GRAIN ENERGY, LLC
Notes to Unaudited Condensed Financial Statements
July 31, 2017


5.    COMMITMENTS, CONTINGENCIES, AGREEMENTS AND RELATED PARTY

Ethanol, Distiller Grains and Corn Oil marketing agreements and major customers

The Company has entered into marketing agreements with a marketing company, in which the Company has an investment, for the exclusive rights to market, sell and distribute the entire ethanol, distiller grains and corn oil inventory produced by the Company. The marketing fees are presented net in revenues.

Approximate sales and marketing fees related to the agreements in place are as follows:

 
 
Three Months Ended July 31,
 
Nine Months Ended July 31,
 
 
2017
 
2016
 
2017
 
2016
Sales ethanol, distiller grains & corn oil
 
$
49,892,000

 
$
48,808,000

 
$
157,132,000

 
$
149,319,000

Marketing fees
 
132,000

 
115,000

 
379,000

 
334,000

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
As of
 
July 31, 2017
 
October 31, 2016
 
 
 
 
Amount due from RPMG
 
$
7,093,000

 
$
6,202,000

 
 
 
 

6.    RISK MANAGEMENT

The Company's activities expose it to a variety of market risks, including the effects of changes in commodity prices. These financial exposures are monitored and managed by the Company as an integral part of its overall risk-management program. The Company's risk management program focuses on the unpredictability of financial and commodities markets and seeks to reduce the potentially adverse effects that the volatility of these markets may have on its operating results.

To reduce price risk caused by market fluctuations, the Company generally follows a policy of using exchange traded futures contracts to reduce its net position of merchandisable agricultural commodity inventories and forward cash purchase and sales contracts and uses exchange traded futures contracts to reduce price risk. Exchange-traded futures contracts are valued at market price. Changes in market price of contracts related to corn and natural gas are recorded in cost of goods sold and changes in market prices of contracts related to sale of ethanol are recorded in revenues.

The following table represents the approximate amount of realized and unrealized gains (losses) and changes in fair value recognized in earnings on commodity contracts for periods ended July 31, 2017 and 2016 and the fair value of derivatives as of July 31, 2017 and October 31, 2016:


11

GOLDEN GRAIN ENERGY, LLC
Notes to Unaudited Condensed Financial Statements
July 31, 2017


 
 
Income Statement Classification
 
Realized Gain (Loss)
 
Change in Unrealized Gain (Loss)
 
Total Gain (Loss)
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commodity Contracts for the
 
Revenue
 
$

 
$

 
$

three months ended July 31, 2017
 
Cost of Goods Sold
 
(307,000
)
 
268,000

 
(39,000
)
 
 
Total
 
$
(307,000
)
 
$
268,000

 
$
(39,000
)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commodity Contracts for the
 
Revenue
 
$
(50,000
)
 
$

 
$
(50,000
)
three months ended July 31, 2016
 
Cost of Goods Sold
 
586,000

 
3,348,000

 
3,934,000

 
 
Total
 
$
536,000

 
$
3,348,000

 
$
3,884,000

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commodity Contracts for the
 
Revenue
 
$
(1,000
)
 
$
32,000

 
$
31,000

nine months ended July 31, 2017
 
Cost of Goods Sold
 
(103,000
)
 
466,000

 
363,000

 
 
Total
 
$
(104,000
)
 
$
498,000

 
$
394,000

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commodity Contracts for the
 
Revenue
 
$
(50,000
)
 
$

 
$
(50,000
)
nine months ended July 31, 2016
 
Cost of Goods Sold
 
1,410,000

 
3,179,000

 
4,589,000

 
 
Total
 
$
1,360,000

 
$
3,179,000

 
$
4,539,000


 
 
Balance Sheet Classification
 
July 31, 2017
 
October 31, 2016
Futures and option contracts through July 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
In gain position
 
 
 
$
437,000

 
$
157,000

In loss position
 
 
 
(4,000
)
 
(222,000
)
Cash held by broker
 
 
 
547,000

 
580,000

 
 
Current Asset
 
$
980,000

 
$
515,000


As of July 31, 2017, the Company had the following approximate outstanding purchase and sale commitments, of which approximately $5,487,000 of the purchase commitments were with related parties.

 
 
Commitments Through
 
Amount
Sale commitments
 
 
 
 
Corn Oil - fixed price
 
August 2018
 
$
1,076,000

Distiller Grains - fixed price
 
September 2018
 
2,021,000

 
 
 
 
 
Purchase commitments
 
 
 
 
Corn - fixed price
 
July 2018
 
$
10,058,000

Corn - basis contract
 
July 2018
 
22,849,000


As of July 31, 2017, the Company has fixed price futures and forward contracts in place for approximately 18% of our anticipated corn needs, 2% of our natural gas needs and none of our ethanol sales for the next 12 months with no open positions beyond that period.

12

GOLDEN GRAIN ENERGY, LLC
Notes to Unaudited Condensed Financial Statements
July 31, 2017



7.    FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

Financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value are classified and disclosed in one of the following three categories:

Level 1: Valuations for assets and liabilities traded in active markets from readily available pricing sources for market transactions involving identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2: Valuations for assets and liabilities traded in less active dealer or broker markets. Valuations are obtained from third-party pricing services for identical or similar assets or liabilities.

Level 3: Valuations incorporate certain assumptions and projections in determining the fair value assigned to such assets or liabilities.

A description of the valuation methodologies used for instruments measured at fair value, including the general classification of such instruments pursuant to the valuation hierarchy, is set forth below.

