SCHEDULE 14A
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INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section
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Definitive Proxy Statement
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Materials
DEERE &
COMPANY
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DEERE &
COMPANY
One John Deere Place
Moline,
Illinois 61265
___________________________
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
February 24, 2010
Deeres annual stockholders meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 24, 2010, at 10:00 a.m. Central Standard Time at Deeres headquarters at One John Deere Place, Moline in Rock Island County, Illinois. You can find directions to our headquarters on the back cover of the Proxy Statement. At the annual meeting, stockholders will be asked to:
1. | Elect the following
directors (see page 4); Samuel R. Allen Aulana L. Peters David B. Speer | ||
2. | Amend Deeres Restated Certificate of Incorporation to declassify the Board and provide for annual election of all directors (see page 6); | ||
3. | Amend the John Deere Omnibus Equity and Incentive Plan (see page 7); | ||
4. | Re-approve the John Deere Short-Term Incentive Bonus Plan (see page 15); | ||
5. | Ratify the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as Deeres independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal 2010 (see page 19); | ||
6. | Vote on stockholder proposals (see pages 20 to 28); and | ||
7. | Consider any other business properly brought before the meeting. |
You may vote at the meeting if you were a Deere stockholder at the close of business on December 31, 2009.
To be sure that your shares are properly represented at the meeting, whether you attend or not, please sign, date and promptly mail the enclosed proxy card or voter instruction form in the enclosed envelope, or vote through the telephone or Internet voting procedures described on the proxy card or voter instruction form. If your shares are held in the name of a bank, broker or other holder of record, telephone or Internet voting will be available to you only if offered by them. Their procedures should be described on the voting form they send to you.
YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT WE URGE YOU TO VOTE USING TELEPHONE OR INTERNET VOTING, IF AVAILABLE TO YOU, OR BY SIGNING, DATING AND RETURNING THE ENCLOSED PROXY IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE. NO POSTAGE IS NECESSARY IF IT IS MAILED IN THE UNITED STATES. |
Along with the attached Proxy Statement, we are also sending you our 2009 annual report, which includes our financial statements. Most of you can elect to view future proxy statements and annual reports over the Internet instead of receiving paper copies in the mail. Please refer to page 3 of the Proxy Statement and your proxy card for further information.
For the Board of Directors, | |
Moline, Illinois | GREGORY R. NOE |
January 13, 2010 | Secretary |
TABLE OF CONTENTS |
PAGE | |
Proxy Statement | 1 |
Annual Report | 3 |
Electronic Delivery of Proxy Statement and Annual Report | 3 |
Householding Information | 4 |
Election of Directors | 4 |
Company Proposals | 6 |
Ratification of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm | 19 |
Fees Paid to the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm | 19 |
Stockholder Proposals | 20 |
Other Matters | 29 |
Directors Continuing in Office | 29 |
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management | 31 |
Corporate Governance | 33 |
Committees | 35 |
Compensation of Directors | 40 |
Audit Review Committee Report | 43 |
Compensation Discussion & Analysis (CD&A) | 45 |
Compensation Committee Report | 68 |
Executive Compensation Tables | 69 |
Equity Compensation Plan Information | 95 |
Stockholder Proposals and Nominations | 96 |
Cost of Solicitation | 97 |
Appendix AAmendments to the Restated Certificate of Incorporation to | |
Declassify the Board | A-1 |
Appendix BJohn Deere Omnibus Equity and Incentive Plan | |
(As Amended February 24, 2010) | B-1 |
Appendix C John Deere Short-Term Incentive Bonus Plan | |
(As Amended February 24, 2010) | C-1 |
Appendix D Director Independence Categorical Standards of Deere & Company | |
Corporate Governance Policies | D-1 |
PROXY STATEMENT |
Why am I receiving this proxy
statement?
Our Board of Directors (the
Board) is soliciting proxies for the 2010 annual meeting of stockholders. You
are receiving a proxy statement because you owned shares of Deere common stock
on December 31, 2009, and that entitles you to vote at the meeting. By use of a
proxy, you can vote whether or not you attend the meeting. This Proxy Statement
describes the matters on which we would like you to vote and provides
information on those matters so that you can make an informed decision.
The Notice of Annual Meeting, Proxy Statement, proxy cards and voter instruction cards are being mailed to stockholders on or about January 13, 2010.
What will I be voting on?
How do I
vote?
You can vote either
in person
at the annual meeting or by
proxy without attending the annual meeting.
We urge you to vote by proxy even if you plan to attend the annual meeting so
that we will know as soon as possible that enough votes will be present for us
to hold the meeting. If you attend the meeting in person, you may vote at the
meeting and your proxy will not be counted.
Follow the instructions on your voting instruction form or the enclosed proxy card. Telephone and Internet voting is available to all registered and most beneficial holders.
Stockholders voting by proxy may use one of the following three options:
If you hold your shares in street name, please refer to the information forwarded by your bank, broker or other holder of record to see which options are available to you.
The telephone and Internet voting facilities for stockholders will close at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on February 23, 2010. If you vote over the Internet, you may incur costs, such as telephone and Internet access charges, for which you will be responsible. The telephone and Internet voting procedures are designed to authenticate stockholders and to allow you to confirm that your instructions have been properly recorded.
