Corteva 10-K 2021-12-31
Filed 2022-02-10. 23 sections, 712K characters. Original on sec.gov · Markdown · JSON
Cover and table of contents
2021
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
| (Mark One) | ||||||||
| ☒ | ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 or 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021
| OR | ||||||||
| ☐ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 or 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
Commission File Number 001-38710
Corteva, Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
| Delaware | 82-4979096 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| (State or other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9330 Zionsville Road, | Indianapolis, | Indiana | 46268 | (833) | 267-8382 | ||||||||||||||||||
| (Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code) | (Registrant’s Telephone Number, including area code) |
Commission File Number 1-815
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
| Delaware | 51-0014090 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| (State or other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9330 Zionsville Road, | Indianapolis, | Indiana | 46268 | (833) | 267-8382 | ||||||||||||||||||
| (Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code) | (Registrant’s Telephone Number, including area code) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act for Corteva, Inc.:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||||||
| Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share | CTVA | New York Stock Exchange |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act for E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||||||
| $3.50 Series Preferred Stock | CTAPrA | New York Stock Exchange | ||||||
| $4.50 Series Preferred Stock | CTAPrB | New York Stock Exchange |
No securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act.
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer (as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act).
Corteva, Inc. Yes x No o
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company Yes x No o
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.
Corteva, Inc. Yes o No x
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company Yes o No x
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.
Corteva, Inc. Yes x No o
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company Yes x No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted 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 files).
Corteva, Inc. Yes ý No o
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company Yes ý No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See definition of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," "smaller reporting company," and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Corteva, Inc. | Large Accelerated Filer | x | Accelerated Filer o | Non-Accelerated Filer | o | Smaller reporting company o | Emerging growth company o | ||||||||||||||||
| E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company | 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.
Corteva, Inc. o
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management's assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C.7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.
Corteva, Inc. Yes ý No o
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company Yes ý No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).
Corteva, Inc. Yes o No ý
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company Yes o No ý
The aggregate market value of voting stock of Corteva, Inc. held by non-affiliates of the registrant (excludes outstanding shares beneficially owned by directors and officers and treasury shares) as of June 30, 2021 was $32.5 billion.
As of February 3, 2022, 727,021,000 shares of Corteva, Inc's common stock, $0.01 par value, were outstanding.
As of February 3, 2022, all of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company’s issued and outstanding common stock, comprised of 200 shares, $0.30 par value per share, is held by Corteva, Inc.
E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company meets the conditions set forth in General Instruction I(1)(a), (b) and (d) of Form 10-K (as modified by a grant of no-action relief dated February 12, 2018) and is therefore filing this form with reduced disclosure format.
Documents Incorporated by Reference
Information pertaining to certain Items in Part III of this report is incorporated herein by reference to portions of Corteva, Inc.'s definitive 2022 Annual Meeting Proxy Statement to be filed within 120 days after the end of the year covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K, pursuant to Regulation 14A (the Proxy).
CORTEVA, INC.
Form 10-K
Table of Contents
Explanatory Note
This Annual Report on Form 10-K is a combined report being filed separately by Corteva, Inc. and EID. Corteva, Inc. owns all of the common equity interests in EID, and EID meets the conditions set forth in General Instruction I(1)(a), (b) and (d) of Form 10-K and is therefore filing its information within this Form 10-K with the reduced disclosure format. Each of Corteva, Inc. and EID is filing on its own behalf the information contained in this report that relates to itself, and neither company makes any representation as to information relating to the other company. Where information or an explanation is provided that is substantially the same for each company, such information or explanation has been combined in this report. Where information or an explanation is not substantially the same for each company, separate information and explanation has been provided. In addition, separate consolidated financial statements for each company, along with notes to the consolidated financial statements, are included in this report.
The primary differences between Corteva and EID's financial statements relate to EID's Preferred Stock - $4.50 Series and EID's Preferred Stock - $3.50 Series, a related party loan between EID and Corteva, Inc. and the associated tax deductible interest expense for EID, and the capital structure of Corteva. Inc. (See EID's Note 1 - Basis of Presentation to EID's Consolidated Financial Statements, for additional information for above items). The separate EID financial statements and footnotes for areas that differ from Corteva, are included within this Annual Report on Form 10-K and begin on page F-83. Footnotes of EID that are identical to that of Corteva are cross-referenced accordingly.
Part I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, references in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to:
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"Corteva" or "the company" refers to Corteva, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries (including EID);
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"EID" refers to E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company and its consolidated subsidiaries or E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company excluding its consolidated subsidiaries, as the context may indicate;
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"DowDuPont" refers to DowDuPont Inc. and its subsidiaries prior to the Separation (as defined below) of Corteva;
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"Historical Dow" refers to The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries prior to the Internal Reorganization as defined on page 4;
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"Historical DuPont" and "Historical EID" refers to EID prior to the Internal Reorganization (as defined on page 4);
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"Dow" refers to Dow Inc. after The Dow Distribution (as defined below);
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"DuPont" refers to DuPont de Nemours, Inc. after the Separation of Corteva;
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"DAS" refers to the agriculture business of Historical Dow, Dow AgroSciences; and
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"Merger" refers to the all-stock merger of equals strategic combination between Historical Dow and Historical DuPont.
Background
Corteva is a leading global provider of seed and crop protection solutions focused on the agriculture industry and contributing to a healthier, more secure and sustainable food supply. Corteva was incorporated in Delaware in March 2018 and maintains its business headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company is focused on advancing its science-based innovation, which aims to deliver a wide range of improved products and services to its customers. Corteva has one of the broadest and most productive new product pipelines in the agriculture industry. The company intends to leverage its rich heritage of scientific achievement to advance its robust innovation pipeline and continue to shape the future of responsible agriculture. New products are crucial to solving farmers’ productivity challenges amid a growing global population while addressing natural resistance, regulatory changes, safety requirements and competitive dynamics. The company’s investment in technology-based and solution-based product offerings allows it to meet farmers’ evolving needs while ensuring that its investments generate sufficient returns. Meanwhile, through Corteva’s unique routes to market, the company continues to work face-to-face with farmers around the world to understand their needs.
The company's broad portfolio of agriculture solutions fuels farmer productivity in approximately 140 countries. See Note 24 - Geographic Information, to the Consolidated Financial Statements for details on the location of the company's sales and property.
On June 1, 2019, Corteva, Inc. became an independent, publicly traded company through the completed separation (the “Separation”) of the agriculture business of DuPont de Nemours, Inc. (formerly known as DowDuPont Inc.) (“DuPont” or "DowDuPont"). The separation was effectuated through a pro rata distribution (the “Corteva Distribution”) of all of the then- issued and outstanding shares of common stock of Corteva, Inc.
As a result of the Internal Reorganization (defined below), on May 31, 2019, EID was contributed to Corteva, Inc. and, as a result, Corteva, Inc. owns 100% of the outstanding common stock of EID. Prior to March 31, 2019, Corteva, Inc. had engaged in no business operations and had no assets or liabilities of any kind, other than those incident to its formation.
EID continues to be a reporting company and is deemed to be the predecessor to Corteva, Inc., with the historical results of EID to be deemed the historical results of Corteva for periods prior to and including May 31, 2019. Shares of EID preferred stock, $3.50 Series and $4.50 Series, issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Separation remain issued and outstanding and were unaffected by the Separation.
Internal Reorganizations and Business Separations
Subsequent to the Merger, Historical Dow and EID engaged in a series of internal reorganization and realignment steps to realign their businesses into three subgroups: agriculture, materials science and specialty products (collectively, the "Business Separations”). On April 1, 2019, DowDuPont completed the separation of its materials science business into a separate and independent public company by way of a distribution of Dow through a pro rata dividend in-kind of all of the then-issued and outstanding shares of Dow’s common stock, to holders of DowDuPont's common stock, as of the close of business on March 21, 2019 (the “Dow Distribution” and together with the Corteva Distribution, the “Distributions”).
Part I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS, continued
Prior to the Dow Distribution, Historical Dow conveyed or transferred the assets and liabilities aligned with Historical Dow’s agriculture business to separate legal entities (“Dow Ag Entities”) and the assets and liabilities associated with its specialty products business to separate legal entities (the “Dow SP Entities”). On April 1, 2019, Dow Ag Entities and the Dow SP Entities were transferred and conveyed to DowDuPont.
In furtherance of the Business Separations, EID engaged in a series of internal reorganization and realignment steps (the “Internal Reorganization” and the "Business Realignment," respectively) to realign its businesses into three subgroups: agriculture, materials science and specialty products. As part of the Internal Reorganization:
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the assets and liabilities aligned with EID’s materials science business ("EID ECP"), were transferred or conveyed to separate legal entities that were ultimately conveyed by DowDuPont to Dow on April 1, 2019;
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the assets and liabilities aligned with EID’s specialty products business were transferred or conveyed to separate legal entities that were ultimately distributed to DowDuPont ("EID Specialty Products Entities") on May 1, 2019;
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on May 2, 2019, DowDuPont conveyed Dow Ag Entities to EID and in connection with the foregoing, EID issued additional shares of its common stock to DowDuPont; and
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on May 31, 2019, DowDuPont contributed EID to Corteva, Inc.
On May 6, 2019, the Board of Directors of DowDuPont approved the distribution of all the then issued and outstanding shares of common stock of Corteva, Inc., then a wholly-owned subsidiary of DowDuPont, to DowDuPont stockholders. On June 1, 2019, DowDuPont completed the Separation. Corteva, Inc.'s common stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "CTVA" on June 3, 2019.
As a result of the Business Realignment and the Internal Reorganization discussed above, Corteva owns 100% of the outstanding common stock of EID. EID is a subsidiary of Corteva, Inc. and continues to be a reporting company, subject to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
Separation Agreements
In connection with the Distributions, DuPont, Corteva, and Dow (together, the “Parties” and each a “Party”) have entered into certain agreements to effect the separation, provide for the allocation of DowDuPont’s assets, employees, liabilities and obligations (including its investments, property and employee benefits and tax-related assets and liabilities) among the Parties, and provide a framework for Corteva's relationship with Dow and DuPont following the separations and Distributions. Effective April 1, 2019, the Parties entered into the following agreements:
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Separation and Distribution Agreement - Effective April 1, 2019, the Parties entered into an agreement that sets forth, among other things, the agreements among the Parties regarding the principal transactions necessary to effect the Distributions. It also sets forth other agreements that govern certain aspects of the Parties’ ongoing relationships after the completion of the Distributions (the "Corteva Separation Agreement").
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Tax Matters Agreement - The Parties entered into an agreement effective as of April 1, 2019, as amended on June 1, 2019, that governs their respective rights, responsibilities and obligations with respect to tax liabilities and benefits, tax attributes, the preparation and filing of tax returns, the control of audits and other tax proceedings and other matters regarding taxes.