Marketable Securities: The Company's investments in short-term liquid investments (e.g. mutual funds), are classified within Level 1, carried at fair value based on the quoted market prices.

Derivative financial instruments: Commodity futures and exchange-traded commodity options contracts are reported at fair value utilizing Level 1 inputs. For these contracts, the Company obtains fair value measurements from an independent pricing service. The fair value measurements consider observable data that may include dealer quotes and live trading levels from markets such as the CME and NYMEX.  Crush swaps are bundled contracts or combined contracts that include a portion of corn, ethanol and natural gas rolled into a single trading instrument. These contracts are reported at fair value utilizing Level 2 inputs and are based on the various trading activity of the components of each segment of the bundled contract.


13

GOLDEN GRAIN ENERGY, LLC
Notes to Unaudited Condensed Financial Statements
July 31, 2017


The following table summarizes financial assets and financial liabilities measured at the approximate fair value on a recurring basis, segregated by the level of the valuation inputs within the fair value hierarchy utilized to measure fair value:
 
 
Total
 
Level 1
 
Level 2
 
Level 3
Marketable securities:
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
Assets, July 31, 2017
 
$
18,496,000

 
$
18,496,000

 
$

 
$

Assets, October 31, 2016
 
13,036,000

 
13,036,000

 

 

Derivative financial instruments:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
July 31, 2017
 


 


 


 

Assets
 
$
437,000

 
$
437,000

 
$

 
$

Liabilities
 
(4,000
)
 

 
(4,000
)
 

October 31, 2016
 
 
 

 


 

Assets
 
$
157,000

 
$
61,000

 
$
96,000

 
$

Liabilities
 
(222,000
)
 
(163,000
)
 
(59,000
)
 


8. INVESTMENTS

Condensed, combined unaudited financial information of the Company’s investments in Absolute Energy, Homeland Energy Solutions, Guardian Energy, Lawrenceville Tank and RPMG is as follows (in 000’s):

Balance Sheet
 
June 30, 2017
 
September 30, 2016
 
 
 
 
Current Assets
 
$
299,719

 
$
313,541

 
 
 
 
Other Assets
 
270,634

 
246,702
 
 
 
 
Current Liabilities
 
198,148

 
175,588
 
 
 
 
Long-term Debt
 
81,918

 
55,726
 
 
 
 
Members’ Equity
 
290,287

 
328,928
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Three Months Ended June 30,
 
Nine Months Ended June 30,
Income Statement
 
2017
 
2016
 
2017
 
2016
Revenue
 
$
191,493

 
$
186,458

 
$
570,217

 
$
548,210

Gross Profit
 
21,127

 
25,377

 
76,509

 
61,465

Net Income
 
17,628

 
20,824

 
68,602

 
48,876


The Company recorded equity in net income of approximately (in 000's):
 
 
Three Months Ended July 31,
 
Nine Months Ended July 31,
Equity in Net Income
 
2017
 
2016
 
2017
 
2016
Absolute Energy
 
$
437

 
$
223

 
$
1,728

 
$
1,046

Guardian Energy
 

 
853

 
1,652

 
3,074

Homeland Energy Solutions
 
503

 
697

 
1,996

 
1,314

Other
 
57

 
58

 
215

 
251

Total
 
$
997

 
$
1,831

 
$
5,591

 
$
5,685




14


Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Forward Looking Statements

This report contains forward-looking statements that involve future events, our future performance and our expected future operations and actions.  In some cases you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "may," "will," "should," "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "plan," "future," "intend," "could," "estimate," "predict," "hope," "potential," "continue," or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions.  These forward-looking statements are only our predictions and involve numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to those listed below and those business risks and factors described elsewhere in this report and our other Securities and Exchange Commission filings. 

The impact of the Chinese distiller grains and ethanol tariffs have on ethanol and distiller grains prices in the United States;
The impact lower gasoline prices have on the market price of ethanol and our ability to profitably operate the ethanol plant;
Changes in the availability and price of corn and natural gas;
Any elimination or reduction of the renewable fuels use requirements under the RFS;
Our ability to transport our finished goods in order to continue to operate our ethanol plant at capacity;
Our ability to profitably operate the ethanol plant, including the sale of distiller grains and corn oil, and maintain a positive spread between the selling price of our products and our raw material costs;
The ability of the ethanol industry to generate additional demand through higher level blends of ethanol, including E15 and E85;
The effect our hedging activities have on our financial performance and cash flows;
Ethanol, distiller grains and corn oil supply exceeding demand and corresponding price reductions;
Our ability to generate free cash flow to invest in our business, service our debt and satisfy the financial covenants contained in our credit agreement with our lender;
Changes in our business strategy, capital improvements or development plans;
Changes in plant production capacity or technical difficulties in operating the plant;
Changes in general economic conditions or the occurrence of certain events causing an economic impact in the agriculture, oil or automobile industries;
Changes and advances in ethanol production technology;
Changes in interest rates or the lack of credit availability; and
Our ability to retain key employees and maintain labor relations.

Our actual results or actions could and likely will differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements for many reasons, including the reasons described in this report.  We are not under any duty to update the forward-looking statements contained in this report.  We cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements.  We caution you not to put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this report.  You should read this report and the documents that we reference in this report and have filed as exhibits, completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we currently expect.  We qualify all of our forward-looking statements with these cautionary statements. Unless otherwise stated, references in this report to particular years or quarters refer to our fiscal years ended in October and the associated quarters of those fiscal years.