If you hold shares through one of our employee savings plans, your vote must be received by the plan administrator by February 19, 2010, or the shares represented by the card will not be voted.
Can I change my
vote?
Yes. At any time before your
proxy is voted, you may change your vote by:
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If you hold your shares in street name, please refer to the information forwarded by your bank, broker or other holder of record for procedures on revoking or changing your proxy.
How many votes do I
have?
You will have one vote for every
share of Deere common stock that you owned on December 31, 2009.
How many shares are entitled to
vote?
There are 422,627,513 shares of
Deere common stock outstanding and entitled to vote at the meeting. Each share
is entitled to one vote. There is no cumulative voting.
How many votes must be present to
hold the meeting?
Under our Bylaws, a
majority of the votes that can be cast must be present, in person or by proxy,
to hold the annual meeting.
How many votes are needed for the proposals to pass?
What if I vote
abstain?
A vote to abstain on the
election of directors will have no
effect on the outcome. A vote to abstain on
the other proposals will have the effect of a vote against.
If you vote abstain, your shares will be counted as present for purposes of determining whether enough votes are present to hold the annual meeting.
What if I dont return my proxy card
and dont attend the annual meeting?
If you are a holder of record (that is, your shares are registered in
your own name with our transfer agent) and you dont vote your shares, your
shares will not be voted.
Under rules of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), if you hold your shares in street name, and you do not give your bank, broker or other holder of record specific voting instructions for your shares, your record holder can vote your shares on the ratification of the independent registered public accounting firm and the companys proposal for amending our Restated Certificate of Incorporation to declassify the Board.
However, your record holder cannot vote your shares without your specific instructions on the election of directors, approval of the amendments to the John Deere Omnibus Equity and Incentive Plan, and the re-approval of the John Deere Short-Term Incentive Bonus Plan. In addition, your record holder cannot vote your shares without your specific instructions for the three stockholder proposals.
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For the aforementioned proposals for which a broker cannot vote without your instruction, if you do not provide voting instructions to your broker on such proposals, the votes will be considered broker non-votes and will not be counted in determining the outcome of the vote. Broker non-votes will be counted as present for purposes of determining whether enough votes are present to hold the annual meeting.
What happens if a nominee for
director declines or is unable to accept election?
If you vote by proxy, and if unforeseen circumstances make it
necessary for the Board to substitute another person for a nominee, we will vote
your shares for that other person.
Is my vote
confidential?
Yes. Your voting records
will not be disclosed to us except:
The tabulator, the proxy solicitation agent and the inspectors of voting must comply with confidentiality guidelines that prohibit disclosure of votes to Deere. The tabulator of the votes and at least one of the inspectors of voting will be independent of Deere and our officers and directors.
If you are a holder of record or an employee savings plan participant, and you write comments on your proxy card, your comments will be provided to us, but your vote will remain confidential.
ANNUAL REPORT |
Will I receive a copy of Deeres
annual report?
Unless you have
previously elected to view our annual reports over the Internet, we have mailed
you our Annual Report for the year ended October 31, 2009, with this Proxy
Statement. The Annual Report includes our audited financial statements, along
with other financial information, and we urge you to read it
carefully.
How can I receive a copy of Deeres
10-K?
You can obtain, free of charge,
a copy of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended October 31, 2009,
by:
Deere &
Company
Stockholder
Relations
One John Deere
Place
Moline, Illinois
61265-8098
You can also obtain a copy of our Form 10-K and other periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from the SECs EDGAR database at www.sec.gov.
ELECTRONIC DELIVERY OF PROXY STATEMENT AND ANNUAL REPORT |
Can I access Deeres proxy materials
and annual report electronically?
Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the
Stockholder Meeting to be Held on February 24, 2010.
The Proxy Statement and Annual Report to security holders are available on our Internet site at www.JohnDeere.com/stock.
Most stockholders can elect to view future proxy statements and annual reports over the Internet instead of receiving paper copies in the mail.
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You can choose this option and save us the cost of producing and mailing these documents by:
If you choose to view future proxy statements and annual reports over the Internet, you will receive an e-mail message next year containing the Internet address to use to access our proxy statement and annual report. The e-mail also will include instructions for voting over the Internet. You will have the opportunity to opt out at any time by following the instructions at http://enroll.icsdelivery.com/de. Unless you subsequently elect to opt out, future notices will be available through Internet access. You do not have to re-elect Internet access each year.
HOUSEHOLDING INFORMATION |
What is
householding?
We have adopted a
procedure called householding, which has been approved by the SEC. Under this
procedure, a single copy of the Annual Report and Proxy Statement will be sent
to any household at which two or more stockholders reside if they appear to be
members of the same family, unless one of the stockholders at that address
notifies us that they wish to receive individual copies. This procedure reduces
our printing costs and fees.
Stockholders who participate in householding will continue to receive separate proxy cards.
Householding will not affect dividend check mailings in any way.
If a single copy of the Annual Report and Proxy Statement was delivered to an address that you share with another stockholder, we will promptly deliver a separate copy if you make a written or oral request to Deere & Company Stockholder Relations, One John Deere Place, Moline, Illinois 61265-8098, (309) 765-4539.
