DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES

12 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2022

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES

DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES

The Company is exposed to market risks, such as changes in interest rates, currency exchange rates and commodity prices. To manage a portion of the volatility related to these exposures, the Company enters into various financial transactions. The utilization of these financial transactions is governed by policies covering acceptable counterparty exposure, instrument types and other hedging practices. The Company does not hold or issue derivative financial instruments for speculative trading purposes.

Exchange Rate Risk Management

The Company uses currency forward contracts to manage the exchange rate risk associated with intercompany loans and certain other balances denominated in foreign currencies. Currency forward contracts are valued using observable forward rates in commonly quoted intervals for the full term of the contracts. The notional amount of outstanding currency forward contracts was $178.6 and $180.3 at September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Contracts outstanding at September 30, 2022 will mature over the next fiscal quarter.

Interest Rate Risk Management

The Company enters into interest rate swap agreements as a means to hedge its variable interest rate risk on debt instruments. Net amounts to be received or paid under the swap agreements are reflected as adjustments to interest expense. The Company has outstanding interest rate swap agreements with major financial institutions that effectively convert a portion of the Company’s variable-rate debt to a fixed rate. Interest rate swap agreements are valued based on the present value of the estimated future net cash flows using implied rates in the applicable yield curve as of the valuation date. Swap agreements that were hedging interest payments as of September 30, 2022 and 2021 had a maximum total U.S. dollar equivalent notional amount of $800.0 and $600.0, respectively. Refer to “NOTE 12. DEBT” for the terms of the swap agreements outstanding at September 30, 2022. Included in the AOCL balance at September 30, 2022 was a gain of $9.7 related to interest rate swap agreements that is expected to be reclassified to earnings during the next twelve months, consistent with the timing of the underlying hedged transactions.

Commodity Price Risk Management

The Company enters into hedging arrangements designed to fix the price of a portion of its projected future urea and diesel requirements. Commodity contracts are valued using observable commodity exchange prices in active markets. Included in the AOCL balance at September 30, 2022 was a gain of $9.5 related to commodity hedges that is expected to be reclassified to earnings during the next twelve months, consistent with the timing of the underlying hedged transactions.

The Company had the following outstanding commodity contracts that were entered into to hedge forecasted purchases:

	September 30,
	2022	2021
Commodity
Urea	54,000 tons	94,500 tons
Diesel	3,150,000 gallons	5,880,000 gallons
Heating Oil	1,218,000 gallons	2,268,000 gallons

Fair Values of Derivative Instruments

The fair values of the Company’s derivative instruments, which represent Level 2 fair value measurements, were as follows:

		Assets / (Liabilities)
		2022		2021
Derivatives Designated as Hedging Instruments	Balance Sheet Location	Fair Value
Interest rate swap agreements	Prepaid and other current assets	$	12.8	$	—
	Other assets	18.2		3.3
	Other current liabilities	—		(5.7)
	Other liabilities	—		(2.5)
Commodity hedging instruments	Prepaid and other current assets	2.4		13.9
Total derivatives designated as hedging instruments		$	33.4	$	9.0
Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments	Balance Sheet Location
Currency forward contracts	Prepaid and other current assets	$	3.4	$	3.4
	Other current liabilities	—		(0.2)
Commodity hedging instruments	Prepaid and other current assets	0.4		1.3
Total derivatives not designated as hedging instruments		3.8		4.5
Total derivatives		$	37.2	$	13.5

The effect of derivative instruments on AOCL, net of tax, and the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended September 30 was as follows:

 

	Amount of Gain / (Loss) Recognized in AOCL
Derivatives in Cash Flow Hedging Relationships	2022		2021
Interest rate swap agreements	$	24.1	$	3.4
Commodity hedging instruments	5.8		16.4
Total	$	29.9	$	19.8

 

	Reclassified from AOCL into	Amount of Gain / (Loss)
Derivatives in Cash Flow Hedging Relationships	Statement of Operations	2022		2021
Interest rate swap agreements	Interest expense	$	(2.1)	$	(7.7)
Commodity hedging instruments	Cost of sales	8.9		2.3
Total		$	6.8	$	(5.4)

 

	Recognized in	Amount of Gain / (Loss)
Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments	Statement of Operations	2022		2021
Currency forward contracts	Other income / expense, net	$	17.9	$	(4.2)
Commodity hedging instruments	Cost of sales	10.5		4.5
Total		$	28.4	$	0.3