Overview

Golden Grain Energy, LLC was formed as an Iowa limited liability company on March 18, 2002, for the purpose of constructing, owning and operating a fuel-grade ethanol plant near Mason City in north central Iowa. Since December 2004, we have been engaged in the production of ethanol and distiller grains at the plant and have produced corn oil since February 2009. References to "we," "us," "our" and the "Company" refer to Golden Grain Energy, LLC. We have capacity to produce approximately 120 million gallons of ethanol per year.

Our revenue is derived primarily from the sale and distribution of our ethanol, distiller grains and corn oil. We market our products through Renewable Products Marketing Group, Inc. ("RPMG"), a professional third party marketer. We are an equity owner of RPMG, LLC, the parent company of RPMG, which allows us to realize favorable marketing fees in the sale of our ethanol, distiller grains and corn oil.

On November 21, 2016, our board of directors declared a distribution of $0.75 per membership unit for members of record as of November 21, 2016. The total amount of the distribution was $14,904,750 which was paid in December 2016. On

15


May 15, 2017, our board of directors declared a distribution of $0.50 per membership unit to the holders of record at the close of business on May 15, 2017 for a total distribution of $9,936,500. The distribution was paid in June 2017.

In recent years, the ethanol industry in the United States has increased exports of ethanol and distiller grains. In January 2017, the Chinese issued final tariffs on U.S. distiller grains. The Chinese distiller grains anti-dumping tariffs range from 42.2% to 53.7% and the anti-subsidy tariffs range from approximately 11% to 12%. In addition, the Chinese government increased its ethanol import tariff from 5% to 30% as of January 1, 2017. These tariffs have had a negative impact on market ethanol and distiller grains prices in the United States.

In Brazil, UNICA, the Brazilian sugarcane industry, is lobbying the Brazilian government to institute a 16% tariff on imported ethanol. Ethanol producers in Brazil are seeking a 20% tariff. To date, this tariff has not been implemented. However, Brazil is a major source of ethanol demand, and a tariff could negatively impact market ethanol prices in the United States.

Results of Operations

Comparison of the Three Months Ended July 31, 2017 and 2016
 
The following table shows the results of our operations and the percentage of revenues, cost of goods sold, operating expenses and other items to total revenues in our statement of operations for the three months ended July 31, 2017 and 2016:

 
2017
 
2016
Income Statement Data
Amount
 
%
 
Amount
 
%
Revenues
$
49,760,291

 
100.0
 
$
48,641,969

 
100.0
Cost of Goods Sold
46,034,429

 
92.5
 
41,658,299

 
85.6
Gross Profit
3,725,862

 
7.5
 
6,983,670

 
14.4
Operating Expenses
1,042,348

 
2.1
 
648,383

 
1.3
Operating Income
2,683,514

 
5.4
 
6,335,287

 
13.0
Other Income
1,157,060

 
2.3
 
2,011,618

 
4.1
Net Income
$
3,840,574

 
7.7
 
$
8,346,905

 
17.2

Revenues. Our total revenue was higher for our third quarter of 2017 compared to the same period of 2016 due to the higher quantities of ethanol and corn oil sold offset by lower average prices we received for our ethanol, distillers and corn oil. For our third quarter of 2017, ethanol sales accounted for approximately 84% of our total revenue, distiller grains sales accounted for approximately 11% of our total revenue, and corn oil sales accounted for approximately 5% of our total revenue. For our third quarter of 2016, ethanol sales accounted for approximately 80% of our total revenue, distiller grains sales accounted for approximately 16% of our total revenue, and corn oil sales accounted for approximately 4% of our total revenue.
    
The average price per gallon we received for our ethanol was approximately 2% lower for our third quarter of 2017 compared to the same period of 2016. Management attributes this decrease in the average price we received for our ethanol to lower commodity and gasoline prices which typically impact ethanol prices. Management anticipates that ethanol prices will likely remain steady during the remaining quarter of our 2017 fiscal year. Prices may firm due to the fact that the RFS ethanol use requirement was set at 15 million gallons for corn-based ethanol for 2017 along with increased export demand for ethanol. However, export demand for ethanol is less consistent compared to domestic demand, so if ethanol exports are lower during 2017 compared to 2016, it could further result in lower ethanol prices and could negatively impact our profitability. Further, other ethanol producers are expanding their production capacities. If ethanol supply increases at a greater pace compared to ethanol demand, it could negatively impact ethanol prices and could negatively impact our profitability.

We sold approximately 10% more gallons of ethanol during our third quarter of 2017 compared to the same period of 2016. Management attributes this increase in ethanol sales with timing of ethanol shipments and higher production rates. Our total ethanol production was 3% more during our third quarter of 2017 as compared to the same period of 2016. Management anticipates that our ethanol sales and production will be slightly greater during the remaining quarter of our 2017 fiscal year compared to our 2016 fiscal year due to plant efficiency improvements implemented during our 2016 and 2017 fiscal years.

During our third quarter of 2016, we experienced combined realized and unrealized losses on our ethanol derivative instruments of approximately $50,000, which decreased our revenue. By comparison, we had no ethanol derivative instruments during our third quarter of 2017.

16



The average price per ton we received for our dried distillers grains was approximately 25% less for our third quarter of 2017 compared to the same period of 2016. In addition, the average price per ton we received for our modified/wet distillers grains was approximately 41% less for our third quarter of 2017 compared to the same period of 2016. Management attributes these price decreases with lower market corn prices and higher corn supplies after the 2016 harvest. In addition, China started refusing distiller grains from the United States in January 2017 which resulted in lower distiller grains prices and will result in uncertainty regarding future distiller grains demand. This uncertainty may continue to negatively impact market distiller grains prices. Management anticipates that distiller grains will begin to consistently trade at a relative value of less than 100% of corn for the foreseeable future primarily due to China imposing antidumping and countervailing duties against the United States distiller grain markets.