How do I revoke my consent to the
householding program?
If you are a
holder of record and share an address and last name with one or more other
holders of record, and you wish to continue to receive separate annual reports,
proxy statements and other disclosure documents, you must revoke your consent by
contacting Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (Broadridge), either by
calling toll free at (800) 542-1061 or by writing to Broadridge, Householding
Department, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, New York 11717. You will be removed from
the householding program within 30 days of receipt of the revocation of your
consent.
A number of brokerage firms have instituted householding. If you hold your shares in street name, please contact your bank, broker or other holder of record to request information about householding.
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS |
Samuel R. Allen, Aulana L. Peters, and David B. Speer are to be elected for terms expiring at the annual meeting in 2013.
The Corporate Governance Committee of the Board recommended these individuals to the Board and the Board nominated them.
Each nominees age, present position, principal occupations during the past five or more years, positions with Deere and directorships in other companies appear below.
Mr. Samuel R. Allen was appointed to the Board during 2009 for a term expiring at the annual meeting in 2010.
Mr. Robert W. Lanes current term on the Board of Directors will expire following the annual meeting on February 24, 2010, at which time the size of the Board will be decreased accordingly.
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THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE
FOR ALL THREE NOMINEES. |
Name and Age at | Present Position, Principal Occupations during the Past Five or More | |
December 31, 2009 | Years, Positions with Deere and Other Directorships | |
Samuel R. Allen Age 56 |
President and Chief Executive Officer of
Deere
| |
Aulana L. Peters Age 68 |
Retired Partner of Gibson, Dunn &
Crutcher LLP since 2000
| |
David B.
Speer Age 58 |
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
of Illinois Tool Works Inc.
|
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COMPANY PROPOSALS |
COMPANY PROPOSAL #1APPROVAL OF
AMENDMENTS TO RESTATED
CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION TO DECLASSIFY THE BOARD
AND
PROVIDE FOR ANNUAL ELECTION OF ALL
DIRECTORS
After careful consideration and upon the recommendation of the Boards Corporate Governance Committee, which is comprised entirely of independent directors, the Board has unanimously determined that it would be in the best interests of Deere and its stockholders to amend Deeres Restated Certificate of Incorporation to declassify the Board and provide for the annual election of all directors, as described below. The Board recommends that Deeres stockholders vote FOR approval of this amendment to the Restated Certificate of Incorporation.
Article Sixth of the current Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that the Board shall be divided into three classes, each class consisting, as nearly as may be possible, of one-third of the total number of directors constituting the entire Board, and members of each class are elected to serve for staggered three-year terms.
The Board has approved, and recommends for approval by Deere stockholders, the proposed amendment to the Restated Certificate of Incorporation that would provide, if approved by Deere stockholders, for the elimination of the classified structure of the Board through the election of directors whose terms are expiring for one-year terms. As the amendment would not shorten the existing term of a director, the directors who have been elected to three-year terms prior to the effectiveness of the amendment (including directors elected at this annual meeting) will complete those terms. Beginning with the 2013 annual meeting, the entire Board will be elected annually. Directors elected by the Board to fill vacancies would serve only until the next election of directors by the stockholders or until a directors earlier resignation or removal. In accordance with Delaware law, the directors who are elected to the Board after this annual meeting may be removed by stockholders with or without cause.
In the 2009 Deere & Company Proxy Statement, the Board supported the shareholder proposal for annual election of directors. In determining whether to recommend declassification as described above, the Board and the Boards Corporate Governance Committee carefully reviewed once again the various arguments for and against a classified board structure. The Board and the Boards Corporate Governance Committee recognize that a classified structure may offer several advantages, such as promoting board continuity and stability and facilitating the Boards ability to focus on Deeres strategic planning and performance. The Board and the Boards Corporate Governance Committee, however, also recognize that some investors favor annual elections and consider adoption of a declassified board structure an emerging corporate governance best practice trend.
Upon further consideration of such matters, including the vote of the Deere stockholders at the last annual meeting on the proposal relating to this matter and the Boards belief that such action would support Deeres ongoing effort to adopt best practices in corporate governance, the Board, upon recommendation of the Boards Corporate Governance Committee, unanimously determined to approve the proposed amendment and to recommend its adoption by stockholders.
To implement the proposal, Deere stockholders are being asked to vote in favor of amending Article Sixth and Section 2.74 of Article Fourth of Deeres Restated Certificate of Incorporation. The amendments are attached as Appendix A.
If Deeres stockholders approve the proposed amendments, the amendments will become legally effective upon the filing of a certificate of amendment to Deeres Restated Certificate of Incorporation with the Delaware Secretary of State. Deere would make that filing shortly after this annual meeting.
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If Deeres stockholders do not approve the proposed amendments, the Board will remain classified. The Board has also approved conforming amendments to Deeres Bylaws, which will become effective upon the filing of the certificate of amendment.