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Employee Matters Agreement - The Parties entered into an agreement that identifies employees and employee-related liabilities (and attributable assets) to be allocated (either retained, transferred and accepted, or assigned and assumed, as applicable) to the Parties as part of the Distributions and describes when and how the relevant transfers and assignments would occur.
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Intellectual Property Cross-License Agreement - Effective as of April 1, 2019 Corteva and Dow, and effective June 1, 2019, Corteva and DuPont, entered into Intellectual Property Cross-License Agreements. The Intellectual Property Cross-License Agreements set forth the terms and conditions under which the applicable Parties may use in their respective businesses, following each of the Distributions, certain know-how (including trade secrets), copyrights, and software, and certain patents and standards, allocated to another Party pursuant to the Corteva Separation Agreement.
Part I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS, continued
- Letter Agreement - Effective as of June 1, 2019 DuPont and Corteva entered into a Letter Agreement. The Letter Agreement sets forth certain additional terms and conditions related to the Separation, including certain limitations on each party’s ability to transfer certain businesses and assets to third parties without assigning certain of such party’s indemnification obligations under the Corteva Separation Agreement to the other party to the transferee of such businesses and assets or meeting certain other alternative conditions.
Business Segments
The company’s operations are managed through two reportable segments: seed and crop protection. The seed segment develops and supplies commercial seed combining superior germplasm with advanced traits to produce high yield potential for farmers around the world. The crop protection segment supplies products to protect crop yields against weeds, insects and disease, enabling farmers to achieve optimal results. The combination of these leading platforms creates one of the broadest portfolios of agriculture solutions in the industry. Additional information with respect to business segment results is included in Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, on page 47 of this report and Note 25 - Segment Information, to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Seed
The seed segment is a global leader in developing and supplying commercial seed combining advanced germplasm and traits that produce optimum yield for farms around the world. The company’s seed segment is a leader in many key seed markets, including North America corn and soybeans, Europe corn and sunflower, as well as Brazil, India, South Africa and Argentina corn. The company offers trait technologies that improve resistance to weather, disease, insects and herbicides used to control weeds, and trait technologies that enhance food and nutritional characteristics. In addition, the company provides digital solutions that assist farmer decision-making with a view to optimize product selection and, ultimately, help maximize yield and profitability.
Details on the seed segment’s net sales by major product line and geographic region (based on customer location) are as follows:

Part I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS, continued
Products and Brands
The seed segment’s major brands and technologies, by key product line, are listed below:
| Seed Solutions Brands | Pioneer®; Brevant® seeds; Dairyland Seed®; Hoegemeyer®; Nutech®; Seed Consultants®; AgVenture®; Alforex®; PhytoGen®; Pannar®; VP Maxx®; HPT®; G2®; Supreme EX®; XL®; Power Plus® | ||||
| Seed Solutions Traits and Technologies | ENLIST E3® soybeans; ENLIST® cotton; EXZACT™ Precision Technology; HERCULEX® Insect Protection; Pioneer® brand hybrids with Leptra® insect protection technology offering protection against above ground pests; POWERCORE® trait technology family of products; Pioneer® brand Optimum® AcreMax® family of products offering above and below ground insect protection; REFUGE ADVANCED® trait technology; SMARTSTAX® trait technology; NEXERA® canola trait; Omega-9 Oils; Pioneer® brand Optimum® AQUAmax® hybrids; Pioneer® brand A-Series soybeans; Pioneer® brand Plenish® high oleic soybeans; ExpressSun® herbicide tolerant trait; Pioneer Protector® products for canola, sunflower and sorghum; Pioneer MAXIMUS® rapeseed hybrids; Qrome® products for corn; Pioneer® brand canola hybrids with Clearfield® trait; PROPOUND™ advanced canola meal; Conkesta E3® soybeans; WideStrike® insect protection trait; WideStrike® 3 insect protection trait. | ||||
| Other | LumiGEN® seed treatments, LUMIDERM®, LUMIVIA® and LUMIALZA™; GRANULAR®; Granular® Insights™ (e.g. LANDVisor™) |
U.S. federal regulatory authorizations have been obtained for the commercialization of ENLIST™ corn, ENLIST E3® soybeans and ENLIST® cotton, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's registration of ENLIST DUO® and ENLIST ONE® for use with ENLIST™ corn, soybeans and cotton in 34 states. The company has also secured cultivation authorizations of ENLIST E3® soybeans and ENLIST™ corn in Argentina, Brazil, and North America
In 2020, Corteva signed an agreement with J.G. Boswell Company to purchase the remaining 46.5 percent interest in PhytoGen® Seed Company, LLC – a joint venture between the two companies. With a 100% ownership position in PhytoGen® Seed Company, LLC, Corteva became the sole owner of the intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, proprietary germplasm and information, as well as know-how.
In 2020, Corteva announced the launch of Brevant™ seeds in the U.S. for sale exclusively through retail locations in the Midwest and Eastern Corn Belt starting with 2021 planting. As a global brand, Brevant™ seeds, which was originally launched in Latin America, Canada, and select European countries in 2018, provides farmers a greater choice with a high-performance retail solution. Brevant™ provides multiple seed offerings including corn, soybeans, sunflowers and canola.
In connection with the validation of breeding plans and large-scale product development timelines focused on rapidly ramping up differentiated technology solutions, during the fourth quarter of 2019, the company began accelerating the ramp up of the Enlist E3TM trait platform in the company’s soybean portfolio mix across all brands, including Pioneer® brands, over the subsequent five years. During the ramp-up period, the company is expected to significantly reduce the volume of products with the Roundup Ready 2 Yield® and Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® herbicide tolerance traits beginning in 2021, with expected minimal use of the Roundup Ready 2 Yield® and Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® traits thereafter for the remaining term of the non-exclusive license with the Monsanto Company. Refer to Prepaid Royalties within the Critical Accounting Estimates section on page 63 for additional information.
In 2019, Corteva received import authorization from China for the Conkesta® soybean insect control trait, which was a necessary step for commercialization of Conkesta E3® soybeans in Latin America. Conkesta E3® soybeans received regulatory approvals and was commercialized in the second half of 2021.
In 2019, the company launched Qrome® corn products in U.S. Pioneer® brands. Qrome® products offer growers high yield potential insect control options to help drive productivity for their operations by combining top-tier genetics and strong defensive traits. In 2020, Qrome® products were expanded to the U.S. multi-channel and Canada Pioneer® brands.
Part I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS, continued
The company acquired exclusive rights to the Clearfield® canola production system in North America from BASF in 2019. The Clearfield® canola trait provides non-genetically modified tolerance to imidazolinone herbicides. Clearfield® canola in the Pioneer® and Nexera® brands were already highly established in the market and integrated into the company’s breeding, production and commercial processes.
In addition, the company creates digital tools that provide both farmers and internal sales resources with platforms to support agronomic and operational decision-making, particularly in the areas of product selection, targeted crop protection application, and financial analysis, designed to help maximize yield and profitability.
Distribution
The seed segment has a diverse worldwide network which markets and distributes the company’s brands to customers, primarily through the company’s multi-channel, multi-brand strategy, which includes four differentiated channels: Pioneer agency model, regional brands, retail brands, as well as third parties through licensing and distribution channels.
The Pioneer agency model is unique to Corteva and represents sales made directly to farmers via independent sales representatives. Through this agency model, the company interacts directly with farmers at multiple points in the growing season, from prior to planting all the way through harvest. These regular interactions enable the company to provide the advice and service farmers need while giving the company real-time insights into the customers’ future ordering decisions. The company’s regional brands connect to customers through regional brand employees and farmer-dealer networks. Retail brands provide a one-stop shop for seed and chemistry solutions and may include sales to distributors, agricultural cooperatives, and dealers. Finally, Corteva out-licenses traits and germplasm to third parties.
Key Raw Materials
The key raw materials for seed include corn and soybean seeds. To produce high-quality seeds, the company contracts with third-party growers globally. Corteva focuses on production close to the customer to provide the seed product, which is suitable for that region and its weed, insect and disease challenges, weather, soil and other conditions. The company conditions and packages the seeds using its own plants and third-party contract manufacturers. By striking a balance between owning production facility assets directly and contracting with third-party growers, the company believes it is best able to maintain flexibility to react to demand changes unique to each geography while minimizing costs. The company seeks to collaborate with strategic seed growers and share its digital agronomy and product management knowledge with them. The company’s third-party growers are an important part of its supply chain. Corteva provides them with rigorous training, planning tools and access to a system that tests and advances products matched to specific geographic needs.
The seed segment's R&D and supply chain groups work seamlessly to select and maintain product characteristics that enhance the quality of its seed products and solutions. Corteva focuses on customer-driven innovation to deliver superior germplasm and trait technologies. With its large sets of digitized data and its seed field management solution, the company can manage its field operations efficiently and draw insights from data quickly and effectively. This allows the company’s supply chain to react quickly to changing customer needs and provides R&D with tremendous amounts of data to analyze and incorporate into resource allocation decisions. The company continues to invest in and build capabilities that drive value via data digitization and analytics that enable it to create an even more responsive and efficient answer to customer needs.
Crop Protection
The crop protection segment serves the global agricultural input industry with products that protect against weeds, insects and other pests, and disease, and that improve overall crop health both above and below ground via nitrogen management and seed-applied technologies. The company offers crop protection solutions that provide farmers the tools they need to improve productivity and profitability, and help keep fields free of weeds, insects and diseases. The company is a leader in global herbicides, insecticides, nitrogen stabilizers and pasture and range management herbicides.