Our dried distiller grains production decreased by approximately 1% during our third quarter of 2017 compared to the same period of 2016. Management attributes this decrease partially to increased corn oil extraction during the period as well as better efficiencies in converting corn into ethanol. Management anticipates distiller grains production to be slightly lower for the remaining quarter of our 2017 fiscal year compared to our 2016 fiscal year due to the increase in corn oil extraction and improved efficiencies in production.

We sold approximately 9% more pounds of corn oil during our third quarter of 2017 compared to the same period of 2016. This increase in corn oil sales resulted from increased corn oil extraction methods which also led to decreased dried distiller grain production. The average price per pound we received for our corn oil was approximately 3% less for our third quarter of 2017 compared to the same period of 2016. This decrease in corn oil prices occurred due to an increase in corn oil supply. Management believes that an increase in total corn oil supply was from improvements in the extraction methods offset by increased biodiesel production which helped the corn oil supply market. Biodiesel production was spurred by the renewal of the biodiesel blenders' tax credit which management believes positively impacts corn oil demand. Management anticipates relatively stable corn oil prices going forward, despite anticipated increases in corn oil supplies, unless corn oil demand increases significantly for biodiesel production.

Cost of Goods Sold. Our cost of goods sold was higher for our third quarter of 2017 compared to the same period of 2016 due primarily to an increase in the gallons of ethanol sold offset by a decrease in corn costs.  Our average cost per bushel of corn was approximately 8% lower during our third quarter of 2017 compared to the same period of 2016.  Management anticipates corn prices to remain low due to an improved balance between corn supply and demand as a result of the larger corn crops harvested in recent years along with relatively stable corn demand, however, we may still experience some short term corn price volatility. 
 
We consumed more bushels of corn during our third quarter of 2017 compared to the same period of 2016 due to higher ethanol production. Management anticipates consistent corn consumption during the rest of our 2017 fiscal year, provided we continue to experience profitable operating margins which allow us to operate the ethanol plant at capacity.

Our natural gas costs increased by approximately 20% during our third quarter of 2017 compared to the same period of 2016. Our usage was minimally higher, but the average price we paid per MMBtu of natural gas was approximately 19% higher during our third quarter of 2017 compared to the same period of 2016. Management attributes this increase in natural gas prices with higher commodity and energy prices during the 2017 period as well as growing demand for natural gas. Management anticipates that natural gas prices will remain relatively stable for the remaining quarters of our 2017 fiscal year. Our natural gas consumption during our third quarter of 2017 was similar compared to the same period of 2016 despite an increase in ethanol gallons produced due to improved energy usage at the ethanol production facility.

We experienced combined realized and unrealized losses of approximately $39,000 for our third quarter of 2017 related to our corn and natural gas derivative instruments which increased our cost of goods sold. By comparison, we experienced approximately $3,934,000 of combined realized and unrealized gains for the same period of 2016 related to our corn and natural gas derivative instruments which decreased our cost of goods sold. We recognize the gains or losses that result from the changes in the value of our derivative instruments from corn and natural gas in cost of goods sold as the changes occur.  As corn and natural gas prices fluctuate, the value of our derivative instruments is impacted, which affects our financial performance.

Operating Expenses. Our operating expenses were higher during our third quarter of 2017 compared to the same period of 2016 due to higher contributions to trade organizations that support ethanol promotion activities as well as an increase in property tax expense. Management anticipates that our operating expenses will be slightly higher during the remaining quarter of our 2017 fiscal year compared to our 2016 fiscal year due to higher property tax expense and possibly by potential differences in employee bonus accruals that are tied to net income.


17


Other Income (Expense). Other income was lower for our third quarter of 2017 compared to the same period of 2016, due to a decrease in equity income from investments. Our investments are in other companies involved in the ethanol industry which, in general, experienced less favorable operating margins during our third quarter of 2017. One of our investments made distributions in excess of the equity balance recorded by the Company, totaling approximately $853,000 during our third quarter of 2016, which were recorded as a gain through other income; no such excess distributions were received during our third quarter of 2017. We had less interest income during our third quarter of 2017 compared to the same period of 2016 due to less interest recognized on fewer maturing certificates of deposit with financial institutions.

Comparison of the Nine Months Ended July 31, 2017 and 2016
 
The following table shows the results of our operations and the percentage of revenues, cost of goods sold, operating expenses and other items to total revenues in our statement of operations for the nine months ended July 31, 2017 and 2016:

 
2017
 
2016
Income Statement Data
Amount
 
%
 
Amount
 
%
Revenues
$
156,784,396

 
100.0
 
$
148,934,083

 
100.0
Cost of Goods Sold
140,214,791

 
89.4
 
138,375,585

 
92.9
Gross Profit
16,569,605

 
10.6
 
10,558,498

 
7.1
Operating Expenses
2,884,924

 
1.8
 
2,544,110

 
1.7
Operating Income
13,684,681

 
8.7
 
8,014,388

 
5.4
Other Income
5,858,145

 
3.7
 
6,154,146

 
4.1
Net Income
$
19,542,826

 
12.5
 
$
14,168,534

 
9.5

Revenues. Our total revenue was higher for our nine months ended July 31, 2017 compared to the same period of 2016 due to the higher average prices we received for our ethanol and corn oil. For our nine months ended July 31, 2017, ethanol sales accounted for approximately 84% of our total revenue, distiller grains sales accounted for approximately 12% of our total revenue, and corn oil sales accounted for approximately 4% of our total revenue. For our nine months ended July 31, 2016, ethanol sales accounted for approximately 80% of our total revenue, distiller grains sales accounted for approximately 16% of our total revenue, and corn oil sales accounted for approximately 4% of our total revenue.
    