In order to be approved, the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares outstanding must be cast in favor of this proposal. An abstention or a broker non-vote will have the same effect as a vote against this proposal.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE
FOR THE AMENDMENTS TO THE RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION TO DECLASSIFY THE BOARD. |
COMPANY PROPOSAL #2AMENDMENTS TO THE
JOHN DEERE OMNIBUS
EQUITY AND INCENTIVE PLAN
Summary of the Proposal
The Board of Directors has amended the John Deere Omnibus Equity and Incentive Plan (referred to in this section of the proxy statement as the Plan). The amendments were recommended to the Board by its Compensation Committee (the Committee) and are subject to the approval of our stockholders. We are asking our stockholders to approve the following amendments to the Plan:
If our stockholders fail to approve the foregoing amendments to the Plan, the amendments will not be given effect, and the Plan will continue as in effect prior to amendment. Stockholder approval of the Plan as amended will also constitute approval of the material terms of the performance goals contained in the Plan for purposes of enabling Deere to meet the requirements under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code (Section 162(m)) for tax deductibility of amounts paid under the Plan to certain of Deeres executive officers.
A copy of the Plan as amended is attached as Appendix B to this Proxy Statement. The description that follows is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Plan as set forth in Appendix B.
Our stockholders originally approved the Plan in 2000 and approved amendments to the Plan in 2003 and 2006. The Plan allows us to grant our salaried employees a range of compensation awards based on or related to Deere common stock, including stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock or stock units, performance awards and substitute awards. Employees may lose certain of their awards unless they meet performance goals or restrictions are removed. We may use previously unissued common stock or common stock held in treasury for awards under the Plan.
The Plan initially reserved 19,000,000 shares of common stock plus approximately 9,800,000 unused shares authorized under prior plans. The amendments approved in 2003 and 2006 authorized an additional 34,500,000 shares for grants of options and stock appreciation rights.
As of December 31, 2009, approximately 6,400,000 shares remained available for new awards under the Plan. The closing market price for Deere common stock on December 31, 2009 was $54.09.
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The amendments authorize an additional 13,000,000 shares for awards under the Plan (representing approximately 3% of all currently outstanding shares of Deere common stock.) Consistent with existing Plan provisions, the number of shares authorized for the Plan will be reduced by approximately 2.5 shares for each share awarded for full value awards, such as restricted stock, restricted stock units and performance awards. Generally, full value awards are any awards other than stock options and stock appreciation rights. The number of authorized shares is reduced by a greater amount in recognition of the greater initial value of these types of awards.
The Plan is currently scheduled to expire on December 31, 2011. The amendments extend the term of the Plan by four years, until December 31, 2015.
The Plan currently requires stockholder approval (to the extent required by law, agreement or stock exchange rules) of amendments that increase the amount of common stock authorized for the Plan, modify eligibility requirements, materially increase Plan benefits, or extend the term of the Plan. In alignment with rules of the New York Stock Exchange, the Plan as amended will require stockholder approval (to the extent required by law, agreement or stock exchange rules) of amendments that:
The amendments will enable us to continue an equity-based long-term incentive program that has been in effect since 1960. The Board of Directors believes that the program and the Plan have helped Deere compete for, motivate and retain high caliber executive, administrative and professional employees. The Board believes that it is in the best interests of Deere and its stockholders to amend the Plan as proposed. Consistent with our compensation objectives, rewards under the Plan depend on those factors which directly benefit our stockholders: dividends paid and appreciation in the market value of our common stock.
The affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote at the meeting is required to approve the proposed amendments to the Plan.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE FOR
THE AMENDMENTS TO THE OMNIBUS EQUITY AND INCENTIVE PLAN |
Principal Features of the Plan
We describe below the other principal terms of the Plan.
Administration | The Committee (or a subcommittee of the Committee) administers the Plan. The Committee is responsible for interpreting and administering the Plan and for selecting those salaried employees (including executive officers) who will receive awards. The Committee may delegate any of its authority under the Plan to other persons, including officers of Deere (the Company), except for its authority to amend, suspend or terminate the Plan and as prohibited by law or regulation. |
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Eligibility and Participation |
Salaried employees, including executive officers, of Deere and its subsidiaries are eligible to receive awards under the Plan. The Committee, in its discretion, selects those eligible employees who will receive awards. Deere is not obligated to make awards under the Plan at any time. During the fiscal year ended October 31, 2009, we granted options under the Plan covering 4,603,709 shares to 733 employees and restricted stock units equivalent to 330,079 shares to 23 executives. In December 2009, we granted options under the Plan covering 4,051,808 shares to 770 employees and granted restricted stock units equivalent to 153,319 shares to 23 executives. We cannot at this time identify the class of persons to whom we will grant awards in the future, nor can we state the form or value of any future awards. | |
Individual Limits | During any fiscal year, no executive officer may receive awards of stock options and stock appreciation rights covering more than 0.5% of the total number of Deere shares outstanding at the beginning of the fiscal year in which the amendments to the Plan are approved by the Companys stockholders (2,116,212 shares if the amendments are approved by stockholders at the February 2010 meeting). In addition, no executive officer may receive more than the equivalent of 600,000 shares of our common stock in any fiscal year pursuant to performance awards, restricted stock awards and restricted stock equivalent awards. | |
Options and Stock Appreciation Rights |