Part I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS, continued
Details on the crop protection segment’s net sales by major product line and geographic region (based on customer location) are as follows:

Products and Brands
The crop protection segment’s major brands and technologies, by key product line, are listed below:
| Insect and Nematode Management | CLOSER™; DELEGATE™; INTREPID®; ISOCLAST™; LANNATE®; EXALT™; PEXALON™; TRANSFORM™; VYDATE®; OPTIMUM®; RADIANT™; SENTRICON™; ENTRUST® SC; GF-120™; and TRACER™ | ||||
| Disease Management | APROACH PRIMA®; VESSARYA®; APROACH™, APROACH POWER®; TALENDO™; TALIUS®; EQUATION PRO®; EQUATION CONTACT®; ZORVEC™; INATREQ™; CURZATE™; TANOS®, FONTELIS™; ACANTO™; and GALILEO® | ||||
| Weed Control | ARIGO®; ARYLEX®; ENLIST™ weed control system; ENLIST ONE™; BROADWAY™; RINSKOR™; ZYPAR™; MUSTANG™; GALLANT™; VERDICT®; LANCET®; KERB™; PIXXARO®; QUELEX™; GALLERY®; CENT-7®; SNAPSHOT®; TRELLIS®; CITADEL™; CLIPPER™; GRANITE®; RAINBOW™; PINDAR® GT; VIPER®; WIDEATTACK®; BELKAR®; WIDEMATCH®; PERFECTMATCH®; CLINCHER™; DURANGO™; FENCER®; GARLON™; SONIC®; TEXARO®; KEYSTONE®; PACTO®; LIGATE®; DIMENSION®; TOPSHOT™; RICER™; LOYANT™; CLASSIC®; REALM® Q; TRIVENCE®; LONTREL®; GRAZON®; PANZER®; PRIMUS®; RESICORE™; SPIDER®; STARANE®; SURESTART®; and TORDON® | ||||
| Nitrogen Management | INSTINCT™; N-LOCK™; N-SERVE® Nitrogen Stabilizer |
Key Raw Materials
The key raw materials and supplies for crop protection include chlorinated pyridines derivatives, specialty intermediates and technical grade active ingredients, chlorine, and seed treatments. Typically, the company purchases major raw materials through long-term contracts with multiple suppliers, which sometimes require minimum purchase commitments. Certain important raw materials are supplied by a few major suppliers. The company expects the markets for its raw materials to remain balanced, though pricing may be volatile given the current state of the global economy. The company relies on contract manufacturers, both domestically and internationally, to produce certain inputs or key components for its product formulations. These inputs are typically sourced close to where the company ultimately formulates and sells its products. Shifts in customer demand, reduced local availability of raw materials, and/or production capacity constraints may, at times, necessitate sourcing from an alternative geography. The company strives to maintain multiple high-quality supply sources for each input.
Corteva’s supply chain strategy will involve managing global supplies of active and intermediate ingredients sourced regionally with global best practices and oversight. Corteva’s supply strategy includes a robust and flexible global footprint to meet future
Part I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS, continued
portfolio growth. The company’s supply chain also provides competitive advantages including reducing time to meet customer requirements in regions while minimizing costs through the value chain.
Seasonality
Corteva’s sales are generally strongest in the first half of the calendar year, which aligns with the planting and growing season in the northern hemisphere. The company typically generates about 65 percent of its sales in the first half of the calendar year, driven by northern hemisphere seed and crop protection sales. The company generates about 35 percent of its sales in the second half of the calendar year, led by seed sales in the southern hemisphere. The seasonality in sales impacts both the seed and crop protection segments. The company’s direct distribution channel, where products are shipped to farmers, is more affected by planting delays than its competitors. Generally speaking, unfavorable weather slows the planting season and can affect the company’s quarterly results and sales mix. Severe unfavorable weather, however, can impact overall sales. Accounts receivable tends to be higher during the first half of the year, consistent with the peak sales period in the northern hemisphere, with cash collection focused in the fourth quarter.
Human Capital Management
Corteva aims to attract the best employees, to retain those employees through offering career development and training opportunities while also prioritizing their safety and wellness in an inclusive and productive work environment. The company’s strong employee base of approximately 21,000 employees, along with its commitment to Corteva’s core values, is a key element to the success of its business.
Workforce Composition. As of December 31, 2021, the company globally employs approximately 21,000 employees. In order to address regional specific customer needs within its global business, the company has a geographically diverse employee base with 48%, 18%, 17%, 13% and 4% located in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Africa regions, respectively.
Approximately 1% of the workforce is unionized in the United States and another 11% participate in work councils and collective bargaining arrangements outside the United States. In 2021, the company did not experience any work stoppages due to strike or lockouts.
Safety. Living safely is one of the company’s core values by which the company manages its business. The company has implemented safety programs and management practices to promote a culture of safety to protect its employees, as well as the environment. This includes required trainings for employees, as well as specific qualifications and certifications for certain operational employees.
Diversity. The company has a robust inclusion, diversity, and equity (“ID&E”) vision and strategy, based upon the belief that embracing diversity and inclusion benefits the company by creating a workforce with a greater variety of skills and perspectives as a result of their differentiated backgrounds and experiences. Specific ID&E initiatives are identified and tracked to create a culture of belonging where a diverse population of employees are attracted, retained, and engaged. Management is expected to support specific diversity initiatives for their respective geographies and business, as applicable, in order to build a more representative workforce. Critical to creating this environment are company-sponsored employee business resource groups (“BRGs”) that support and promote certain mutual objectives of both the employee and the company, including community engagement and the professional development of employees. The BRGs provide a space where employees can foster connections within a supportive environment. As of the 2021 year end, the company had eight global BRGs, each led by a member of the company’s senior leadership: Disability Awareness Network; Global African Heritage Alliance; Growing Asian Impact Network; Latin Network; Pride (LGBTQ+); Professional Learning Acceleration Network; Veteran’s Network; and Women’s Inclusion Network.
The company is focused on recruitment of diverse candidates and on internal talent development of its diverse leaders so that they can advance their careers and move into leadership positions within the company. The company monitors its diversity and inclusion efforts through periodic engagement surveys and other measures. The results of the company’s efforts, along with its ID&E strategy, are reviewed periodically with the company’s management, and through regular reviews of the company’s leadership pipelines with the People and Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors.
Experienced Management. The company believes its management team has the experience necessary to effectively execute its strategy and advance its product pipelines and technology. The company's chief executive officer and executive vice presidents have an average of approximately 26 years of agriculture experience and are supported by an experienced and talented management team who is dedicated to maintaining and expanding its position as a global force in the agriculture industry.
Part I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS, continued
Intellectual Property
Corteva considers its intellectual property estate, which includes patents, trade secrets, trademarks and copyrights, in the aggregate, to constitute a valuable asset of Corteva and actively seeks to secure intellectual property rights as part of an overall strategy to protect its investment in innovations and maximize the results of its research and development program. While the company believes that its intellectual property estate, taken as a whole, provides a competitive advantage in many of its businesses, no single patent, trademark, license or group of related patents or licenses is in itself essential to the company as a whole or to any of the company’s segments.
Trade secrets are an important element of the company's intellectual property. Many of the processes used to make Corteva products are kept as trade secrets which, from time to time, may be licensed to third parties. Corteva vigilantly protects all of its intellectual property including its trade secrets. When the company discovers that its trade secrets have been unlawfully taken, it reports the matter to governmental authorities for investigation and potential criminal action, as appropriate. In addition, the company takes measures to mitigate any potential impact, which may include civil actions seeking redress, restitution and/or damages based on loss to the company and/or unjust enrichment.
Patents & Trademarks: Corteva continually applies for and obtains U.S. and foreign patents and has access to a large patent portfolio, both owned and licensed. Corteva’s rights under these patents and licenses, as well as the products made and sold under them, are important to the company in the aggregate. The protection afforded by these patents varies based on country, scope of individual patent coverage, as well as the availability of legal remedies in each country. This significant patent estate may be leveraged to align with the company’s strategic priorities within and across product lines. At December 31, 2021, the company owned about 5,600 U.S. patents and about 11,100 active patents outside of the U.S.
Remaining life of granted patents owned as of December 31, 2021:
| Approximate U.S. | Approximate Other Countries | |||||||
| Within 5 years | 700 | 1,300 | ||||||
| 6 to 10 years | 1,700 | 4,300 | ||||||
| 11 to 16 years | 2,100 | 5,100 | ||||||
| 16 to 20 years | 1,100 | 400 | ||||||
| Total | 5,600 | 11,100 |
In addition to its owned patents, the company owns over 5,500 patent applications.
The company also owns or has licensed a substantial number of trade names, trademarks and trademark registrations in the United States and other countries, including approximately 14,500 registrations and pending trademark applications in a number of jurisdictions.
In addition, the company holds multiple long-term biotechnology trait licenses from third parties in the normal course of business. Most corn hybrids and soybean varieties sold to customers contain biotechnology traits licensed from third parties under these long-term licenses.
Competition
The company competes with producers of seed germplasm, trait developers, and crop protection products on a global basis. The global market for products within the industry is highly competitive and the company believes competition has and will continue to intensify. Corteva competes based on germplasm and trait leadership, price, quality and cost competitiveness and the offering of a holistic solution. The company’s key competitors include BASF, Bayer, FMC and ChemChina, as well as companies trading in generic crop protection chemicals and regional seed companies.
Environmental Matters
Information related to environmental matters is included in several areas of this report: (1) Environmental Proceedings beginning on page 28, (2) Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations beginning on pages 61, 66-68 and (3) Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, and Note 18 - Commitments and Contingent Liabilities, to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Part I
Item 1. BUSINESS, continued
Regulatory Considerations
Our seed and crop protection products and operations are subject to certain approval procedures, manufacturing requirements and environmental protection laws and regulations in the jurisdictions in which we operate. We evaluate and test products throughout the research and development phases, and each new technology undergoes further rigorous scientific studies and tests to validate that the product can be used effectively and that use of the technology is safe for humans and animals and does not cause undue harm to the environment when used in accordance with the directions for use.
The regulatory approval processes and procedures globally are becoming increasingly more complex, which has resulted in additional testing needs, difficult to predict and longer approval timelines, and higher development and maintenance costs. We continue to invest on an ongoing basis to keep dossiers current, respond to regulators and meet evolving regulatory standards required by global regulatory frameworks. Failure to comply with these regulations or future regulatory bans and requirements related to our products and their use may materially impact our financial performance. The increase in timelines for regulatory approvals may result in the company not achieving its sustainability targets, or its anticipated returns on research and development investments.
Regulation of Genetically Modified Organisms (“GMOs”)
Genetically modified seed products are subject to regulatory approval processes and procedures. For example, in the United States, the Coordinated Framework for Regulation of Biotechnology governs genetically modified organisms, using existing U.S. legislation and legal authorities on food, feed and environmental safety. Plant GMOs are regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (the “USDA”) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (the “APHIS”) under the Plant Protection Act. The APHIS assesses the trait to ensure that the trait will not pose a plant pest and is not a noxious weed. GMOs in food are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the “FFDCA”). The FDA ensures that the food is safe for food and feed. Pesticides and microorganisms containing GMOs are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (the “EPA”) pursuant to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (the “FIFRA”) and the Toxic Substances Control Act. The EPA assesses the trait or the stack containing the traits to ensure that there is no unreasonable adverse effect to the environment.
Other countries also have rigorous approval processes, procedures, and scientific testing requirements for the cultivation or import of genetically modified seed products. In the United States and other countries that have functioning regulatory systems, a rigorous scientific review is conducted by these agencies to demonstrate that genetically modified products are as safe as traditionally bred, non-biotech/GMO counterparts for food, feed and the environment. Various countries in EMEA, Latin America, and Asia have banned GMOs entirely.
