Corteva Agriscience could split into two companies

Quoting “people familiar with the matter”, the WSJ report said Corteva had a market value of around US$50bn “and could unveil its plans soon, assuming the talks don’t hit any last-minute snags”.

Corteva was created as part of the 2017 merger between DuPont and Dow Chemical, becoming a standalone, publicly traded company in 2019. It is among the largest US crop protection producers, competing with Switzerland’s Syngenta and German firms BASF and Bayer.

While Corteva and its competitors had closely teamed their seed businesses and biotech traits with their pesticide offerings, the WSJ article on 12 September suggested one reason for separating Corteva’s seed unit from its pesticide business would be to “help shield its seeds from any future liabilities associated with its pest and weed-killing chemicals”.

Bayer has faced years of legal liability and battles over its glyphosate weedkiller product Roundup although the WSJ noted that Corteva had not had “the same legal pressure as Bayer and isn’t involved in that litigation”.

Corteva is the owner of the Pioneer seed brand, with products including genetically modified corn and soyabeans. It also owns the Enlist herbicide-tolerant trait system which can be found in Pioneer seeds.

Reuters wrote on 15 September that Corteva’s co-developed seed traits and crop protection products had historically delivered strong synergies.

Corteva’s seed business generated about 56.5% of total net sales of US$16.90bn last year, while its crop-protection segment, which includes herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and seed treatments, accounted for 43.5%.

Although the company has business units globally, its dominant market remains North America, which accounting for US$8.6bn in total sales last year, according to the WSJ report.

In the first half of 2025, Corteva reported US$10.9bn in sales, up 3% from the previous year, citing seed pricing gains and strong growth in seed sales in North America.

However, Corteva also noted the company’s crop protection business was facing competitive price pressures.

According to a company fact sheet, Corteva sells seed for more than 100 crops and has more than 400 seed and crop protection products. The company has approximately 100 production facilities around the world and more than 120 R&D facilities.

Tags: pesticide, seed, pioneer, Corteva Agriscience, businesses