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Cover and table of contents
2023
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, 2023
| OR | ||||||||
| ☐ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 or 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the transition period from _______ to _______
Commission File Number 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 974 Centre Road, | Wilmington, | Delaware | 19805 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code) | (Registrant’s Telephone Number, including area code) |
Commission File Number 1-815
EIDP, Inc.
(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 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 974 Centre Road, | Wilmington, | Delaware | 19805 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (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 EIDP, Inc.:
| 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 | ||||||||||
| EIDP, Inc. | 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 | ||||||||||
| EIDP, Inc. | 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 | ||||||||||
| EIDP, Inc. | 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 | x | No | o | ||||||||||
| EIDP, Inc. | Yes | x | 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 | ||||||||||||||||
| EIDP, Inc. | 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 | ||||
| EIDP, Inc. | 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 | x | No | o | ||||||||||
| EIDP, Inc. | Yes | x | No | o |
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements.
| Corteva, Inc. | o | ||||
| EIDP, Inc. | o |
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b).
| Corteva, Inc. | o | ||||
| EIDP, Inc. | 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 | x | ||||||||||
| EIDP, Inc. | Yes | o | No | x |
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, 2023 was $40.6 billion.
As of February 1, 2024, 701,783,000 shares of Corteva, Inc's common stock, $0.01 par value, were outstanding.
As of February 1, 2024, all of EIDP, Inc.’s issued and outstanding common stock, comprised of 200 shares, $0.30 par value per share, is held by Corteva, Inc.
EIDP, Inc. 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 EIDP, Inc. ("EIDP"). Corteva, Inc. owns all of the common equity interests in EIDP, and EIDP 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 EIDP 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 EIDP's financial statements relate to EIDP's Preferred Stock - $4.50 Series and EIDP's Preferred Stock - $3.50 Series, a related party loan between EIDP and Corteva, Inc. and the associated tax deductible interest expense for EIDP, a Master In-House Banking Agreement between EIDP and Corteva, Inc., including certain consolidated subsidiaries, and the capital structure of Corteva. Inc. (See EIDP's Note 1 - Basis of Presentation to EIDP's Consolidated Financial Statements, for additional information for above items). The separate EIDP 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-74. Footnotes of EIDP 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:
-
"Corteva" or "the company" refers to Corteva, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries (including EIDP);
-
"EIDP" refers to EIDP, Inc. (formerly known as E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company) and its consolidated subsidiaries or EIDP, Inc. 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 below;
-
"Historical DuPont" and "Historical EID" refers to EIDP prior to the Internal Reorganization (as defined below);
-
"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; and
-
"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. With one of the broadest and most productive new product pipelines in the agriculture industry, Corteva is focused on progressing science-based innovations, which aim to deliver a wide range of improved agriculture products and services to its customers. The company leverages 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 125 countries. See Note 22 - 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, EIDP was contributed to Corteva, Inc. and, as a result, Corteva, Inc. owns 100% of the outstanding common stock of EIDP. Shares of EIDP 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. EIDP 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. 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.
Internal Reorganizations and Business Separations
Subsequent to the Merger, Historical Dow and EIDP engaged in a series of internal reorganization and realignment steps to realign their businesses into three subgroups: agriculture, materials science and specialty products ("Internal Reorganization"). 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 common stock, to holders of DowDuPont's common stock (the “Dow Distribution” and together with the Corteva Distribution, the “Distributions”).
On April 1, 2019, Historical Dow entities, which held certain assets and liabilities aligned with Historical Dow’s agriculture business and the assets and liabilities associated with its specialty products business, respectively, were transferred and conveyed to DowDuPont.
Part I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS, continued
On April 1, 2019 and May 1, 2019, EIDP’s materials science and specialty products entities, along with their respective assets and liabilities, were conveyed to Dow and DowDuPont, respectively. On May 2, 2019, DowDuPont conveyed Historical Dow agricultural entities to EIDP.