The average price per gallon we received for our ethanol was approximately 7% higher for our nine months ended July 31, 2017 compared to the same period of 2016. Management attributes this increase in the average price we received for our ethanol to higher gasoline and higher export demand which typically impacts ethanol prices.

We sold approximately 2% more gallons of ethanol during our nine months ended July 31, 2017 compared to the same period of 2016. Management attributes this increase in ethanol sales with increased ethanol production. Our total ethanol production was 1% greater during our nine months ended July 31, 2017 as compared to the same period of 2016.

During our nine months ended July 31, 2017, we experienced combined realized and unrealized gains on our ethanol derivative instruments of approximately $31,000, which increased our revenue. By comparison, we experienced an approximate $50,000 loss on our ethanol derivative instruments during our nine months ended July 31, 2016 which decreased our revenue.

The average price per ton we received for our dried distillers grains was approximately 17% less for our nine months ended July 31, 2017 compared to the same period of 2016. In addition, the average price per ton we received for our modified/wet distillers grains was approximately 44% less for our nine months ended July 31, 2017 compared to the same period of 2016. Management attributes these price decreases to lower market corn prices and higher corn supplies after the 2016 harvest. In addition, China started refusing distiller grains from the United States in January 2017 which resulted in lower distiller grains prices and will result in uncertainty regarding future distiller grains demand. In January 2017, China started imposing antidumping and countervailing duties against the United States distiller grain markets. These events have negatively impacted market distiller grains prices. Management anticipates that distiller grains will consistently trade at a relative value of less than 100% of corn for the foreseeable future primarily due to China's market positions.

Our dried distiller grains production decreased by approximately 10% during our nine months ended July 31, 2017 compared to the same period of 2016. Management attributes this decrease partially to increased modified/wet distiller grain production, in addition to increased corn oil extraction during the period.


18


We sold approximately 9% more pounds of corn oil during our nine months ended July 31, 2017 compared to the same period of 2016. This increase in corn oil sales resulted from increased corn oil extraction methods and resulted in decreased dried distiller grain production. The average price per pound we received for our corn oil was approximately 9% greater for our nine months ended July 31, 2017 compared to the same period of 2016. This increase in corn oil prices occurred despite an increase in corn oil supply. Management believes that an increase in total corn oil demand from increased biodiesel production offset the increase in the market corn oil supply.

Cost of Goods Sold. Our cost of goods sold was higher for our nine months ended July 31, 2017 compared to the same period of 2016 due primarily to increased natural gas costs offset by a decrease in the cost of corn.  Our average cost per bushel of corn, before our derivative instrument gain, was approximately 5% lower during the first nine months of our 2017 fiscal year compared to the same period of 2016. 
 
While production levels increased, we consumed the same amount of corn during our nine months ended July 31, 2017 compared to the same period of 2016 due to increased conversion of corn into ethanol on increased gallons of ethanol production. During our nine months ended July 31, 2017 we experienced a 1% increase in efficiency of converting corn into ethanol as compared to the same period of 2016.

Our natural gas costs increased by approximately 27% during our nine months ended July 31, 2017 compared to the same period of 2016. Our usage was 2% less, but the average price we paid per MMBtu of natural gas was approximately 29% higher during our nine months ended July 31, 2017 compared to the same period of 2016. Management attributes this increase in natural gas prices with higher commodity and energy prices during the 2017 period as well as growing demand for natural gas. Our natural gas efficiency during our nine months ended July 31, 2017 increased by 2% per gallon of ethanol production.

We experienced combined realized and unrealized gains of approximately $363,000 for our nine months ended July 31, 2017 related to our corn and natural gas derivative instruments which decreased our cost of goods sold. By comparison, we experienced approximately $4,589,000 of combined realized and unrealized gains for the same period of 2016 related to our corn and natural gas derivative instruments which decreased our cost of goods sold. We recognize the gains or losses that result from the changes in the value of our derivative instruments from corn and natural gas in cost of goods sold as the changes occur.  As corn and natural gas prices fluctuate, the value of our derivative instruments is impacted, which affects our financial performance.

Operating Expenses. Our operating expenses were higher during our nine months ended July 31, 2017 compared to the same period of 2016 primary due to an increase in contributions to trade organizations that support ethanol promotion activities, property tax expense and personnel expense related to the bonus accrual for 2017. The increase in contributions to trade organizations for our nine months ended July 31, 2017 compared to the same period of 2016 were driven by contributions to ethanol trade organizations. The increase in property tax expense for our nine months ended July 31, 2017 compared to the same period of 2016 was from an increase in rates as well as expiration of our tax incremental financing. The increase in personnel expense during our nine months ended July 31, 2017 compared to the same period of 2016 is due to an increase in the accrual for employee bonuses which is partially based off of net income. Offsetting these increases, legal expenses were lower during our nine months ended July 31, 2017 compared to the same period of 2016. This was due to the antidumping and countervailing duties claims that we were defending during our 2016 period. Management anticipates that our operating expenses will be comparable during the remaining quarter of our 2017 fiscal year compared to our 2016 fiscal year as we balance out payments for the dues and subscriptions that we pay to trade organizations offset by potential changes in employee bonus accruals that are tied to net income.