Regulation of Crop Protection Products
Globally, manufacturers of crop protection products, including herbicides, fungicides and insecticides are required to submit an application/dossier and obtain government regulatory approval prior to selling products in a particular country. In the United States, the EPA is responsible for registering and overseeing the approval and marketing of pesticides, pursuant to the FIFRA, the FFDCA and the Food Quality Protection Act. Also, the USDA and the FDA monitor levels of pesticide residue that is allowed on or in crops. Already registered pesticides are required to be re-registered every 15 years to ensure that those products continue to meet the rigorous safety standards set by the regulators. The EPA reevaluates pesticide tolerances at least every 10 years, taking into account ecological and human health risks, in addition to cumulative risks as a result of multiple routes of and sources of exposure.
As of January 2022, before registering any new conventional pesticide active ingredient, the EPA will evaluate the potential effects on listed species and their designated critical habitats under the Endangered Species Act (the “ESA”). EPA also has initiated such evaluations for certain other active ingredients in response to existing or threatened litigation. Where the EPA determines that a pesticide in the registration and re-evaluation processes “may affect” a listed species, the EPA must consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service. As part of its approval, registration, and reevaluation processes, the EPA may impose certain use restrictions on crop protection products under the ESA. Under the citizen suit provisions, the ESA also includes citizen suit provisions that allow the public to bring suit in court against federal agencies when they believe a listed species is not being adequately protected by the EPA.
The company's European operations are subject to the European chemical regulation REACH (“Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals”) and the CLP (“Classification, Labeling, and Packaging of Substances and Mixtures”). Other jurisdictions also have rigorous approval processes, procedures and scientific testing requirements for the approval of crop protection products. We continue to monitor legislative and regulatory developments related to pollution and other environmental health and safety matters.
European Farm to Fork Strategy
In October 2021, a majority of the European Parliament adopted the Farm to Fork Strategy setting forth the European Union’s plans to increase organic farming. As part of this strategy, the E.U. Commission has set aggressive 2030 targets to reduce by 50% the use and risk of chemical pesticides and the use of more hazardous pesticides by 50%. Additionally, as part of this strategy, the E.U. Commission is targeting having 25% of the European Union’s agricultural land under organic farming by
Part I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS, continued
- The E.U. Commission is also expected to propose mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labelling and develop a food labelling framework covering the nutritional, climate, environmental and social aspects of food products. While the company has a growing product portfolio supportive to organic agriculture, the implementation of this strategy may decrease the size of the market for its products within the European Union.
Available Information
The company's annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports are accessible on Corteva's website at http://investors.corteva.com by clicking on the section labeled "Financial Information", then on "SEC Filings." These reports are made available, without charge, as soon as is reasonably practicable after the company files or furnishes them electronically with the Securities and Exchange Commission. No portion of the company's website mentioned in this report, or the materials contained on it, have been made part of this annual report on Form 10-K or incorporated herein by reference, unless such incorporation is specifically mentioned herein.
Part I
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Risks Related to our Industry
The successful development and commercialization of Corteva's pipeline products will be necessary for Corteva's growth.
Corteva uses advanced breeding technologies to produce hybrids and varieties with superior performance in farmers’ fields and uses biotechnology to introduce traits that enhance specific characteristics of its crops. Corteva also uses advanced analytics, software tools, mobile communications and new planting and monitoring equipment to provide agronomic recommendations to growers. Additionally, Corteva conducts research
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Item 1A. RISK FACTORS, continued
adversely affect its financial condition and results of operations. Among other things, the court could return some of Corteva’s assets or shares of Corteva common stock to DuPont, provide DuPont with a claim for money damages against Corteva in an amount equal to the difference between the consideration received by DuPont and the fair market value of Corteva at the time of the Corteva Distribution, or require Corteva to fund liabilities of other companies involved in the Internal Reorganization and Business Realignment for the benefit of creditors.
The Distribution is also subject to review under state corporate Distribution statutes. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”), a corporation may only pay dividends to its stockholders either (i) out of its surplus (net assets minus capital) or (ii) if there is no such surplus, out of its net profits for the fiscal year in which the dividend is declared and/or the preceding fiscal year. Although the Distribution was made out of DowDuPont’s surplus and the company received an opinion that DowDuPont has adequate surplus under Delaware law to declare the dividend of Corteva common stock in connection with the Corteva Distribution, there can be no assurance that a court will not later determine that some or all of the Corteva Distribution was unlawful.
If the Corteva Distribution, together with certain related transactions, were to fail to qualify for non-recognition treatment for U.S. federal income tax purposes, then the company could be subject to significant tax and indemnification liability and stockholders receiving Corteva common stock in the Corteva Distribution could be subject to significant tax liability.
DowDuPont received an IRS Tax Ruling and tax opinion that, among other things, the Corteva Distribution and certain related transactions will qualify as a tax-free transaction under Section 355 and Section 368(a)(1)(D) of the Internal Revenue Code (the "Code). The IRS Ruling and tax opinion relied on certain facts, assumptions, and undertakings, and certain representations from DowDuPont and Corteva, regarding the past and future conduct of both respective businesses and other matters. Despite the tax opinion and the IRS Ruling, the IRS could determine on audit that the Distribution or certain related transactions should be treated as a taxable transaction if it determines that any of these facts, assumptions, representations or undertakings are not correct or have been violated, or that the Distribution should be taxable for other reasons, including if the IRS were to disagree with the conclusions of the tax opinion.
If the Corteva Distribution ultimately is determined to be taxable, then a stockholder of DuPont that received shares of Corteva common stock would be treated as having received a distribution of property in an amount equal to the fair market value of such shares (including any fractional shares sold on behalf of such stockholder) on the distribution date and could incur significant income tax liabilities. Such distribution would be taxable to such stockholder as a dividend to the extent of DuPont’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, which would include any earnings and profits attributable to the gain recognized by DuPont on the taxable distribution and could include earnings and profits attributable to certain internal transactions preceding the Corteva Distribution. Any amount that exceeded DuPont’s earnings and profits would be treated first as a non- taxable return of capital to the extent of such stockholder’s tax basis in its shares of DuPont stock with any remaining amount being taxed as a gain on the DuPont stock. In the event the Distribution is ultimately determined to be taxable, DuPont would recognize corporate level taxable gain on the Distribution in an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market value of Corteva common stock distributed to DuPont stockholders on the distribution date over DuPont’s tax basis in such stock. In addition, if certain related transactions fail to qualify for tax-free treatment under U.S. federal, state, local tax and/or foreign tax law, Corteva and DuPont could incur significant tax liabilities under U.S. federal, state, local and/or foreign tax law.
Generally, taxes resulting from the failure of the Separation and Distributions to qualify for non-recognition treatment for U.S. federal income tax purposes would be imposed on DuPont or DuPont stockholders. Under the Tax Matters Agreement that the company entered into with DuPont and Dow, subject to the exceptions described below, the company is generally obligated to indemnify DuPont against such taxes imposed on DuPont. However, if the Distributions fail to qualify for non-recognition treatment for U.S. federal income tax purposes for certain reasons relating to the overall structure of the Merger and the Distributions, then under the Tax Matters Agreement, DuPont and Dow would share the tax liability resulting from such failure in accordance with their relative equity values on the first full trading day following the Dow Distribution. The company and DuPont would share any liabilities of DuPont described in the preceding sentence in accordance with its relative equity values on the first full trading day following the Corteva Distribution. Furthermore, under the terms of the Tax Matters Agreement, the company also generally will be responsible for any taxes imposed on DuPont or Dow that arise from the failure of the Corteva Distribution to qualify as tax-free for U.S. federal income tax purposes within the meaning of Section 355 of the Code or the failure of certain related transactions to qualify for tax-free treatment, to the extent such failure to qualify is attributable to actions, events or transactions relating to its, or its affiliates’, stock, assets or business, or any breach of its representations made in any representation letter provided to its counsel in connection with the tax opinion. DuPont and Dow will be separately
Part I
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS, continued
responsible for any taxes imposed on Corteva that arise from the failure of the Corteva Distribution to qualify as tax-free for U.S. federal income tax purposes within the meaning of Section 355 of the Code or the failure of certain related transactions to qualify for tax-free treatment, to the extent such failure to qualify is attributable to actions, events or transactions relating to such company’s or its affiliates’ stock, assets or business, or any breach of such company’s representations made in connection with the IRS Ruling or in the representation letter provided to counsel in connection with the tax opinion. Events triggering an indemnification obligation under the tax matters agreement include events occurring after the Corteva Distribution that cause DuPont to recognize a gain under Section 355(e) of the Code, as discussed further below. Such tax amounts could be significant. To the extent that the company is responsible for any liability under the tax matters agreement, there could be a material adverse impact on Corteva’s business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows in future reporting periods.
The IRS may assert that the Merger causes the Distributions and other related transactions to be taxable to DuPont, in which case the company could be subject to significant indemnification liability.
Even if the Distributions otherwise constitutes a tax-free transaction to stockholders under Section 355 of the Code, DuPont may be required to recognize corporate level tax on the Distributions and certain related transactions under Section 355(e) of the Code if, as a result of the Merger or other transactions considered part of a plan with the Distributions, there is a 50 percent or greater change of ownership in DuPont or Corteva. In connection with the Merger, DowDuPont received a private letter ruling from the IRS regarding the proper time, manner and methodology for measuring common ownership in the stock of DowDuPont, Historical DuPont and Historical Dow for purposes of determining whether there has been a 50 percent or greater change of ownership under Section 355(e) of the Code as a result of the Merger. The tax opinion relied on the continued validity of the private letter ruling, as well as certain factual representations from DowDuPont as to the extent of common ownership in the stock of Historical DuPont and Historical Dow immediately prior to the Merger. Based on the representations made by DowDuPont as to the common ownership in the stock of Historical DuPont and Historical Dow immediately prior to the Merger and assuming the continued validity of the IRS Ruling, the tax opinion concluded that there was not a 50 percent or greater change of ownership in DowDuPont, Historical DuPont or Historical Dow for purposes of Section 355(e) as a result of the Merger. Notwithstanding the tax opinion and the IRS Ruling, the IRS could determine that the Distributions or a related transaction should nevertheless be treated as a taxable transaction to DuPont if it determines that any of the facts, assumptions, representations or undertakings of DowDuPont is not correct or that the Distributions should be taxable for other reasons, including if the IRS were to disagree with the conclusions in the tax opinion that are not covered by the private letter ruling. If DuPont is required to recognize corporate level tax on either of the Distributions and certain related transactions under Section 355(e) of the Code, then under the Tax Matters Agreement, the company may be required to indemnify DuPont and/or Dow for all or a portion of such taxes, which could be a material amount, if such taxes were the result of either direct or indirect transfers of Corteva common stock or certain reasons relating to the overall structure of the Merger and the Distributions.
The company is subject to continuing contingent tax-related liabilities of DowDuPont following the Distribution.