The per share exercise price of options granted under the Plan may not be less than the fair market value of a share of Deere common stock on the date of grant. The exercise price may not be modified once it is established except pursuant to anti-dilution adjustments (see Amendment and Adjustment below). For purposes of the Plan, the fair market value of a share on any date is the average of the highest and lowest sale prices on the New York Stock Exchange during regular trading hours on that date (or the last date on which this information was reported). With certain exceptions, optionees may pay the exercise price of options in cash, in Deere common stock, in a combination of cash and stock, through a cashless exercise program or through a net share settlement procedure established by the Committee. The Committee may designate options awarded under the Plan as incentive stock options (ISOs), a type of option authorized under the Internal Revenue Code. Options not designated as ISOs are referred to as nonqualified options. In recent years, Deere has issued only nonqualified options. The Plan also authorizes the Committee to grant stock appreciation rights. A stock appreciation right entitles the grantee to receive, upon exercise of the right, an amount equal to the excess of (a) the fair market value on the exercise date of a specified number of shares of Deere common stock, minus (b) the exercise price of the right. The exercise price may not be less than the fair market value of Deere common stock on the date the right is granted. We may pay the amount due to the holder of a stock appreciation right in Deere common stock, in cash or in a combination of cash and stock. Stock appreciation rights may be either unrelated to a stock option or may be alternative to (in tandem with) an option. |
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The date when stock options and stock appreciation rights first become exercisable must be at least six months after the date of grant. Options and stock appreciation rights may have a term of up to ten years. Dividends may not be paid or accrued on unexercised options or stock appreciation rights. Options and stock appreciation rights generally remain exercisable for a limited time following termination of employment due to death, disability, retirement or with the consent of the Committee. Upon any other kind of termination, options and stock appreciation rights immediately expire. Except in connection with certain corporate transactions, the exercise and base prices of options and stock appreciation rights may not be lowered and out-of-the-money options and rights may not be repurchased or exchanged without stockholder approval. | ||
Performance Awards |
The Committee may grant performance awards either as performance shares (with each performance share representing one share of Deere common stock) or performance units (representing a dollar amount established by the Committee at the time of the award). Performance awards are earned over a performance period of at least one year. There may be more than one performance award in existence at any one time, and the performance periods may differ or overlap. The Committee establishes minimum, target, and maximum performance goals when it grants performance awards. The Committee determines the portion of the performance award earned by the participant based on the degree to which the performance goals are achieved over the relevant performance period. A participant will not earn any portion of a performance award unless the minimum performance goals are met. When earned, we may pay performance awards in cash, in Deere common stock or in a combination of cash and stock, and in a lump sum or in installments. The Committee determines the form and manner of payment. Dividends may be accrued but not paid on performance shares while they are subject to performance targets. The Committee, as it deems appropriate, may establish performance goals for each performance period from among any of the following factors, or any combination of the following:
|
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Performance goals may be measured on an absolute basis or relative to selected peer companies or market indices. The Plan also authorizes the Committee, subject to the restrictions of Section 162(m), to reduce grants or adjust performance goals if we acquire or dispose of certain assets or securities. | ||
Restricted Stock or
|
Restricted stock or restricted stock equivalents have restriction periods and price goals that the Committee designates at the time of the award. Restriction periods must be at least three years for time-based restrictions and at least one year for performance-based restrictions. A maximum of 5% of the aggregate shares authorized for the Plan may be restricted stock or stock equivalents with no minimum vesting periods. Each restricted stock equivalent represents the right to receive an amount determined by the Committee at the time of the award. The value of a restricted stock equivalent may be equal to the full monetary value of one share of our common stock. Any award of restricted stock or stock equivalents to an executive officer intended to qualify as performance-based compensation must include a stock price goal during the restriction period. | |
Other Awards |
The Committee may grant other forms of equity-based awards consistent with the purposes of the Plan. The Committee may base other awards on the value of Deere common stock or other criteria. Other awards with a performance goal may not vest in less than one year. Other awards without a performance goal may not vest in less than three years. Other awards include the restricted stock units which we award to certain officers (as described below under the heading Plan Benefits.) The Plan also authorizes the Committee to grant awards in substitution for awards granted by an entity that Deere acquires or that combines with Deere. Substitute awards count against the Plans authorized share limits. Substitute awards are not subject to the minimum holding period and minimum exercise price provisions of the Plan. | |
Stockholder Rights |
During the performance or restriction period, participants have the right to receive dividends and to vote the shares of common stock that they have been awarded. Holders of stock options, however, do not have rights as a stockholder prior to exercise. Holders of restricted stock units also do not have rights as a stockholder prior to vesting and payment in shares. With limited exceptions, participants may not transfer, assign, pledge, or encumber awards under the Plan. | |
Cash Equivalents |
The Committee may permit participants to elect to receive performance awards and restricted stock in cash instead of shares. The Committee may also award cash equivalent awards or other alternative forms of awards to employees of foreign subsidiaries or branches. Payments of cash equivalent awards are applied against the Plans authorized share limits based on the fair market value of the common stock covered by the awards. The Committee may also permit participants eligible for our voluntary deferred compensation plan to elect within certain time limits to defer cash payments of performance and restricted awards. |
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Obligations to Deere |
