v3.26.1
Derivative Financial Instruments and Hedging Activities
 6 Months Ended
Feb. 28, 2026
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]  
Derivative Financial Instruments and Hedging Activities Derivative Financial Instruments and Hedging Activities
    We enter into various derivative instruments to manage our exposure to movements primarily associated with agricultural and energy commodity prices and, to a lesser degree, foreign currency exchange rates. Except for certain cash-settled swaps related to future crude oil purchases and refined product sales, which are accounted for as cash flow hedges, our derivative instruments represent economic hedges of price risk for which hedge accounting under ASC Topic 815 is not applied. Rather, the derivative instruments are recorded on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets at fair value with changes in fair value being recorded directly to earnings, primarily within cost of goods sold in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. See Note 12, Fair Value Measurements, for additional information. The majority of our exchange-traded agricultural commodity futures are settled daily through CHS Hedging, LLC, our wholly-owned FCM.

Derivative assets and liabilities with maturities of less than 12 months are recorded in other current assets and other current liabilities, respectively, on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The amount of current derivative assets recorded on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of February 28, 2026, and August 31, 2025, was $267.7 million and $177.2 million, respectively. The amount of current derivative liabilities recorded on our Condensed Consolidated Balance
Sheets as of February 28, 2026, and August 31, 2025, was $367.4 million and $178.0 million, respectively. Derivative assets and liabilities with maturities greater than 12 months are recorded in other assets and other liabilities, respectively, on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The amount of long-term derivative assets recorded on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of February 28, 2026, and August 31, 2025, was $5.4 million and $2.0 million, respectively. The amount of long-term derivative liabilities recorded on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of February 28, 2026, and August 31, 2025, was $1.3 million and $1.7 million, respectively.

Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments

The following tables present the gross fair values of derivative assets, derivative liabilities and related margin deposits (cash collateral) recorded on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, along with related amounts permitted to be offset in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Although we have certain netting arrangements for our exchange-traded futures and options contracts and certain over-the-counter ("OTC") contracts, we have elected to report our derivative instruments on a gross basis on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets under ASC Topic 210-20, Balance Sheet-Offsetting.
February 28, 2026
Amounts Not Offset on Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet but Eligible for Offsetting
Gross Amount RecognizedCash CollateralDerivative InstrumentsNet Amount
Derivative assets(Dollars in thousands)
Commodity derivatives$191,894 $— $47,775 $144,119 
Foreign exchange derivatives79,046 — 7,068 71,978 
Total$270,940 $— $54,843 $216,097 
Derivative liabilities
Commodity derivatives$333,249 $528 $48,327 $284,394 
Foreign exchange derivatives34,608 — 7,068 27,540 
Total$367,857 $528 $55,395 $311,934 

August 31, 2025
Amounts Not Offset on Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet but Eligible for Offsetting
Gross Amount RecognizedCash CollateralDerivative InstrumentsNet Amount
Derivative assets(Dollars in thousands)
Commodity derivatives$130,491 $— $10,715 $119,776 
Foreign exchange derivatives43,527 — 9,379 34,148 
Total$174,018 $— $20,094 $153,924 
Derivative liabilities
Commodity derivatives$166,122 $232 $10,715 $155,175 
Foreign exchange derivatives11,771 — 9,379 2,392 
Total$177,893 $232 $20,094 $157,567 

    
    The following table sets forth the pretax gains (losses) on derivatives not accounted for as hedging instruments that have been included in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three and six months ended February 28, 2026 and 2025.
Three Months Ended February 28,Six Months Ended February 28,
Location of Gain (Loss)2026202520262025
(Dollars in thousands)
Commodity derivativesCost of goods sold$(105,783)$(22,912)$(118,619)$49,544 
Foreign exchange derivativesCost of goods sold16,490 12,851 10,486 4,010 
Foreign exchange derivativesMarketing, general and administrative expenses724 2,191 956 (68)
Total$(88,569)$(7,870)$(107,177)$53,486 
Commodity Contracts
    
    As of February 28, 2026, and August 31, 2025, we had outstanding commodity futures and options contracts that were used as economic hedges, as well as fixed-price forward contracts related to physical purchases and sales of commodities. The table below presents the notional volumes for all outstanding commodity contracts.
 February 28, 2026August 31, 2025
LongShortLongShort
 (Units in thousands)
Grain and oilseed (bushels)550,655 935,048 468,345702,025
Energy products (barrels)15,056 14,538 10,0596,687
Processed grain and oilseed (tons)1,229 2,714 1,1682,429
Crop nutrients (tons)9 37 2932
Natural gas (metric million Btu)420 — 180—

Foreign Exchange Contracts

    We conduct a substantial portion of our business in U.S. dollars, but we are exposed to risks relating to foreign currency fluctuations, primarily due to global grain marketing transactions in South America, the Asia Pacific region and Europe and purchases of products from Canada. We use foreign currency derivative instruments to mitigate the impact of exchange rate fluctuations. Although CHS has some risk exposure relating to foreign currency transactions, a larger impact with exchange rate fluctuations is the ability of foreign buyers to purchase U.S. agricultural products and the competitiveness of U.S. agricultural products compared to the same products offered by alternative sources of world supply. The notional amount of our foreign exchange derivative contracts was $1.8 billion and $1.7 billion as of February 28, 2026, and August 31, 2025, respectively.

Derivatives Designated as Cash Flow Hedging Strategies

    Certain pay-fixed, receive-variable, cash-settled swaps are designated as cash flow hedges of future crude oil purchases in our Energy segment. We also designate certain pay-variable, receive-fixed, cash-settled swaps as cash flow hedges of future refined energy product sales. These hedging instruments and the related hedged items are exposed to significant market price risk and potential volatility. As part of our risk management strategy, we look to hedge a portion of our expected future crude oil needs and the resulting refined product output based on prevailing futures prices, management's expectations about future commodity price changes and our risk appetite. We may also elect to dedesignate certain derivative instruments previously designated as cash flow hedges as part of our risk management strategy. Amounts recorded in other comprehensive income for these dedesignated derivative instruments remain in other comprehensive income and are recognized in earnings in the period in which the underlying transactions affect earnings. The aggregate notional amounts of cash flow hedges were 6.0 million and 5.1 million barrels as of February 28, 2026, and August 31, 2025, respectively.

    The following table presents the fair value of our commodity derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges and the locations on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets in which they are recorded.
Derivative AssetsDerivative Liabilities
Balance Sheet LocationFebruary 28,
2026		August 31,
2025		Balance Sheet LocationFebruary 28,
2026		August 31,
2025
(Dollars in thousands)(Dollars in thousands)
Other current assets$2,138 $5,197 Other current liabilities$846 $1,786 

    The following table presents the pretax gains (losses) recorded in other comprehensive income relating to cash flow hedges for the three and six months ended February 28, 2026 and 2025.
Three Months Ended February 28,Six Months Ended February 28,
2026202520262025
 (Dollars in thousands)
Commodity derivatives$(537)$6 $(2,119)$1,829 
    The following table presents the pretax gains relating to our existing cash flow hedges that were reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss into our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three and six months ended February 28, 2026 and 2025.
Three Months Ended February 28,Six Months Ended February 28,
Location of Gain2026202520262025
  (Dollars in thousands)
Commodity derivativesCost of goods sold$700 $3,568 $3,895 $8,097