Other Income (Expense). Other income was slightly lower for our nine months ended July 31, 2017 compared to the same period of 2016, due primarily to less income from marketable securities and equity income from investments. Our investments are in other companies involved in the ethanol industry which, in general, experienced similar operating margins during our nine months ended July 31, 2017. However, one of our investments made distributions in excess of the equity balance recorded by the Company, which were recorded as gains through other income, totaling approximately $1,652,000 and $3,074,000, for our nine months ended July 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. We had less interest income during our nine months ended July 31, 2017 compared to the same period of 2016 due to less interest generated from maturing certificates of deposit during 2017. We also had less other income during our nine months ended July 31, 2017 compared to the same period of 2016 due to a decrease in income from marketable securities and investments not recorded on the equity method of accounting.

Changes in Financial Condition for the Nine Months Ended July 31, 2017

Current Assets. We had less cash and equivalents at July 31, 2017 compared to October 31, 2016. This decrease in our cash position is due primarily to nearly $25 million in distributions we paid to our members during December 2016 and June 2017 and cash that was invested into marketable securities, offset by cash generated from operations. The value of our accounts receivable

19


and inventory were comparable in the aggregate at July 31, 2017 compared to October 31, 2016 due to the timing of payments we received from our vendor and the timing of shipments of our products. We had less bushels of corn on hand at a lower carrying value at July 31, 2017 compared to October 31, 2016 which made the value of our inventory lower.

Property and Equipment. The net value of our property and equipment was lower at July 31, 2017 compared to October 31, 2016 due to depreciation, offset by ongoing capital projects. We had approximately $1.6 million in construction in progress at July 31, 2017 related to various capital projects we were conducting during our 2017 fiscal year, the largest of which is improvements to our plant associated with upgrades to our plant control system.

Other Assets. Our other assets were slightly lower at July 31, 2017 compared to October 31, 2016 due to a decrease in the value of our various investments caused by distributions declared in excess of earnings recorded for the nine months ended July 31, 2017.

Current Liabilities. Our accounts payable at July 31, 2017 were lower compared to October 31, 2016 due to lower payables to our vendors for corn deliveries. Our accrued expenses were similar at July 31, 2017 compared to October 31, 2016.

Long-term Liabilities. Our long-term liabilities were similar at July 31, 2017 and October 31, 2016.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Based on financial forecasts performed by our management, we anticipate that we will have sufficient cash from our current credit facilities and cash generated from our operations to continue to operate the ethanol plant at capacity for the next 12 months and beyond. As of July 31, 2017, we had $10 million available pursuant to our revolving term loan and approximately $28 million in cash and equivalents and marketable securities.

We are in the process of expanding the ethanol plant by approximately 30 million gallons per year. We have not yet entered into any significant agreements or contracts related to the expansion and we anticipate the project will cost approximately $31.5 million, some of which we expect to pay through operating income. However, we may secure additional debt financing in the future to pay a portion of the costs associated with the project. Management continually evaluates conditions in the ethanol industry and explores opportunities to improve the efficiency and profitability of our operations which may require additional capital expenditures.

We have a program of investing our excess cash in short-term liquid investments which allows us to access the cash when we need it and preserve our capital while limiting our loss exposure. Only a portion of our cash balances are federally insured when they are deposited with our bank. As a result, our plan is intended to decrease the risk we face when we were concentrating our cash balances with one financial institution.

The following table shows our cash flows for the nine months ended July 31, 2017 and 2016:
 
Nine Months Ended July 31,
 
2017
 
2016
Net cash provided by operating activities
$
24,850,591

 
$
17,741,357

Net cash (used in) investing activities
(8,535,717
)
 
(12,282,948
)
Net cash (used in) financing activities
(24,756,992
)
 
(18,879,350
)

Cash Flow From Operations 

Our cash flows from operations for the nine months ended July 31, 2017 were higher compared to the same period of 2016 due primarily to increased net income and working capital associated with accounts receivable and inventory. These increases were offset by a decrease in distributions received in excess of earnings from our investments.
 
Cash Flow From Investing Activities 

We used less cash for investing activities during our nine months ended July 31, 2017 compared to the same period of 2016. During the 2017 period, we invested more cash into marketable securities offset by fewer capital expenditures compared to the 2016 period due to fewer plant improvement projects. In addition, during our nine months ended July 31, 2017 we received insurance proceeds from an involuntary asset conversion compared to the same period of 2016.


20


Cash Flow From Financing Activities.

During our nine months ended July 31, 2017, we used more cash for financing activities related to higher distributions paid to members as compared to the same period of 2016.

Short-Term and Long-Term Debt Sources

In exchange for our credit facility Farm Credit, we executed a mortgage in favor of Farm Credit covering all of our real property and granted Farm Credit a security interest in all of our equipment and other assets. In the event we default on our loans with Farm Credit, Farm Credit may foreclose on our assets, including both our real property and our machinery and equipment.
 
Variable Line of Credit

We have a long-term line of credit. Interest on this loan accrues at 3.15% above the One-Month London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR). The interest rate is subject to weekly adjustment. We may elect to enter into a fixed interest rate on this loan at various times throughout the term of the loan as provided in the loan agreements. During the first fiscal quarter of 2016, we executed an amendment to our credit agreements with Farm Credit which adjusted our loan covenants related to issuing distributions to our members and changed the terms of our revolving line of credit. We have $10 million available pursuant to this long-term revolving line of credit until it matures on February 1, 2020. We agreed to pay an annual fee of 0.5% of the unused portion of this loan. As of July 31, 2017, we had $0 outstanding on this loan with an accrued interest rate of 4.38% per year. As of July 31, 2017, we had $10 million available to be drawn on this loan.