There are several significant areas where the liabilities of DowDuPont may become Corteva’s obligations either in whole or in part. For example, under the Code and the related rules and regulations, each corporation that was a member of DowDuPont’s consolidated tax reporting group during any taxable period or portion of any taxable period ending on or before the effective time of the Distribution is jointly and severally liable for the U.S. federal income tax liability of the entire consolidated tax reporting group for such taxable period. Additionally, to the extent that any subsidiary of Corteva was included in the consolidated tax reporting group of either Historical DuPont or Historical Dow for any taxable period or portion of any taxable period ending on or before the effective date of the Merger, such subsidiary is jointly and severally liable for the U.S. federal income tax liability of the entire consolidated tax reporting group of Historical DuPont or Historical Dow, as applicable, for such taxable period. In connection with the Distributions, on April 1, 2019, the company entered into the Tax Matters Agreement with DuPont and Dow that allocates the responsibility for prior period consolidated taxes among Corteva, DuPont and Dow. If DuPont or Dow were unable to pay any prior period taxes for which it is responsible, however, the company could be required to pay the entire amount of such taxes, and such amounts could be significant. Other provisions of federal, state, local, or foreign law may establish similar liability for other matters, including laws governing tax-qualified pension plans, as well as other contingent liabilities.
Part I
Item 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
Item 2. PROPERTIES
The company moved its headquarters from Wilmington, Delaware to Indianapolis, Indiana effective February 8, 2022. It also maintains a global business center in Johnston, Iowa, for its seed business. Its manufacturing, processing, marketing and research and development facilities, as well as regional purchasing offices and distribution centers, are located throughout the world. The company has 92 manufacturing sites in the following geographic regions:
| Number of Sites | |||||||||||
| Crop | Seed | Total | |||||||||
| North America1 | 6 | 42 | 48 | ||||||||
| EMEA2 | 4 | 15 | 19 | ||||||||
| Latin America | 7 | 10 | 17 | ||||||||
| Asia Pacific | 4 | 4 | 8 | ||||||||
| Total | 21 | 71 | 92 |
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North America consists of U.S. & Canada.
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Europe, Middle East, and Africa ("EMEA").
The company's principal sites include facilities which, in the opinion of management, are suitable and adequate for their use and have sufficient capacity for the company's current needs and expected near-term growth. In 2019, the company announced an expansion to increase its Spinosyns fermentation capacity (refer to page 56 for further discussion). Properties are primarily owned by the company; however, certain properties are leased. No title examination of the properties has been made for the purpose of this report and certain properties are shared with other tenants under long-term leases.
Part I
Item 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
The company is subject to various legal proceedings, including, but not limited to, product liability, intellectual property, antitrust, commercial, property damage, personal injury, environmental and regulatory matters arising out of the normal course of its current businesses or legacy EID businesses unrelated to Corteva’s current businesses but allocated to Corteva as part of the Separation of Corteva from DuPont. Information regarding certain of these matters is set forth below and in Note 18 - Commitments and Contingent Liabilities, to the Consolidated Financial Statements. Even when the Company believes liabilities are not expected to be material or the probability of loss or an adverse unappealable final judgment is remote, the Company may consider settlement of these matters, and may enter into settlement agreements, if it believes settlement is in the best interest of the Company, including avoidance of future distraction and litigation defense cost, and its shareholders.
Litigation related to Corteva’s current businesses
Canadian Competition Bureau Formal Inquiry
On January 30, 2020, the Canadian Competition Bureau (the “Bureau”) filed a court order for the company to produce records and information as part of a formal inquiry under civil sections of Canada’s competition laws. The inquiry is in response to allegations by the Farmers Business Network ("FBN") that Corteva and other seeds and crop protection manufacturers and wholesalers unilaterally or in coordination refused, restricted and/or impaired supply of products to FBN in western Canada. This inquiry follows an informal request for information from the Bureau pursuant to which the company voluntarily provided documents and engaged in discussions with the Bureau outlining how its conduct was and continues to be compliant with Canadian competition laws. In February 2022, the Commissioner of the Bureau notified Corteva that the Bureau had discontinued the inquiry. The Bureau made no final determination with respect to Corteva’s conduct, thereby retaining discretion to investigate or to take enforcement action in the future. Corteva believes the likelihood of material liability is remote.
Federal Trade Commission Investigation
On May 26, 2020, Corteva received a subpoena from the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) directing it to submit documents pertaining to its crop protection products generally, as well as business plans, rebate programs, offers, pricing and marketing materials specifically related to its acetochlor, oxamyl, rimsulfuron and other related products in order to determine whether Corteva engaged in unfair methods of competition through anticompetitive conduct. Corteva has cooperated with the FTC’s subpoena, and continues to believe the likelihood of material liability is remote.
Chlorpyrifos Lawsuits
As of December 31, 2021, there were pending personal injury and remediation lawsuits filed against the former Dow Agrosciences LLC in California alleging injuries related to exposure to, or contamination by, chlorpyrifos, the active ingredient in Lorsban®, an insecticide used by commercial farms for field fruit, nut and vegetable crops. Corteva ended its production of Lorsban® in 2020. Further information with respect to these proceedings is set forth under “Chlorpyrifos Lawsuits” in Note 18 – Commitments and Contingent Liabilities, to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Litigation related to legacy EID businesses unrelated to Corteva’s current businesses
As discussed below and in Note 18 - Commitments and Contingent Liabilities, to the Consolidated Financial Statements, certain of the environmental proceedings and litigation allocated to Corteva as part of the Separation from DuPont relate to the legacy EID businesses, including their use of PFOA, which, for purposes of this report, means collectively perfluorooctanoic acid and its salts, including the ammonium salt and does not distinguish between the two forms, and PFAS, which means per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, including PFOA, PFOS (perfluorooctanesulfonic acid), GenX and other perfluorinated chemicals and compounds ("PFCs"). Management believes that it is reasonably possible that EID could incur liabilities related to PFOA in excess of amounts accrued. However, any such losses are not estimable at this time due to various reasons, including, among others, that the underlying matters are in their early stages and have significant factual issues to be resolved.
On January 22, 2021, Chemours, DuPont, Corteva and EID entered into a binding memorandum of understanding containing a settlement to resolve legal disputes related to Chemours' responsibility for litigation and environmental liabilities allocated to it, and to establish a cost sharing arrangement and escrow account to be used to support and manage potential future legacy PFAS liabilities arising out of pre-July 1, 2015 conduct (the “MOU”). See Note 18 - Commitments and Contingent Liabilities, to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion.
Part I
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS, continued
Environmental Proceedings
The company believes it is remote that the following matters will have a material impact on its financial position, liquidity or results of operations. The matters below involve the potential for $1 million or more in monetary fines and are included per Item 103(3)(c)(iii) of Regulation S-K of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
Related to Corteva’s current businesses
La Porte Plant, La Porte, Texas - Crop Protection - Release Incident Investigations
On November 15, 2014, there was a release of methyl mercaptan at EID's La Porte, Texas, facility. The release occurred at the site’s crop protection unit resulting in four employee fatalities inside the unit. The Chemical Safety Board (“CSB”) issued its final report on June 18, 2019, which included recommendations related to the emergency response program at La Porte. Corteva responded to the CSB on September 30, 2019 outlining the actions it has taken to date to address the recommendations for the site and providing its plan to address the CSB’s remaining recommendations. After the conclusion of the CSB investigation, criminal U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") and the Department of Justice ("DOJ") investigations related to the incident continued.
On January 8, 2021, EID and the facility's former unit operations leader were indicted by the DOJ on two felony and one misdemeanor charges of violations of the Clean Air Act related to the release. On January 18, 2022, the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Texas dismissed the felony charge for failing to implement a safety practice. The maximum statutory penalties per charge are $500,000, or twice the gross gain or loss derived from the incident, as well as up to three years of probation and related ongoing reporting obligations. The company intends to move to dismiss the remaining charges and the trial is currently scheduled for October 2022.
Related to legacy EID businesses unrelated to Corteva’s current businesses
Sabine Plant, Orange, Texas - EPA Multimedia Inspection
In June 2012, EID began discussions with the EPA and the DOJ related to a multimedia inspection that the EPA conducted at the Sabine facility in March 2009 and December 2015. The discussions involve the management of materials in the facility's wastewater treatment system, hazardous waste management, flare and air emissions, including leak detection and repair. A final consent decree was approved by the federal court in January 2022, pursuant to which EID agreed to pay a civil penalty of $3.1 million and attorney’s fees to the State of Texas. Under the Separation Agreement, Corteva and DuPont will share liabilities under the decree proportionally on the basis of 29% and 71%, respectively.
Divested Neoprene Facility, La Place, Louisiana - EPA Compliance Inspection
In 2016, the EPA conducted a focused compliance investigation at the Denka Performance Elastomer LLC (“Denka”) neoprene manufacturing facility in La Place, Louisiana. EID sold the neoprene business, including this manufacturing facility, to Denka in the fourth quarter of 2015. In the spring of 2017, the EPA, the DOJ, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, EID and Denka began discussions relating to the inspection conclusions and allegations of noncompliance arising under the Clean Air Act, including leak detection and repair. These discussions, which include potential settlement options, continue. Under the Separation Agreement, DuPont is defending and indemnifying the company in this matter.
New Jersey Directive PFAS
On March 25, 2019, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (“NJDEP”) issued a Statewide PFAS Directive to several companies, including Chemours, DuPont, and EID. The Directive seeks information relating to the use and environmental release of PFAS and PFAS-replacement chemicals at and from two former EID sites in New Jersey, Chambers Works and Parlin, and a funding source for costs related to the NJDEP’s investigation of PFAS issues and PFAS testing and remediation.
New Jersey Directive Pompton Lakes
On March 27, 2019, the NJDEP issued to Chemours and EID a Natural Resource Damages Directive relating to chemical contamination (non-PFAS) at and around EID’s former Pompton Lakes facility in New Jersey. The Directive alleges that this contamination has harmed the natural resources of New Jersey. It seeks $125,000 as reimbursement for the cost of preparing a natural resource damages assessment, which the State will use to determine the extent of such damage and the amount it expects to seek to restore the affected natural resources to their pre-damage state.