Participants who leave Deere may lose their unexercised stock options and stock appreciation rights, their unearned performance awards and their restricted stock and stock equivalent awards, if they fail to honor consulting or noncompetition obligations to Deere or fail to satisfy other terms specified in the award. | |
Change in Control |
If there is a change in control or potential change in control of Deere, or, in the case of awards made on or after February 24, 2010, there is a change in control of Deere and also a qualifying termination of employment of the participant, the restrictions and vesting requirements of awards may, subject to certain regulatory restrictions, lapse and the value of other awards may be paid to the participants in cash (at the change in control price defined in the Plan). For purposes of the Plan, a change in control is generally considered to have occurred if any of the following occur: | |
(i) | a third party or persons acting as a group acquire 30% or more of the combined voting power or total fair market value of the Companys outstanding stock; | |
(ii) | there is a change in a majority of the incumbent Board of Directors of the Company (other than through election of nominees who are approved by a vote of at least two-thirds of the directors then in office); | |
(iii) | any merger, consolidation or similar business combination of the Company (other than certain transactions that do not result in a substantial change in proportional ownership of the Company); or | |
(iv) | the complete liquidation or a sale of all or substantially all of the Companys assets. | |
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A potential change in control is defined generally to include the entering into of an agreement the consummation of which would result in a change in control, or the acquisition by a third party of securities representing 15% or more of the combined voting power of the Company accompanied by a determination by the Board of Directors of the Company that a potential change in control has occurred for purposes of the Plan. | |
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For purposes of the Plan, a qualifying termination is either: | |
(i) | Deeres termination of the participants employment within the six months preceding or within 24 months following a change in control for reasons other than termination for death, disability or cause (defined as the executives willful and continued nonperformance of duties after written demand; willful conduct that is demonstrably and materially injurious to Deere; or illegal activity); or | |
(ii) | The participants termination of his or her own employment for good reason (defined as material reductions or alterations in the participants authorities, duties or responsibilities; change in office location of at least 50 miles from current residence; material reductions in the participants participation in certain Company compensation plans; or certain other breaches of covenants by Deere within 24 months following a change in control). |
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The double trigger provisions of the Plan will not preclude participants from participating on the same terms as stockholders generally in a change in control transaction in which Deere shares are canceled in exchange for other consideration (such as cash). The lapse of limitations and payment of the value of incentive shares in the event of a change in control or potential change in control may increase the net cost of the change in control and, thus, theoretically could render more difficult or discourage a change in control, even if the change in control would benefit Deere stockholders generally. | ||
Amendment and
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The Committee may suspend or terminate the Plan at any time, but, as described under Summary of the Proposal above, stockholder approval is required for certain amendments. | |
No amendment, suspension or termination of the Plan may materially and adversely affect any outstanding awards without the consent of the participant. If there is a stock dividend or stock split, a combination or another kind of increase or reduction in the number of issued shares of Deere common stock, the Board of Directors or the Committee will adjust the number and type of shares authorized under the Plan and covered by outstanding awards and the exercise price of outstanding awards, as appropriate, to prevent the dilution or enlargement of rights under Plan awards. |
Federal Income Tax Consequences of Stock Options
The following summarizes the consequences under existing U.S. federal income tax rules of the award and exercise of stock options under the Plan.
ISOs |
ISOs are intended to qualify as incentive stock options under Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code. We understand that under current federal income tax law: | |
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Nonqualified Options |
Nonqualified stock options are stock options that do not qualify as ISOs. We understand that under existing U.S. federal income tax law: | |
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Other Tax Matters |
Certain additional rules apply if an optionee pays the exercise price of an option in shares he or she already owns. To the extent permitted by applicable law, we may permit an optionee to have us withhold all or a portion of the shares that the optionee acquires upon the exercise of an option to satisfy all or part of the minimum withholding requirements for federal, state and local income taxes. We may also permit the optionee to deliver other previously acquired shares (other than restricted stock) for the purpose of tax withholding. |
Since awards under the Plan are determined by the Committee in its sole discretion, we cannot determine the benefits or amounts that will be received or allocated in the future under the Plan. For an explanation of the stock options and restricted stock units granted in December 2009, see the Plan Benefits section that follows the Re-Approval of the John Deere Short-Term Incentive Bonus Plan proposal.
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COMPANY PROPOSAL #3RE-APPROVAL OF THE
JOHN DEERE SHORT-TERM
INCENTIVE BONUS PLAN
Summary of the Proposal
The John Deere Short-Term Incentive Bonus Plan (referred to in this section of the Proxy Statement as the STI Plan) is being submitted for stockholder re-approval to meet the requirement under Section 162(m) of the United States Internal Revenue Code (IRC) for tax deductibility of amounts paid under the STI Plan to certain of Deeres executive officers. The STI Plan provides for cash payments to salaried employees based on the achievement of pre-established performance goals over a performance period of one fiscal year.
A copy of the STI Plan as amended is attached as Appendix C to this Proxy Statement. The description that follows is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the STI Plan as set forth in Appendix C.
The affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote at the meeting is required to re-approve the STI Plan. If our stockholders fail to re-approve the STI Plan, any compensation paid under the STI Plan in the future would not meet the conditions for tax deductibility under Section 162(m).