Administrative Agency Agreement

As part of the Farm Credit loan closing, we entered into an Administrative Agency Agreement with CoBank, ACP ("CoBank"). CoBank purchased a participation interest in the Farm Credit loans and was appointed the administrative agent for the purpose of servicing the loans. As a result, CoBank will act as the agent for Farm Credit with respect to our loans. We agreed to pay CoBank an annual fee of $5,000 as the agent for Farm Credit.

Covenants

Our credit agreements with Farm Credit are subject to numerous covenants requiring us to maintain various financial ratios. As of July 31, 2017, we were in compliance with all of our loan covenants with Farm Credit. Based on current management projections, we anticipate that we will be in compliance with our loan covenants for the next 12 months and beyond.

Grants and Government Programs

In December 2006, we received the first payment from our semi-annual economic development grants equal to the amount of the tax assessments imposed on our ethanol plant by Cerro Gordo County, the county in which our ethanol plant is located. Based on our 2009 assessment, the total amount of these grants is expected to be approximately $9 million, which will be paid semi-annually over a 10-year period with the final payment being made in 2019.
 
Critical Accounting Policies

Management uses estimates and assumptions in preparing our financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. These estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, and the reported revenues and expenses. Of the significant accounting policies described in the notes to our financial statements, we believe that the following are the most critical:

Revenue Recognition

Revenue from the sale of our products is recognized at the time title to the goods and all risks of ownership transfer to the customers.  The time of transfer is defined in the specific sales agreement; however, it generally occurs upon shipment, loading of the goods or when the customer picks up the goods. Collectability of revenue is reasonably assured based on historical evidence of collectability between us and our customers. Interest income is recognized as earned.

Shipping costs incurred by us in the sale of ethanol and corn oil are not specifically identifiable and as a result, revenue from the sale of ethanol and corn oil are recorded based on the net selling price reported to us from our marketer. Shipping costs incurred by us in the sale of distiller grain products are included in cost of goods sold.

21



Investment in Commodities Contracts, Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

We evaluate contracts to determine whether the contracts are derivative instruments. Certain contracts that meet the definition of a derivative may be exempted from derivative accounting and treated as normal purchases or normal sales if documented as such. Normal purchases and normal sales are contracts that provide for the purchase or sale of something other than a financial instrument or derivative instrument that will be delivered in quantities expected to be used or sold over a reasonable period in the normal course of business.
 
We enter into short-term cash, option and futures contracts as a means of securing corn and natural gas for the ethanol plant and managing exposure to changes in commodity and energy prices. We occasionally also enter into derivative contracts to hedge our exposure to price risk as it relates to ethanol sales. As part of our risk management process, we use futures and option contracts through regulated commodity exchanges or through the over-the-counter market to manage our risk related to pricing of inventories. All of our derivatives, other than those excluded under the normal purchases and sales exclusion, are designated as non-hedge derivatives, with changes in fair value recognized in net income. Although the contracts are economic hedges of specified risks, they are not designated or accounted for as hedging instruments.
 
Realized and unrealized gains and losses related to derivative contracts related to corn and natural gas are included as a component of cost of goods sold and derivative contracts related to ethanol are included as a component of revenues in the accompanying financial statements. The fair values of contracts are presented on the accompanying balance sheet as derivative instruments.

Investments

The Company has less than a 20% investment interest in five companies in related industries. These investments are being accounted for by the equity method of accounting under which the Company's share of net income is recognized as income in the Company's income statement and added to the investment account. Distributions or dividends received from the investments are treated as a reduction of the investment account. The investments are evaluated for indications of impairment on a regular basis. A loss would be recognized when the fair value is determined to be less than the carrying value.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements.
 
We currently have no off-balance sheet arrangements.

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

We are exposed to the impact of market fluctuations associated with commodity prices as discussed below. We have no exposure to interest rate changes as we did not have any amounts outstanding on our variable interest rate loans as of July 31, 2017. We have no exposure to foreign currency risk as all of our business is conducted in U.S. Dollars. We use derivative financial instruments as part of an overall strategy to manage market risk. We use cash, futures and option contracts to hedge changes to the commodity prices of corn, natural gas and ethanol. We do not enter into these derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes, nor do we designate these contracts as hedges for accounting purposes.
 
Commodity Price Risk

We seek to minimize the risks from fluctuations in the prices of raw material inputs, such as corn and natural gas, and finished products, such as ethanol and distiller grains, through the use of hedging instruments. In practice, as markets move, we actively manage our risk and adjust hedging strategies as appropriate. Although we believe our hedge positions accomplish an economic hedge against our future purchases and sales, management has chosen not to use hedge accounting, which would match the gain or loss on our hedge positions to the specific commodity purchase being hedged. We are using fair value accounting for our hedge positions, which means as the current market price of our hedge positions changes, the realized or unrealized gains and losses are immediately recognized in our cost of goods sold or as an offset to revenues. The immediate recognition of hedging gains and losses under fair value accounting can cause net income to be volatile from quarter to quarter due to the timing of the change in value of the derivative instruments relative to the cost and use of the commodity being hedged.

As of July 31, 2017, we had price protection in place for approximately 18% of our anticipated corn needs, 2% of our natural gas needs and 0% of our ethanol sales for the next 12 months.