Part I
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS, continued
Natural Resource Damage Cases
Since May 2017, several municipal water districts and state attorneys general have filed lawsuits against EID, Corteva, Chemours, 3M, and others, claiming contamination of public water systems by PFCs, including but not limited to PFOA. These actions with the municipalities and states seeking economic impact damages for alleged harm to natural resources, punitive damages, present and future costs to cleanup PFOA contamination and the abatement of alleged nuisance with filtration systems. Further information with respect to these proceedings is set forth under "Other PFOA Matters" in Note 18 - Commitments and Contingent Liabilities, to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Netherlands Municipality Cases
In April 2021, four municipalities in the Netherlands filed complaints alleging contamination of land and groundwater resulting from the emission of PFOA and GenX by Corteva, DuPont and Chemours. Further information with respect to these proceedings is set forth under "Other PFOA Matters" in Note 18 - Commitments and Contingent Liabilities, to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Settlement with the State of Delaware
On July 13, 2021, Chemours, DuPont, EID and Corteva entered into a settlement agreement with the State of Delaware reflecting the companies’ and the State’s agreement to settle and fully resolve claims alleged against the companies regarding their historical Delaware operations, manufacturing, use and disposal of all chemical compounds, including PFAS. Further information with respect to this settlement is set forth under "Other PFOA Matters" in Note 18 - Commitments and Contingent Liabilities, to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy, AltEn Facility
The Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and the Nebraska Department of the Environmental and Energy (“NDEE”) are pursuing investigations, response and removal actions, litigation and enforcement action related to an ethanol plant located near Mead, Nebraska and owned and operated by AltEn LLC (“AltEn”). The agencies have alleged violations under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”) and other federal and state laws stemming from AltEn’s lack of compliance with the terms and conditions of its operating permits and other regulatory requirements. Corteva is one of six seed companies, who were customers of AltEn, participating in the NDEE’s Voluntary Cleanup Program to address certain interim remediation needs at the site.
Item 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
Part II
Item 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Market for Registrant's Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters
The company's common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. (symbol: CTVA). The number of record holders of common stock was approximately 76,000 at January 31, 2022.
During 2021 and 2020, the company paid four quarterly dividends on its common stock. See the below table for dividend information for each quarter during 2021 and 2020.
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
| Fourth Quarter | $ | 0.14 | $ | 0.13 | ||||
| Third Quarter | $ | 0.14 | $ | 0.13 | ||||
| Second Quarter | $ | 0.13 | $ | 0.13 | ||||
| First Quarter | $ | 0.13 | $ | 0.13 | ||||
| Total | $ | 0.54 | $ | 0.52 |
See Part III, Item 11. Executive Compensation for information relating to the company’s equity compensation plans.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
The following table summarizes information with respect to the company's purchase of its common stock during the three months ended December 31, 2021:
| Month | Total Number of Shares Purchased | Average Price Paid per Share | Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of the Company's Publicly Announced Share Buyback Program****1 | Approximate Value of Shares that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Program****1 (Dollars in millions) | ||||||||||
| October 2021 | 1,461,297 | $ | 42.91 | 1,461,297 | $ | 1,387 | ||||||||
| November 2021 | 1,484,410 | 46.68 | 1,484,410 | 1,318 | ||||||||||
| December 2021 | 1,458,668 | 46.62 | 1,458,668 | 1,250 | ||||||||||
| Fourth quarter 2021 | 4,404,375 | $ | 45.41 | 4,404,375 | $ | 1,250 |
1 On August 5, 2021, Corteva, Inc. announced that its Board of Directors authorized a $1.5 billion share repurchase program to purchase Corteva, Inc.'s common stock, par value $0.01 per share, without an expiration date. The timing, price and volume of purchases will be based on market conditions, relevant securities laws and other factors.
Part II
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES, continued
Stock Performance Graph
The following graph illustrates the cumulative total return to Corteva stockholders following the completion of the Separation and beginning as of the closing price of its first NYSE listing date, June 3, 2019. The Chart compares the cumulative total return of Corteva’ s common stock with the S&P 500 Stock Index and the S&P 500 Chemicals Index.

| 6/3/2019 | 12/31/2019 | 12/31/2020 | 12/31/2021 | |||||||||||
| Corteva | $ | 100 | $ | 120 | $ | 161 | $ | 198 | ||||||
| S&P 500 Index | 100 | 119 | 141 | 181 | ||||||||||
| S&P 500 Chemicals Index | 100 | 112 | 129 | 160 |
The chart depicts a hypothetical $100 investment in each of the Corteva common stock, the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Chemicals Index as of the closing price on June 3, 2019 and illustrates the value of each investment over time (assuming the reinvestment of dividends) until December 31, 2021.
Item 6. [RESERVED]
Not applicable.
Part II
Item 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This report contains certain estimates and forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and may be identified by their use of words like “plans,” “expects,” “will,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “intends,” “projects,” “estimates,” “outlook,” or other words of similar meaning. All statements that address expectations or projections about the future, including statements about Corteva’s financial results or outlook; strategy for growth; product development; regulatory approvals; market position; capital allocation strategy; liquidity; environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) targets; the anticipated benefits of acquisitions, restructuring actions, or cost savings initiatives; and the outcome of contingencies, such as litigation and environmental matters, are forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements and other estimates are based on certain assumptions and expectations of future events which may not be accurate or realized. Forward-looking statements and other estimates also involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Corteva’s control. While the list of factors presented below is considered representative, no such list should be considered to be a complete statement of all potential risks and uncertainties. Unlisted factors may present significant additional obstacles to the realization of forward-looking statements. Consequences of material differences in results as compared with those anticipated in the forward-looking statements could include, among other things, business disruption, operational problems, financial loss, legal liability to third parties and similar risks, any of which could have a material adverse effect on Corteva’s business, results of operations and financial condition. Some of the important factors that could cause Corteva’s actual results to differ materially from those projected in any such forward-looking statements include: (i) failure to successfully develop and commercialize Corteva’s pipeline; (ii) failure to obtain or maintain the necessary regulatory approvals for some of Corteva’s products; (iii) effect of the degree of public understanding and acceptance or perceived public acceptance of Corteva’s biotechnology and other agricultural products; (iv) effect of changes in agricultural and related policies of governments and international organizations; (v) effect of competition and consolidation in Corteva’s industry; (vi) effect of competition from manufacturers of generic products; (vii) costs of complying with evolving regulatory requirements and the effect of actual or alleged violations of environmental laws or permit requirements; (viii) effect of climate change and unpredictable seasonal and weather factors; (ix) failure to comply with competition and antitrust laws; (x) competitor’s establishment of an intermediary platform for distribution of Corteva's products; (xi) impact of Corteva's dependence on third parties with respect to certain of its raw materials or licenses and commercialization; (xii) effect of industrial espionage and other disruptions to Corteva’s supply chain, information technology or network systems; (xiii) effect of volatility in Corteva’s input costs; (xiv) failure to raise capital through the capital markets or short-term borrowings on terms acceptable to Corteva; (xv) failure of Corteva’s customers to pay their debts to Corteva, including customer financing programs; (xvi) increases in pension and other post-employment benefit plan funding obligations; (xvii) risks related to environmental litigation and the indemnification obligations of legacy EID liabilities in connection with the separation of Corteva; (xviii) risks related to Corteva’s global operations; (xix) failure to effectively manage acquisitions, divestitures, alliances, restructurings, cost savings initiatives, and other portfolio actions; (xx) capital markets sentiment towards ESG matters; (xxi) risks related to COVID-19; (xxii) Corteva’s ability to recruit and retain key personnel; (xxiii) Corteva’s intellectual property rights or defend against intellectual property claims asserted by others; (xxiv) effect of counterfeit products; (xxv) Corteva’s dependence on intellectual property cross-license agreements; and (xxvi) other risks related to the Separation from DowDuPont.
Additionally, there may be other risks and uncertainties that Corteva is unable to currently identify or that Corteva does not currently expect to have a material impact on its business. Where, in any forward-looking statement or other estimate, an expectation or belief as to future results or events is expressed, such expectation or belief is based on the current plans and expectations of Corteva’s management and expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis, but there can be no assurance that the expectation or belief will result or be achieved or accomplished. Corteva disclaims and does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, except as required by applicable law. A detailed discussion of some of the significant risks and uncertainties which may cause results and events to differ materially from such forward-looking statements is included in the section titled “Risk Factors” (Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K).
Part II
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS, continued
Overview
Refer to pages 3 - 5 for a discussion of the DowDuPont Merger, the Internal Reorganizations, and the Business Separations.
Basis of Presentation
Dow AgroSciences ("DAS") Common Control Combination
The transfer or conveyance of DAS to Corteva was treated as a transfer of entities under common control. As such, the company recorded the assets, liabilities, and equity of DAS on its balance sheet at their historical basis. Transfers of businesses between entities under common control requires the financial statements to be presented as if the transaction had occurred at the point at which common control first existed (the "Merger Effectiveness Time," or August 31, 2017 at 11:59 pm ET). As a result, the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto include the results of DAS as of the Merger Effectiveness Time. See Note 1 - Background and Basis of Presentation and Note 4 - Common Control Business Combination, to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
Divestiture of EID ECP and EID Specialty Products Entities
The transfer of EID ECP and EID Specialty Products Entities meets the criteria for discontinued operations and as such, results of operations are presented as discontinued operations and have been excluded from continuing operations for all periods presented. The comprehensive income (loss), stockholder's equity and cash flows related to EID ECP and EID Specialty Products Entities, respectively, have not been segregated and are included in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss), Consolidated Statements of Equity and Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, respectively, for 2019. Amounts related to EID ECP and EID Specialty Products Entities are consistently included or excluded from the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements based on the respective financial statement line item. See Note 5 - Divestitures and Other Transactions, to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
Items Affecting Comparability of Financial Results
In addition to the Analysis of Operations discussion based on GAAP as reported results, the following includes a supplemental Analysis of Operations
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Item 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
The company’s global operations are exposed to financial market risks relating to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, commodity prices, and interest rates. The company has established a variety of programs including the use of derivative instruments and other financial instruments to manage the exposure to financial market risks as to minimize volatility of financial results. In the ordinary course of business, the company enters into derivative instruments to hedge its exposure to foreign currency and commodity price risks under established procedures and controls. For additional information on these derivatives and related exposures, see Note 22 - Financial Instruments, to the Consolidated Financial Statements. Decisions regarding whether or not to hedge a given commitment are made on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration the amount and duration of the exposure, market volatility and economic trends. Foreign currency exchange contracts may be used, from time to time, to manage near-term foreign currency cash requirements.
Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risks
The company has significant international operations resulting in a large number of currency transactions that result from international sales, purchases, investments and borrowings. The primary currencies for which the company has an exchange rate exposure are the Brazilian Real, Swiss franc, Canadian dollar and European Euro ("EUR"). The company uses foreign exchange contracts to offset its net exposures, by currency, related to the foreign currency denominated monetary assets and liabilities of its operations. The company also uses foreign currency exchange contracts to offset a portion of the company's exposure to certain forecasted transactions, investment in foreign subsidiaries, as well as the translation of foreign currency-denominated earnings and uses commodity contracts to offset risks associated with foreign currency devaluation in certain countries. In addition to the contracts disclosed in Note 22 - Financial Instruments, to the Consolidated Financial Statements, from time to time, the company will enter into foreign currency exchange contracts to establish with certainty the U.S. dollar ("USD") amount of future firm commitments denominated in a foreign currency.