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 May 31, 2019, DowDuPont contributed EIDP to Corteva, Inc. and on June 1, 2019, the Separation was completed. Corteva, Inc.'s common stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "CTVA" on June 3, 2019.
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. The Parties entered into the following agreements:
-
Separation and Distribution Agreement - Effective April 1, 2019, the Parties entered into an agreement that sets forth, among other things, the principal transactions necessary to effect the Distributions, as well as the agreements that govern certain aspects of the Parties’ ongoing relationships after the completion of the Distributions (the "Corteva Separation Agreement").
-
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 effective as of April 1, 2019, that identifies employees and employee-related liabilities (and attributable assets) allocated (either retained, transferred and accepted, or assigned and assumed, as applicable) to the Parties as part of the Distributions.
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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.
-
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 40 of this report and Note 23 - Segment Information, to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Part I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS, continued
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 enhance food and nutritional characteristics, herbicides used to control weeds, and digital solutions that assist farmer decision-making to help maximize yield and profitability.
A summary of the seed segment’s net sales by major product line and geographic region (based on customer location) are as follows:
Products and Brands
The seed segment’s major brands and technologies, by key product line, are listed below:
| Seed Solutions Brands | Pioneer® seeds; Brevant® seeds; Dairyland Seed®; Hoegemeyer® hybrids; Nutech® seed; Seed Consultants®; AgVenture® brand; Cordius®, Licensing Division of Corteva Agriscience, DUO® hybrid corn, NEXSEM® corn, NordTM semillas; PhytoGen® cotton; Pannar™ brand corn | ||||
| Seed Solutions Traits and Technologies | ENLIST™ corn; ENLIST E3™ soybeans; ENLIST™ cotton; Enlist™ weed control system; EXZACT® Precision Technology; Herculex™ Insect Protection; Herculex™ XTRA Insect Protection; Leptra® insect protection technology offering protection against above ground pests; PowerCore® corn, PowerCore® Ultra corn, PowerCore® Enlist™ corn, PowerCore® Ultra Enlist™ corn, POWERCORE® trait technology family of products; 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® products; 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® corn; Clearfield® canola; PROPOUND™ advanced canola meal; Vorceed™ Enlist™ products; Conkesta®; Conkesta E3® soybeans; WideStrike™ Insect Protection; WideStrike™ 3 Insect Protection; Inzen® trait; BOLT® technology; STS® herbicide tolerant trait; MAXIMUS® canola hybrids; CottonBest® program; Brevant™ Protector products; Optimum® GLY herbicide tolerance trait Optimum® AcreMax® insect protection; Optimum® AcreMax® Leptra® insect protection; Optimum® AcreMax® Xtra insect protection; Optimum® AcreMax® XTreme insect protection; Bovalta® BMR products; Optimum® Intrasect® insect protection; Optimum® Leptra® insect protection | ||||
| Other | LumiGEN™ seed treatments; Lumisena™; Lumiverd™; Lumiscend™; Lumiscend™ Pro; Lumisure®; Lumiflex™; Lumiante™; LumiTreo™; Dermacor™ X-100; Vertisan® ST; Lumiderm®; Lumivia™ CPL; Lumivia™ and Lumialza® |
Part I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS, continued
In connection with the validation of breeding plans and large-scale product development timelines focused on rapidly ramping up differentiated technology solutions, in 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. During the five year ramp-up period, the company began 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 55 for additional information.
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 research and development ("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 segment's crop protection solutions and digital solutions 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, pasture and range management herbicides and biologicals.