22


A sensitivity analysis has been prepared to estimate our exposure to ethanol, corn and natural gas price risk. Market risk related to these factors is estimated as the potential change in income resulting from a hypothetical 10% adverse change in the average cost of our corn and natural gas prices and average ethanol price as of July 31, 2017, net of the forward and future contracts used to hedge our market risk for corn and natural gas usage requirements. The volumes are based on our expected use and sale of these commodities for a one year period from July 31, 2017. The results of this analysis, which may differ from actual results, are as follows:
 
 
Estimated Volume Requirements for the next 12 months (net of forward and futures contracts)
 
Unit of Measure
 
Hypothetical Adverse Change in Price
 
Approximate Adverse Change to Income
Natural Gas
 
3,000,000

 
MMBTU
 
10%
 
$
886,000

Ethanol
 
120,000,000

 
Gallons
 
10%
 
16,596,000

Corn
 
32,829,000

 
Bushels
 
10%
 
11,428,000


Liability Risk

We participate, along with other plants in the industry, in a group captive insurance company (Captive). The Captive insures losses related to workman's compensation, commercial property and general liability. The Captive reinsures catastrophic losses for all participants, including the Company, in excess of predetermined amounts. Our premiums are accrued by a charge to income for the period to which the premium relates and is remitted by our insurer to the captive reinsurer. These premiums are structured such that we have made a prepaid collateral deposit estimated for losses related to the above coverage. The Captive insurer has estimated and collected an amount in excess of the estimated losses but less than the catastrophic loss limit insured by the Captive. We cannot be assessed over the amount in the collateral fund.

Item 4.  Controls and Procedures
 
We maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports that we file or submit pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission's rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow for timely decisions regarding required disclosures.

Our management, including our Executive Vice President (the principal executive officer), Curtis Strong, along with our Chief Financial Officer (the principal financial officer), Christine Marchand, have reviewed and evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) and Rule 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) as of July 31, 2017.  Based on this review and evaluation, these officers have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods required by the forms and rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission; and to ensure that the information required to be disclosed by an issuer in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management including our principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

For the fiscal quarter ended July 31, 2017, there has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

None.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

The following risk factors are provided due to material changes from the risk factors previously disclosed in our annual report on Form 10-K. The risk factors set forth below should be read in conjunction with the risk factors section and the Management's Discussion and Analysis section for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2016, included in our annual report on Form 10-K.

23



Distiller grains demand and prices may be negatively impacted by the Chinese anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties. China was historically the world's largest importer of distiller grains produced in the United States. On January 12, 2016, the Chinese government announced that it would commence an anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigation related to distiller grains imported from the United States. In January 2017, the Chinese finalized the anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties. The anti-dumping duties range from 42.2% to 53.7%. The final anti-subsidy tariffs range from approximately 11% to 12%. Both during the investigation and after the announcement of the duties, distiller grains demand and prices have been negatively impacted. While we expect China to continue to import some distiller grains, we do not anticipate that the imports will be at the same level as previous years which could continue to negatively impact market distiller grains demand and prices. This potential reduction in demand along with lower domestic corn prices could negatively impact our ability to profitably operate the ethanol plant.

If Brazil implements a tariff on U.S. produced ethanol, it could negatively impact market ethanol prices. Brazil is currently the largest importer of ethanol produced in the United States. However, recently the Brazilian government has discussed implementing a tariff on ethanol produced in the United States and exported to Brazil. Due to current ethanol production levels in the United States, the market price of ethanol has been supported by exports of ethanol. Further, additional ethanol capacity is being constructed which may further increase the domestic supply of ethanol. If Brazil implements a tariff on U.S. ethanol, it could lead to an oversupply of ethanol in the United States which could negatively impact domestic ethanol prices. Ethanol prices may decrease to a level which does not allow us to operate the ethanol plant profitably.

Many ethanol producers are expanding their production capacity which could lead to an oversupply of ethanol in the United States. Recently, many ethanol producers have commenced projects to expand their ethanol production capacities. These expansions could result in a significant increase in the supply of ethanol in the United States. Currently, ethanol prices are supported by ethanol exports which may not continue at their current levels. While many in the ethanol industry are working to increase the amount of ethanol that is used domestically, specifically in the form of E15, which contains 15% ethanol as compared to the 10% ethanol which is used in most current blends, adoption of E15 has not been as rapid as most ethanol producers would like. Also, the additional ethanol capacity which is being constructed may exceed current domestic and export demand. If an oversupply of ethanol were to occur, it could negatively impact domestic ethanol prices which could negatively impact our ability to profitably operate the ethanol plant.

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
    
None.

Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities

None.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.

None.

Item 5. Other Information

None.



24


Item 6. Exhibits.

(a)
The following exhibits are filed as part of this report.
Exhibit No.
 
Exhibit

 

 

 

 
101

 
The following financial information from Golden Grain Energy, LLC's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended July 31, 2017, formatted in XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language): (i) Balance Sheets as of July 31, 2017 and October 31, 2016, (ii) Statements of Operations for the three and nine months ended July 31, 2017 and 2016, (iii) Statements of Cash Flows for the nine months ended July 31, 2017 and 2016, and (iv) the Notes to Condensed Financial Statements.**

*    Filed herewith.
**    Furnished herewith.


25



SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

 
 
 
GOLDEN GRAIN ENERGY, LLC
 
 
 
 
Date:
September 14, 2017
 
/s/ Curtis Strong
 
 
 
Curtis Strong
 
 
 
Executive Vice-President
 
 
 
(Principal Executive Officer)
 
 
 
 
Date:
September 14, 2017
 
/s/ Christine Marchand
 
 
 
Christine Marchand
 
 
 
Chief Financial Officer
 
 
 
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)


26