MINNEAPOLIS, April 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Cargill today reported net earnings of $319 million in the fiscal 2014 third quarter ended Feb. 28, down 28 percent from $445 million in the year-ago period. Nine-month earnings were $1.45 billion, down 21 percent from $1.83 billion a year ago. Third-quarter revenues were $32 billion, essentially even with the year-ago period; nine-month revenues totaled $98.7 billion. "External events affected our quarterly results, even as we saw operational improvements in key businesses," said David MacLennan, Cargill's president and chief executive officer. "Our animal protein results are much improved from last year, and, with 2012's acquisition of Provimi, our global animal nutrition operations are on a record pace for the year.