Part I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS, continued
A summary of 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™; EXALT™; PEXALON™; TRANSFORM™; VYDATE®; OPTIMUM®; Reklemel™; SALIBRO™; PYRAXALT™; QALCOVA™; JEMVELVA™; RADIANT™; SENTRICON®; ENTRUST® SC; GF-120™; and TRACER™ | ||||
| Disease Management | APROACH PRIMA®; VESSARYA®; APROACH®; APROACH POWER®; VIOVAN®; TALENDO™; VERBEN®, EQUATION PRO®; EQUATION CONTACT®; ZORVEC™; INATREQ™; CURZATE™; TANOS®, BIMTM MAX; BEAMTM; FONTELIS™; ACANTO™; GALILEO®; VERPIXOTM; and ZETIGOTM PRM | ||||
| Weed Control | ARIGO®; ARYLEX®; ENLIST™ weed control system; ENLIST ONE™; BROADWAY™; RINSKOR™; MUSTANG®; GALLANT™; VERDICT®; KERB®; PIXXARO®; QUELEX™; KORVETTO®; REXADE™; GALLERY®; SNAPSHOT®; GRANITE®; PINDAR® GT; VIPER®; BELKAR®; WIDEMATCH®; PERFECTMATCH®; CLINCHER™; GARLON™; TORDON™; REMEDY™; PASTAR™; SONIC®; TEXARO®; KEYSTONE®; PACTO®; LIGATE®; DIMENSION®; TOPSHOT™; RICER®; LOYANT™; ROYANT™; JAGUAR™; AGIXATM, NOVIXID®, NOVLECT™; REALM® Q; LONTREL®; GRAZON®; PAXEO®; RESICORE®; SPIDER®; STARANETM; and SURESTART® | ||||
| Nitrogen Management | INSTINCT®; N-SERVE® Nitrogen Stabilizer | ||||
| Other | LANDVisor™ |
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. The company relies on contract manufacturers, both domestically and internationally, to produce certain inputs or key components for its product formulations. These inputs are sourced globally and the company generally formulates its products close to its end customers. 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.
Part I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS, continued
Corteva’s supply chain strategy involves 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 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 22,500 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, 2023, the company globally employs approximately 22,500 employees. In order to address regional specific customer needs within its global business, the company has a geographically diverse employee base with 46%, 22%, 19%, and 13% located in North America, Latin America, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific regions, respectively.
Approximately 2% of the workforce is unionized in the United States and another 12% participate in work councils and collective bargaining arrangements outside the United States. In 2023, 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.
Inclusion. 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 that is designed to create an environment where the best talent is attracted, retained, and engaged. Management is expected to support specific inclusion initiatives for their respective geographies and business, as applicable, in order to build a more inclusive working environment for the benefit of all employees. 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 are open to all employees and provide a space where employees can foster connections within a supportive environment. The company maintains nine global BRGs, each led by a member of the company’s senior leadership: Disability Awareness Network; Global African Heritage Alliance; Global Indigenous Peoples Alliance; Growing Asian Impact Network; Latin Network; Pride (LGBTQ+); Professional Learning Acceleration Network; Veteran’s Network; and Women’s Inclusion Network.
The company monitors its recruitment and talent development processes, in order to prevent and detect inequities and potentially discriminatory practices that could negatively impact the creation of an inclusive culture and the retention of key talent for our leadership pipeline. The company reviews its ID&E 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 annual reviews of the company’s leadership pipelines and ID&E programs with the People and Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors.
Part I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS, continued
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 business presidents have an average of approximately 25 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.
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, 2023, the company owned about 5,900 U.S. patents and about 11,500 active patents outside of the U.S.
Remaining life of granted patents owned as of December 31, 2023:
| Approximate U.S. | Approximate Other Countries | |||||||
| Within 5 years | 1,000 | 2,000 | ||||||
| 6 to 10 years | 2,000 | 3,600 | ||||||
| 11 to 15 years | 1,900 | 5,500 | ||||||
| 16 to 20 years | 1,000 | 400 | ||||||
| Total | 5,900 | 11,500 |
In addition to its owned patents, the company owns over 4,400 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 12,200 registrations and 1,000 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, Syngenta and ChemChina, as well as companies trading in generic crop protection chemicals and regional seed companies.
Part I
Next: Item 1. BUSINESS, continued