THE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE FOR THE |
Description of the STI Plan and Performance Goals
Purpose |
The purpose of the STI Plan is to provide participants with a meaningful incentive opportunity conditioned on the achievement of specific performance goals. | |
Administration |
The STI Plan is administered by the Compensation Committee of the Board or a subcommittee thereof (the Committee). The Committee will be composed of at least two members of the Board who are intended to qualify as outside directors within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the IRC. The Committee has authority to interpret the STI Plan and maintain administrative guidelines relating to the STI Plan. The Committee may delegate to the Company responsibility for the day-to-day administration of the STI Plan. | |
Eligibility and Participation |
All salaried employees who are actively employed by Deere and its subsidiaries during the fiscal year will be eligible to participate in the STI Plan for that fiscal year. Each year, the Committee will determine those eligible employees who will participate in the STI Plan. Based on current eligibility levels, approximately 27,100 employees will be eligible to participate in the STI Plan on the annual meeting date. To meet the requirements of Section 162(m) of the IRC, certain more restrictive provisions of the STI Plan apply only to executive officers. For purposes of the STI Plan, executive officers means those employees designated by the Committee from year to year for purposes of qualifying payouts under the STI Plan for exemption under Section 162(m) of the IRC. The Committee designated nine executives as executive officers under the STI Plan for the plan year ended October 31, 2009. |
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Award Determination |
Prior to each fiscal year, or as soon as practicable thereafter, the Committee will establish performance goals for that fiscal year. The goals may be based on any combination of consolidated Company, business unit, division, product line, other segment, and individual performance measures, except that an award to an executive officer will not be increased to reflect individual performance. Goals may be measured either on an absolute basis or relative to selected peer companies or a market index. Performance measures with respect to executive officers, as designated by the Committee, will be determined annually from among the following factors, or any combination of the following, as the Committee deems appropriate:
Prior to each fiscal year, or as soon as practicable thereafter, the Committee will also establish, for each job classification, various levels of award payments depending upon the level of achievement of the performance goals. Final awards will be based on the level of achievement of the performance goals, the participants job classification, salary and the predetermined award payout levels. Except with respect to executive officers, the Committee has the discretion to adjust performance goals and payout levels during a fiscal year. With respect to executive officers, the Committee can reduce or eliminate the amount of the final award and can exercise any other discretion as tax counsel advises will not adversely affect Deeres ability to deduct amounts paid under the STI Plan for federal income tax purposes. The maximum amount payable under the STI Plan to a participant for any plan year will be $5,000,000. The STI Plan was revised in 2009 to provide that this limitation is applied based on the plan year rather than the calendar year to reflect that Deeres fiscal year does not coincide with the calendar year. | |
Payments |
Deere will pay all awards in cash as soon as practicable on or before the March 15 following the end of the fiscal year to which the award relates and after the Committee certifies in writing that the performance goals and any other relevant terms of the awards have been satisfied. The Committee may permit participants to defer payments of awards. Awards paid under the STI Plan to certain executives may be recovered by the Company in the event of misconduct. |
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Termination of Employment |
In the event a participants employment is terminated by reason of death, disability, or retirement, or a transfer to a non-participating business unit, the final award of such participant will be reduced to reflect participation prior to the termination or transfer only. In the event of any other kind of termination of service or if the participant gives notice of termination, the participants award for the fiscal year of termination or notice is forfeited. The Committee, however, has discretion to pay a partial award for the portion of the year that the participant was employed by Deere. | |
Change in Control |
In the event of a change in control of Deere, non-executive participants employed as of the date of the change in control will be entitled to an award based on targeted performance. (The rights of executive participants are determined under our Change in Control Severance Program discussed below under Potential Payments upon Change in Control and Other Potential Post-Employment Benefits.). Awards will be paid by the March 15th following the calendar year in which the change in control occurs. For purposes of the STI Plan, a change in control is defined as the occurrence of any of the following:
This definition was revised in 2009 to conform to the definition of Change in Control used in certain other Deere plans. The payment of awards in the event of a change in control may increase the net cost of the change in control and, thus, theoretically could render more difficult or discourage a change in control, even if the change in control would benefit Deere stockholders generally. | |
Duration of the STI Plan |
The STI Plan will remain in effect until it is terminated by the Committee or the Deere Board of Directors. | |
Amendment |
The Committee may, at any time, amend any or all of the provisions of the STI Plan or suspend or terminate it entirely. No amendment, suspension or termination may reduce the rights of a participant to a payment or distribution to which the participant is entitled without the participants consent. | |
STI Plan Philosophy |
For a description of the STI Plan Philosophy, see the discussion in the Short-Term Incentive section of the Compensation Discussion & Analysis in this Proxy Statement. |
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Plan Benefits
Since awards under the John Deere Omnibus Equity and Incentive Plan are determined by the Committee in its sole discretion and awards under the John Deere Short-Term Incentive Bonus Plan are based on the future achievement of performance goals to be established by the Committee, we cannot determine the benefits or amounts that will be received or allocated in the future under the plans. The table below shows, for the individuals and groups described, stock options and restricted stock units granted in December 2009 and bonuses earned in fiscal 2009. These awards are not necessarily indicative of awards that we may make in the future.
