Corteva Looking to Split its Chemical and Seed Businesses, Says Report

Corteva Inc. may be looking to split its chemical and seed businesses into separate companies, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The Indianapolis-based company, which reportedly has a market value of about $50 billion, could be considering a split to help protect the seeds business from any future liabilities related to their production and sale of crop protection products, according to the report.

Corteva reported $16.9 billion in sales in 2024, of which $9.5 billion was from its seed sales unit and nearly $7.4 billion was from its crop protection division. The company, which does business around the world in 110 countries, received $8.6 billion in total sales last year in North America alone.

In the first half of 2025, Corteva reported $10.9 billion in sales, up 3% from a year ago, citing seed pricing gains and strong growth in seed sales in North America. But Corteva also noted that competitive price pressures were impacting the company’s crop protection business.

Corteva stated the company sells seeds for more than 100 crops and has more than 400 seed and crop protection products. The company also says it has roughly 100 production facilities around the world and more than 120 research and development facilities.

Indianapolis became the global headquarters for Corteva in 2022. The company says it has more than 20,000 employees worldwide, including about 1,500 at its corporate headquarters along Zionsville Road near West 96th Street, south of I-465 in northwestern Marion County.

Corteva’s most popular corn seed brand is Pioneer, which was founded in 1926 in Des Moines, Iowa. Meanwhile, the company is also known for its Enlist brand of soybeans.

In 1989, Eli Lilly and Co. and Dow Chemical Co. formed DowElanco to produce agricultural products. In 1997, Dow acquired full ownership and renamed the operation Dow AgroSciences.

In 2015, Dow and DuPont announced plans to merge, then divide into three independent companies. A year later, the merged companies became DowDuPont, with Indianapolis being named as one of its “global business centers.”

In 2018, Corteva Agriscience was unveiled as the agricultural division’s new name. A year later, DowDuPont spun off Corteva as an independent company. Chuck Magro has been CEO of Corteva since November 1, 2021.

Source: Wall Street Journal