ORGANIZATION AND CONSOLIDATION

12 Months Ended

Oct. 31, 2016

ORGANIZATION AND CONSOLIDATION

ORGANIZATION AND CONSOLIDATION

1. ORGANIZATION AND CONSOLIDATION

Structure of Operations

The information in the notes and related commentary are presented in a format which includes data grouped as follows:

Equipment Operations – Includes the company’s agriculture and turf operations and construction and forestry operations with financial services reflected on the equity basis.

Financial Services – Includes primarily the company’s financing operations.

Consolidated – Represents the consolidation of the equipment operations and financial services. References to “Deere & Company” or “the company” refer to the entire enterprise.

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements represent primarily the consolidation of all companies in which Deere & Company has a controlling interest. Certain variable interest entities (VIEs) are consolidated since the company has both the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the VIEs’ economic performance and the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits that could potentially be significant to the VIEs. Deere & Company records its investment in each unconsolidated affiliated company (generally 20 to 50 percent ownership) at its related equity in the net assets of such affiliate (see Note 10). Other investments (less than 20 percent ownership) are recorded at cost.

Fiscal Year

The company uses a 52/53 week fiscal year ending on the last Sunday in the reporting period. The fiscal year ends for 2016, 2015 and 2014 were October 30, 2016, November 1, 2015 and November 2, 2014, respectively. Fiscal year 2014 contained 53 weeks. For ease of presentation, the consolidated financial statements and notes continue to be dated October 31.

Variable Interest Entities

See Note 13 for VIEs related to securitization of financing receivables.