Note 8 – Impairment of assets and fair value measurements

Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. To measure fair value, a hierarchy has been established by generally accepted accounting principles which requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. This hierarchy uses three levels of inputs to measure the fair value of assets and liabilities as follows:

Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2 – Observable inputs other than Level 1 including quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities, quoted prices in less active markets, or other observable inputs that can be corroborated by observable market data.

Level 3 – Unobservable inputs supported by little or no market activity for financial instruments whose value is determined using pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies, or similar techniques, as well as instruments for which the determination of fair value requires significant management judgment or estimation.

Fair value is used on a nonrecurring basis to measure certain assets when applying lower of cost or fair value accounting or when adjusting carrying values.  Fair value is also used when evaluating impairment on certain assets, including deferred growing costs and property and equipment.

The Company has recognized approximately $6,700,000 and $0 in impairment charges for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively.  (See note 3)