BACKGROUND AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION	6 Months Ended
BACKGROUND AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION	Feb. 28, 2018
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
BACKGROUND AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION	BACKGROUND AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION Monsanto Company, along with its subsidiaries, is a leading global provider of agricultural products for farmers. Monsanto’s seeds, biotechnology trait products, herbicides and digital agriculture products provide farmers with solutions that help improve productivity, reduce the costs of farming and produce better food for consumers and better feed for animals. Monsanto manages its business in two reportable segments: Seeds and Genomics and Agricultural Productivity. Through the Seeds and Genomics segment, Monsanto produces leading seed brands, including DEKALB, Asgrow, Deltapine, Seminis and De Ruiter, and Monsanto develops biotechnology traits that assist farmers in controlling insects and weeds and digital agriculture products, including Climate Fieldview to assist farmers in decision making. Monsanto also provides other seed companies with genetic material and biotechnology traits for their seed brands. Through the Agricultural Productivity segment, the company manufactures Roundup and XtendiMax Herbicide with VaporGrip Technology brand herbicides and other herbicides. See Note 20 — Segment Information — for further details. In the fourth quarter of 2008, the company announced plans to divest its animal agricultural products business, which focused on dairy cow productivity and was previously reported as part of the Agricultural Productivity segment. This transaction was consummated on Oct. 1, 2008, and included a 10-year earn-out with potential annual payments being earned by Monsanto if certain revenue levels are exceeded. As a result, financial data for this business has been presented as discontinued operations. On Jul. 25, 2017, the company signed a definitive agreement with AGCO Corporation to sell the Precision Planting equipment business for approximately $200 million in cash. As of Aug. 31, 2017, Monsanto had $156 million of assets held for sale and $12 million of liabilities held for sale classified within miscellaneous short-term accruals on the Statement of Consolidated Financial Position related to this transaction. The assets were primarily classified as inventory, net; trade receivables, net; property, plant, and equipment, net; goodwill; and other intangible assets, net, and the liabilities were primarily classified as accrued marketing programs and accounts payable. In the first quarter of fiscal 2018, the company closed on its sale of the Precision Planting equipment business, and a gain of approximately $52 million was recognized within other income, net in the Statement of Consolidated Operations. In addition to the aforementioned divestment, during the three and six months ended Feb. 28, 2018, the company recognized income of approximately $50 million and $83 million within other income, net in the Statements of Consolidated Operations as a result of non-core asset sales. During the three months ended Feb. 28, 2018, approximately $50 million of income was recorded in the Agricultural Productivity segment. During the six months ended Feb. 28, 2018, approximately $83 million of income was split by segment as follows: $50 million in Agricultural Productivity and $33 million in Seeds and Genomics. In the second quarter of fiscal 2017, the company divested its European-based silthiofam seed-treatment chemical business previously reported as part of the Agricultural Productivity segment for approximately $140 million in cash. Approximately $85 million, less the carrying amount of assets sold of approximately $2 million, was recognized within other income, net in the Statements of Consolidated Operations for the three and six months ended Feb. 28, 2017. The recognition of the remaining $55 million is contingent on silthiofam re-registration within the European Union. The company did not have any other material non-core asset sales in the three and six months ended Feb. 28, 2017, except as described above. The accompanying consolidated financial statements have not been audited but have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States for interim financial information and with instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. In the opinion of management, these unaudited consolidated financial statements contain all necessary adjustments which are normal and recurring to present fairly the financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods reported. This Report on Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with Monsanto’s Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2017. Financial information for the second quarter and first six months of fiscal year 2018 should not be annualized because of the seasonality of the company’s business.

MONSANTO CO /NEW/ 10-Q