NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's CreditWire) Dec. 4, 2000 --Standard&Poor's today affirmed its single-`A'-plus long-term corporate credit and senior unsecured ratings of Cargill Inc. At the same time, the 'A-1' short-term corporate credit and commercial paper ratings were also affirmed. The outlook is stable. Total rated debt is about $4.5 billion (including shelf debt). The affirmation follows Cargill's announcement that the company had entered into an agreement to acquire Agribrands International Inc. for $54.50 per share, in cash. The agreement is conditioned upon approval by two-thirds of Agribrands' stockholders, and receipt of a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service that the merger will not impact the tax-free treatment of Agribrands' 1998 spin-off from Ralston Purina Co. It is