Certain foreign entities of the company held USD denominated marketable securities, mainly U.S. government securities, at December 31, 2020. The USD/EUR was the primary foreign exchange exposure for these nonfunctional currency denominated marketable securities. These debt securities were classified as available-for-sale marketable securities and as such, fluctuations in foreign exchange were recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) within the Consolidated Statements of Equity. These fluctuations were subsequently reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) to earnings during 2021, which was the period in which the marketable securities were sold. At December 31, 2021, the company no longer held these USD denominated marketable securities.
The following table illustrates the fair values of outstanding foreign currency contracts at December 31, 2021 and 2020, and the effect on fair values of a hypothetical adverse change in the foreign exchange rates that existed at December 31, 2021 and 2020. The sensitivities for foreign currency contracts are based on a 10 percent adverse change in foreign exchange rates.
| Fair Value (Liability)/Asset | Fair Value Sensitivity | |||||||||||||
| (Dollars in millions) | 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | ||||||||||
| Foreign currency contracts | $ | 44 | $ | (80) | $ | (211) | $ | (388) | ||||||
| Marketable securities | $ | — | $ | 226 | $ | — | $ | (36) |
Since the company's risk management programs are highly effective, the potential loss in value for each risk management portfolio described above would be largely offset by changes in the value of the underlying exposure.
Concentration of Credit Risk
The company maintains cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities, derivatives and certain other financial instruments with various financial institutions. These financial institutions are generally highly rated and geographically dispersed and the company has a policy to limit the dollar amount of credit exposure with any one institution.
As part of the company's financial risk management processes, it continuously evaluates the relative credit standing of all of the financial institutions that service Corteva and monitors actual exposures versus established limits. The company has not sustained credit losses from instruments held at financial institutions.
The company's sales are not materially dependent on any single customer. Credit risk associated with its receivables balance is representative of the geographic, industry and customer diversity associated with the company's global product lines.
Part II
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK, continued
The company also maintains strong credit controls in evaluating and granting customer credit. As a result, it may require that customers provide some type of financial guarantee in certain circumstances. Length of terms for customer credit varies by region.
Item 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
The financial statements and supplementary data required by this Item are included herein, commencing on page F-1 of this report.
Item 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
None.
Part II
Item 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Corteva, Inc.
a) Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
The company maintains a system of disclosure controls and procedures to give reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed in the company's reports filed or submitted under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("Exchange Act") is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the Securities and Exchange Commission. These controls and procedures also give reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed in such reports is accumulated and communicated to management to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures.
As of December 31, 2021, the company's Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") and Chief Financial Officer ("CFO"), together with management, conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the company's disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act. Based on that evaluation, the CEO and CFO concluded that these disclosure controls and procedures are effective.
b) Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There have been no changes in the company's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended December 31, 2021 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the company's internal control over financial reporting.
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
a) Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
EID maintains a system of disclosure controls and procedures to give reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed in EID's reports filed or submitted under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("Exchange Act") is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the Securities and Exchange Commission. These controls and procedures also give reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed in such reports is accumulated and communicated to management to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures.
As of December 31, 2021, EID's CEO and CFO, together with management, conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of EID's disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act. Based on that evaluation, the CEO and CFO concluded that these disclosure controls and procedures are effective.
b) Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There have been no changes in EID's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended December 31, 2021 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, EID's internal control over financial reporting.
Item 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
None.
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections.
Not applicable.
Part III
Item 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Information with respect to this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the Proxy, including information within the sections entitled, "Election of Directors," "Corporate Governance," and "Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports".
The company has adopted a Code of Financial Ethics for its CEO, CFO, and Controller that may be accessed from the company's website at www.corteva.com by clicking on "Investors" and then "Corporate Governance." Any amendments to, or waiver from, any provision of the code will be posted on the company's website at the above address.
Executive Officers of the Registrant
Each of the executive officers became officers of the company in May 2019 with the exception of Mr. Charles Magro, Mr. David Anderson, and Dr. Sam Eathington who became an executive officer in November 2021, April 2021 and January 2021, respectively.
Charles V. Magro, age 52, is the Chief Executive Officer of Corteva. Prior to joining Corteva on November 1, 2021, he served as President and chief executive officer of Nutrien Ltd. ("Nutrien") from the company’s launch in 2018 until April 2021. From 2014 to 2018, Mr. Magro served as President and chief executive officer of Agrium Inc., which merged with Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan to create Nutrien. As President and CEO of Nutrien, Mr. Magro led more than 27,000 employees to achieve best-in-class engagement, top safety performance and exceptional business results. He also led the company through numerous M&A transactions, expanding globally and restructuring the industry. Prior to this role, he held a variety of other key leadership positions with the company, including Chief Operating Officer, Chief Risk Officer, Executive Vice President of Corporate Development, and Vice President of Manufacturing. He joined Agrium in 2009 following a productive career with NOVA Chemicals. Since 2018, Mr. Magro has served on the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and will continue to serve on the board through March 2022. Previously, he served as Vice Chairman of the International Fertilizer Association and past Chair and Board Member of The Fertilizer Institute. He also served as a Board Steward for the World Economic Forum’s Food Systems Initiative, providing strategic leadership to build inclusive, sustainable, efficient, and healthy global food systems, as well as on the Boards of the International Plant Nutrition Institute, Nutrients for Life Foundation, the Business Council of Canada, and the Business Council of Alberta. Ingredion Inc., a global provider of ingredient solutions to the food and beverage manufacturing industry, elected Mr. Magro to its board of directors effective May 1, 2022.
David J. Anderson, age 72, is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Corteva. Mr. Anderson is an experienced Chief Financial Officer, with a career spanning a number of diverse global companies across a range of industries. Prior to joining Corteva in April 2021, Mr. Anderson was interim chief financial officer at Criteo S.A., which he joined after serving as chief financial officer and chief operating officer at Nielsen Holdings plc. He previously served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, which he joined following his tenure of more than a decade as the chief financial officer for Honeywell. Prior to that, Mr. Anderson was the chief financial officer for ITT, Inc., Newport News Shipbuilding Inc., and RJR Nabisco, Inc. Mr. Anderson is currently a Board member of American Electric Power and previously a Board member of Cardinal Health.
Rajan Gajaria, age 54, is Executive Vice President, Business Platforms of Corteva. Mr. Gajaria previously served as vice president, global crop protection business platform, of DowDuPont Inc. Prior to this, he served as Vice President, Latin America and North America, for Dow AgroSciences since 2015. He was selected to lead Dow AgroSciences’ Latin America and Asia Pacific geographies in 2012 after being named marketing director for the company’s U.S. business in 2009. Mr. Gajaria advanced through leadership roles at Dow AgroSciences in corporate strategy, marketing, and e-business before serving as global supply chain director. He joined Dow AgroSciences’ Indian joint venture partner in Mumbai in 1993, where he served in sales and marketing roles as well as in human resources before moving to the company’s global headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana. Effective February 18, 2022, Mr. Gajaria will retire from the company.
Timothy P. Glenn, age 55, is Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer of Corteva. Mr. Glenn previously served as Vice President, Global Seed Business Platform of DowDuPont Inc. Prior to this, he served as President, DuPont Crop Protection since 2015, and from 2014 to 2015 served as vice president, integrated operations and commercial effectiveness for DuPont Pioneer. He previously held other leadership positions at DuPont Pioneer, including regional business director, Latin America and Canada, after rejoining DuPont Pioneer in 2006 as director, North America Marketing. In 1997, he joined Dow AgroSciences as corn product manager, Mycogen Seeds, and served in sales and business leadership roles in the crop protection and seeds businesses of Dow AgroSciences. He first joined Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. in 1991, and held a variety of marketing roles in seed markets around the world.
Part III
Meghan Cassidy, age 46, is Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources and Diversity Officer of Corteva. In February 2021, Ms. Cassidy became Chief Diversity Officer in addition to her human resources duties at Corteva. Prior to joining Corteva, Ms. Cassidy served as the head of human resources of the agriculture division of DowDuPont Inc. since September 2017. Prior to this, Ms. Cassidy was director, global talent management and leadership development for DuPont since 2015. From 2011 to 2015, she served as chief human resources officer for Sunoco Logistics after joining Sunoco in 2010 as director, corporate human resources. Ms. Cassidy’s early career was spent at Aramark, where she held progressive human resources roles before serving as vice president, executive development and corporate human resources.
Dr. Sam Eathington, age 53, joined Corteva in November 2020 and became Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer of Corteva in January 2021, where he is responsible for leading the company’s global research and development organization, building and expanding its industry-leading pipeline, and sustainability. A recognized leader in agricultural innovation, Dr. Eathington most recently served as chief science officer of The Climate Corporation (part of the crop science division of Bayer AG) from December 2015 until April 2020. Prior to assuming that role, Dr. Eathington spent 19 years with Monsanto Corporation, rising through the ranks in quantitative traits and molecular breeding to become vice president, global plant breeding beginning in February 2011.
Cornel B. Fuerer, age 55, is Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Corteva, where he is responsible for legal, compliance, enterprise risk management, and government affairs. Mr. Fuerer previously served as general counsel of the agriculture division of DowDuPont Inc. since June 2018 and prior to that served as associate general counsel supporting the agriculture division of DowDuPont after the Merger in September 2017. From 2013 to 2017, he served as associate general counsel of DuPont with responsibility for the legal affairs of DuPont’s agriculture business and from 2012 to 2013 he served as the corporate secretary of DuPont. From 2007 to 2012, Mr. Fuerer served as the vice president, general counsel and company secretary of Solae, a food ingredients joint venture between DuPont and Bunge. After joining DuPont in 1995 as an attorney in Geneva, Switzerland, he served in various legal roles around the world until his appointment at Solae in 2007.
Brian Titus, age 49, is Vice President, Controller and Principal Accounting Officer of Corteva. Mr. Titus previously served as the controller and principal accounting officer of the agriculture division of DowDuPont Inc. since February 2019. Prior to this, he was general auditor of DuPont since August 2015 and previously served as the director of corporate accounting from 2014 to 2015 and global finance leader of DuPont Crop Protection from 2013 to 2014. Prior to joining DuPont’s corporate accounting group in 2010, he spent 14 years in public accounting, primarily with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, providing audit and transactional support services.
Part III
Item 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Information related to executive compensation and the company's equity compensation plans is contained in the definitive Proxy Statement for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Corteva, Inc. and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
Information with respect to beneficial ownership of Corteva, Inc. common stock by each director, executive officer, and all directors and executive officers of the Company as a group is contained in the definitive Proxy Statement for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Corteva, Inc. and is incorporated herein by reference.
