Item 1A. Risk Factors
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
There have been no material changes from the risk factors disclosed in Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended August 31, 2021, except for the risk factors set forth below, which update certain risk factors included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K.
We are subject to political, economic, legal and other risks of doing business globally.
We are a global business and are exposed to risks associated with having global operations. These risks include, but are not limited to, risks relating to terrorism, war or civil unrest; changes in a country’s or region’s social, economic or political conditions; changes in local labor conditions and regulations; changes in safety and environmental regulations; changes in regulatory or legal environments; restrictions on currency exchange activities and currency exchange fluctuations; price and export controls or bans on commodities; taxes; doing business in countries or regions with inadequate infrastructure; and logistics challenges. In addition, some countries where we operate lack well-developed legal systems or have not adopted clear legal and regulatory frameworks. This lack of legal certainty exposes our operations to increased risks, including increased difficulty in enforcing our agreements in those jurisdictions and increased risk of adverse actions by local government authorities, such as unilateral or forced renegotiation, modification or nullification of existing agreements or expropriations.
In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. The war resulted in significant uncertainty and instability in the global commodities markets, including agricultural commodities and crude oil. In response to the war, the United States and other North Atlantic Treaty Organization ("NATO") member states, as well as nonmember states, announced economic sanctions targeting Russia and certain Russian citizens and enterprises, including several large banks. The continuation of the war may trigger a series of additional economic and other sanctions enacted by the United States, other NATO member states and other countries. In response, Russia announced export bans on various products, including agricultural commodities, through the end of calendar year 2022. Although we do not maintain operations in Russia, it is a significant source of fertilizer for global markets. Such sanctions have caused inflationary pressures and impacted our ability to purchase fertilizer in the global market. If our ability to purchase fertilizer in the global market continues to be impacted by those sanctions or by other factors, it could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.
We maintain operations in Ukraine, which is a key international grain originating region. Our operations in Ukraine have been dramatically disrupted because of the war. Some of our Ukrainian employees have been forced to relocate to other countries and within Ukraine, with many unable to perform all or some work duties. The ongoing war could cause harm to our employees and otherwise impair their ability to work for extended periods of time, as well as disrupt telecommunications systems, banks and other critical infrastructure necessary to conduct business in Ukraine. Although we do not have significant fixed assets or infrastructure in Ukraine, we continue to have grain inventory in various facilities in Ukraine. As a result of the war and related export bans on wheat, oats and other staples that were put in place by the Ukrainian government in March 2022, our ability to access or otherwise use these grain inventories in our export business has been limited and is expected to continue to be limited throughout the war.
In addition, the risk of cybersecurity incidents has increased in connection with the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. For example, the war has been accompanied by cyberattacks against the Ukrainian government and other countries in the region. It is possible that these attacks could have collateral effects on additional critical infrastructure and financial institutions globally, which could adversely affect our operations. The proliferation of malware from the war into systems unrelated to the war, or cyberattacks against U.S. companies in retaliation for U.S. sanctions against Russia or U.S. support of Ukraine, could also adversely affect our operations.
The current war between Russia and Ukraine could draw military or other intervention from additional countries, which could lead to a much larger war and/or additional sanctions imposed by the United States government and other governments that restrict business with specific persons, organizations or countries with respect to certain products or services.
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If such escalation should occur or such sanctions are imposed, supply chain, trade routes and markets currently served by us could be adversely affected, which in turn could materially adversely affect our business operations and financial performance.
The consequences of any U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") or other governmental authority's investigation with respect to certain rail freight contracts purchased in connection with our North American grain marketing operations could have an adverse effect on our business.
We have provided an Offer of Settlement to the Staff of the SEC Division of Enforcement relating to an investigation principally involving intentional misconduct by a former employee in our rail freight trading operations who manipulated the quantity and mark-to-market valuation of railcars that were the subject of rail freight purchase contracts. The proposed settlement would be entered into by us pursuant to a proposed Order Instituting Cease-and-Desist Proceedings, Making Findings, and Imposing a Cease-and-Desist Order (the "Proposed Order") without admitting or denying the SEC's findings and would resolve alleged violations of certain of the reporting, books and records and internal accounting controls provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. Under the terms of the proposed settlement, we would not pay a civil penalty and would agree to not commit or cause any future violations of those federal securities laws and related rules and regulations. The Proposed Order also provides that in determining to accept the Offer of Settlement, the SEC considered our cooperation during the investigation and the remedial acts promptly undertaken by us. The proposed settlement is contingent upon approval by the Commissioners of the SEC, which cannot be assured. If the Commissioners of the SEC do not approve the settlement, we may need to enter into further discussions with the SEC regarding a disposition of this matter. As a result, there can be no assurance as to the specific type of disposition, including its impact on our business, prospects, reputation, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. In addition, the expenses incurred in connection with any ongoing investigation by the SEC or any other governmental authority, and diversion of the attention of our management that could occur as a result thereof, could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and/or cash flows.
ITEM 6. EXHIBITS
Exhibit Description
31.1
Certification of the Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
31.2
Certification of the Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.1
Certification of the Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.2
Certification of the Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
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 XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document.
101.CAL XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document.
101.DEF XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document.
101.LAB XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase Document.
101.PRE XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document.
104 Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101).
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
CHS Inc.
(Registrant)
Date: July 7, 2022 By: /s/ Olivia Nelligan
Olivia Nelligan
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
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Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.