Information relating to any person who beneficially owns in excess of 5 percent of the total outstanding shares of Corteva, Inc. common stock is contained in the definitive Proxy Statement for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Corteva, Inc. and is incorporated herein by reference.
Information with respect to compensation plans under which equity securities are authorized for issuance is contained in the definitive Proxy Statement for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Corteva, Inc. and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
Information with respect to this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the definitive Proxy Statement for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Corteva, Inc., including information within the sections entitled, "Certain Relationships and Related Transactions", and "Director Independence."
Item 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
Information with respect to this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the definitive Proxy Statement for the 2022 Annual Meetings of Stockholders of Corteva, Inc., including information within the section entitled, “Ratification of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.”
Part IV
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
(a)Financial Statements, Financial Statement Schedules and Exhibits:
1.Corteva Financial Statements (See the Index to the Consolidated Financial Statements on page F-1 of this report).
2.Corteva Financial Statement Schedule (presented below)
3.EID Financial Statements (Starting on page F-79 of this report).
4.EID Financial Statement Schedule (presented below)
Schedule II—Valuation and Qualifying Accounts (EID and Corteva, Inc.)
(Dollars in millions)
| For the Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |||||||||
| Accounts Receivable—Allowance for Doubtful Receivables | |||||||||||
| Balance at beginning of period | $ | 208 | $ | 174 | $ | 127 | |||||
| Additions charged to expenses1 | 6 | 52 | 69 | ||||||||
| Deductions from reserves1,2 | (4) | (18) | (22) | ||||||||
| Balance at end of period | $ | 210 | $ | 208 | $ | 174 | |||||
| Deferred Tax Assets—Valuation Allowance | |||||||||||
| Balance at beginning of period | $ | 453 | $ | 457 | $ | 669 | |||||
| Additions charged to expenses | 97 | 56 | 20 | ||||||||
| Deductions from reserves3 | (184) | (60) | (232) | ||||||||
| Balance at end of period | $ | 366 | $ | 453 | $ | 457 |
-
Classifications in the changes in the allowance for doubtful receivables for the period ended December 31, 2020 have been adjusted from their previous presentation. Adjustments did not impact the amount of the provision or the allowance for doubtful receivables recorded in the Consolidated Statements of Operations or the Consolidated Balance Sheets.
-
Deductions include write-offs, recoveries collected and currency translation adjustments.
-
Deductions include currency translation adjustments.
Financial Statement Schedules listed under the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") rules but not included in this report are omitted because they are not applicable or the required information is shown in the Consolidated Financial Statements or notes thereto.
Part IV
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES, continued
3.Exhibits
The following list of exhibits includes both exhibits submitted with this Form 10-K as filed with the SEC and those incorporated by reference to other filings:
| Exhibit Number | Description | |||||||
| 2.1 | Separation and Distribution Agreement by and among DuPont Inc., Dow Inc. and Corteva, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit No. 2.1 to Amendment 3 to Corteva’s Registration Statement on Form 10 (Commission file number 001-38710), filed on April 16, 2019). | |||||||
| 3.1 | Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Corteva, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit No. 3.1 to Corteva’s Current Report on Form 8-K (Commission file number 001-38710), filed on June 3, 2019. | |||||||
| 3.2 | Amended and Restated Bylaws of Corteva, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit No. 3.1 to Corteva’s Current Report on Form 8-K (Commission file number 001-38710), filed on October 10, 2019. | |||||||
| 3.3 | Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (Commission file number 1-815) dated September 1, 2017). | |||||||
| 3.4 | Amended and Restated Bylaws of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company's Current Report on Form 8-K (Commission file number 1-815) dated September 1, 2017). | |||||||
| 4.1 | Description of Corteva, Inc. registered securities (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (Commission file number 001-38710) filed February 14, 2020). | |||||||
| 4.2 | Description of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company registered securities (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.2 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (Commission file number 001-38710) filed February 14, 2020). | |||||||
| 10.1* | Amended and Restated Tax Matters Agreement, effective as of June 1, 2019 by and among DowDuPont Inc., Corteva, Inc. and Dow Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of Corteva’s Current Report on Form 8-K (Commission file number 001-38710) filed on June 3, 2019). | |||||||
| 10.2* | Employee Matters Agreement by and among DowDuPont Inc., Corteva, Inc. and Dow Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit No. 10.2 to Amendment 3 to Corteva’s Registration Statement on Form 10 (Commission file number 001-38710), filed on April 16, 2019). | |||||||
| 10.3* | SpecCo/AgCo Intellectual Property Cross-License Agreement, effective as of June 1, 2019, by and among DowDuPont Inc., Corteva, Inc. and the other parties identified therein (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Corteva’s Current Report on Form 8-K (Commission file number 001-38710), filed on June 3, 2019). | |||||||
| 10.4* | Intellectual Property Cross-License Agreement by and between Corteva, Inc. and Dow Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit No. 10.4 to Amendment 3 to Corteva’s Registration Statement on Form 10 (Commission file number 001-38710), filed on April 16, 2019). | |||||||
| 10.5 | Corteva, Inc. 2019 Omnibus Incentive Plan. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit No. 10.5 to Corteva’s Registration Statement on Form 10 (Commission file number 001-38710), filed on May 6, 2019). | |||||||
| 10.6 | Fondation de Prevoyance en Faveur du Personnel de DuPont de Nemours International SÁRL. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit No. 10.6 to Corteva’s Registration Statement on Form 10 (Commission file number 001-38710), filed on May 6, 2019). | |||||||
| 10.7* | Separation Agreement by and between E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company and The Chemours Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company's Current Report on Form 8-K (Commission file number 1-815) dated July 8, 2015). | |||||||
| 10.8 | Amendment No. 1 to Separation Agreement by and between E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company and The Chemours Company, dated August 24, 2017 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company's Current Report on Form 8-K (Commission file number 1-815) dated August 25, 2017). | |||||||
| 10.9 | Tax Matters Agreement by and between E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company and The Chemours Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.2 to E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company's Current Report on Form 8-K (Commission file number 1-815) dated July 8, 2015). | |||||||
| 10.10 | The E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company Management Deferred Compensation Plan, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 to DowDuPont Inc. Registration Statement on Form S-8 (Commission file number 333-220324) filed September 1, 2017. | |||||||
| 10.11 | The E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company Stock Accumulation and Deferred Compensation Plan for Directors, (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.4 to DowDuPont Inc. Registration Statement on Form S-8 (Commission file number 333-220324) filed September 1, 2017.) | |||||||
| 10.12 | E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company's Pension Restoration Plan, as last amended effective June 29, 2015 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (Commission file number 1-815) for the period ended June 30, 2015). | |||||||
| 10.13 | E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company’s Rules for Lump Sum Payments, as last amended effective May 15, 2014 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (Commission file number 1-815) for the period ended June 30, 2015). | |||||||
Part IV
Item 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES, continued
| 10.14 | E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company’s Retirement Savings Restoration Plan, as last amended effective May 15, 2014. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.08 to E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (Commission file number 1-815) for the period ended June 30, 2014). | |||||||
| 10.15 | E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company’s Retirement Income Plan for Directors, as last amended January 2011 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.9 to E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (Commission file number 1-815) for the period ended March 31, 2012). | |||||||
| 10.16 | Letter Agreement between Charles Victor Magro and Corteva, Inc., dated October 25, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Corteva’s Current Report on Form 8-K (Commission file number 001-38710), filed on October 28, 2021). | |||||||
| 10.17 | Letter Agreement between James C. Collins, Jr. and Corteva, Inc., dated June 21, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Corteva’s Current Report on Form 8-K (Commission file number 001-38710), filed on June 23, 2021). | |||||||
| 10.18 | Corteva, Inc. Severance Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Corteva’s Current Report on Form 8-K (Commission file number 001-38710), filed on October 28, 2021). | |||||||
| 10.19 * | Letter Agreement effective as of June 1, 2019 by and between DowDuPont Inc. and Corteva, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Corteva's Current Report on Form 8-K (Commission file number 001-38710) filed June 3, 2019) | |||||||
| 10.20 * | Memorandum of Understanding, dated January 22, 2021, by and among The Chemours Company, Corteva, Inc., E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company and DuPont de Nemours, Inc. (incorporated by reference from the Form 8-K (Commission file number 001-38710) filed January 22, 2021) | |||||||
| 10.21 | Form of Award Terms for Options granted under the Corteva, Inc. 2019 Omnibus Incentive Plan for U.S. grantees (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Quarterly Report Form 10-Q (Commission file number 001-38710) filed May 7, 2020). | |||||||
| 10.22 | Form of Award Terms for Performance Stock Units granted under the Corteva, Inc. 2019 Omnibus Incentive Plan for U.S. grantees (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.4 to the Company’s Quarterly Report Form 10-Q (Commission file number 001-38710) filed May 7, 2020). | |||||||
| 10.23 | Form of Award Terms for Restricted Stock Units granted under the Corteva, Inc. 2019 Omnibus Incentive Plan for U.S. grantees (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.5 to the Company’s Quarterly Report Form 10-Q (Commission file number 001-38710) filed May 7, 2020). | |||||||
| 10.24 | Form of Special CFO RSU Agreement (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.1 to Corteva’s Current Report on Form 8-K (Commission file number 001-38710) filed April 6, 2021). | |||||||
| 10.25 | Agreement dated March 18, 2021, among Corteva, Inc., Starboard Value LP and certain of its affiliates. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.1 to Corteva’s Current Report on Form 8-K (Commission file number 001-38710) filed March 19, 2021). | |||||||
| 10.26 | Corteva, Inc. Global Omnibus Employee Stock Purchase Plan (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.3 to Corteva’s Registration Statement on Form S-8 (Commission file number 333-249887), filed November 5, 2020). | |||||||
| 21 | Subsidiaries of the Registrant. | |||||||
| 23.1 | Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP - Corteva, Inc. | |||||||
| 23.2 | Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP - E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. | |||||||
| 31.1 | Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification of the company’s and EID’s Principal Executive Officer. | |||||||
| 31.2 | Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification of the company’s and EID’s Principal Financial Officer. | |||||||
| 32.1 | Section 1350 Certification of the company’s and EID’s Principal Executive Officer. The information contained in this Exhibit shall not be deemed filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission nor incorporated by reference in any registration statement filed by the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. | |||||||
| 32.2 | Section 1350 Certification of the company’s and EID’s Principal Financial Officer. The information contained in this Exhibit shall not be deemed filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission nor incorporated by reference in any registration statement filed by the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. | |||||||
| 101.INS | XBRL Instance Document - the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document. | |||||||
| 101.SCH | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document | |||||||
| 101.CAL | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document | |||||||
| 101.DEF | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document | |||||||
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Item 16. FORM 10-K SUMMARY
Not applicable.
F-93