December 2009 | Fiscal 2009 | ||||||||
Restricted Stock Units | STI Bonus | ||||||||
Number of | |||||||||
Dollar Value | Restricted Stock | Dollar Value | |||||||
Name and Position | Stock Options (1) | $ (2) | Units | $ (3) | |||||
Samuel R. Allen | 269,353 | $ | 1,412,997 | 27,043 | $ | 653,256 | |||
President and Chief Executive Officer | |||||||||
Robert W. Lane | 0 | $ | 2,499,954 | 47,846 | $ | 1,512,779 | |||
Chairman | |||||||||
James M. Field | 56,457 | $ | 296,153 | 5,668 | $ | 328,666 | |||
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | |||||||||
Michael J. Mack, Jr. | 64,797 | $ | 339,886 | 6,505 | $ | 388,602 | |||
President, Worldwide Construction & | |||||||||
Forestry Division | |||||||||
David C. Everitt | 69,036 | $ | 362,145 | 6,931 | $ | 424,878 | |||
President, Agricultural & Turf Division-North | |||||||||
America, Asia, Australia, Sub-Saharan and South | |||||||||
Africa, and Global Tractor & Turf Products | |||||||||
James A. Israel | 50,808 | $ | 266,527 | 5,101 | $ | 313,387 | |||
President, John Deere Credit | |||||||||
James R. Jenkins | 60,219 | $ | 315,904 | 6,046 | $ | 371,433 | |||
Senior Vice President and General Counsel | |||||||||
H.J. Markley | 65,358 | $ | 342,865 | 6,562 | $ | 403,133 | |||
Retired Executive Vice President | |||||||||
Executive Group | 745,739 | $ | 6,411,911 | 122,716 | $ | 4,868,462 | |||
Non-Executive Director Group (4) | None | None | None | None | |||||
Non-Executive Officer Employee Group | 3,306,069 | $ | 1,599,007 | 30,603 | $ | 191,931,538 |
(1) | Market-priced options that vest over three years (or upon retirement, if earlier) and have a ten-year term. | |
(2) | The dollar value is based on the average of the high and low price of Deere common stock on the NYSE on the grant date (which was $52.25). | |
(3) | Represents the amount earned for fiscal 2009 under the John Deere Short-Term Incentive Bonus Plan. | |
(4) | Non-employee directors are not eligible to participate in the Plan. |
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RATIFICATION OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM |
The Audit Review Committee has approved the selection of Deloitte & Touche LLP to serve as the independent registered public accounting firm to audit Deeres financial statements and internal controls over financial reporting for fiscal 2010. The Audit Review Committee and the Board are requesting that stockholders ratify this appointment as a means of soliciting stockholders opinions and as a matter of good corporate practice.
The affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote at the meeting is required to ratify the selection of Deloitte & Touche LLP. If the stockholders do not ratify the selection, the Audit Review Committee will consider any information submitted by the stockholders in connection with the selection of the independent registered public accounting firm for the next fiscal year. Even if the selection is ratified, the Audit Review Committee, in its discretion, may direct the appointment of a different independent registered public accounting firm at any time during the year if the Audit Review Committee believes such a change would be in the best interest of Deere and its stockholders.
We expect that a representative of Deloitte & Touche LLP will be at the annual meeting. This representative will have an opportunity to make a statement and will be available to respond to appropriate questions.
THE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE FOR |
FEES PAID TO THE INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM |
For the years ended October 31, 2009 and 2008, professional services were performed by Deloitte & Touche LLP, the member firms of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, and their respective affiliates (collectively, Deloitte & Touche).
Audit Fees
The aggregate fees billed include amounts for the audit of Deeres annual financial statements, the reviews of the financial statements included in Deeres Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, including services related thereto such as comfort letters, statutory audits, attest services, consents, and accounting consultations. Audit Fees for the fiscal years ended October 31, 2009 and 2008, were $13.4 million and $14.3 million, respectively.
Audit-Related Fees
During the last two fiscal years, Deloitte & Touche has provided Deere with assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit of our financial statements. The aggregate fees billed for such audit-related services for the fiscal years ended October 31, 2009 and 2008, were $0.8 million and $0.8 million, respectively. These services included audits of financial statements of employee benefit plans and various attestation services.
Tax Fees
There were no fees billed for tax services for the fiscal years ended October 31, 2009 and October 31, 2008.
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All Other Fees
There were no fees billed for services not included above for the fiscal years ended October 31, 2009 and October 31, 2008.
Pre-approval of Services by the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The Audit Review Committee has adopted a policy for pre-approval of audit and permitted non-audit services by Deeres independent registered public accounting firm. The Audit Review Committee will consider annually and, if appropriate, approve the provision of audit services by its independent registered public accounting firm and consider and, if appropriate, pre-approve the provision of certain defined audit and non-audit services. The Audit Review Committee will also consider on a case-by-case basis and, if appropriate, approve specific services that are not otherwise pre-approved.
Any proposed engagement that does not fit within the definition of a pre-approved service may be presented to the Audit Review Committee for consideration at its next regular meeting or, if earlier consideration is required, to the Audit Review Committee or one or more of its members between regular meetings. The member or members to whom such authority is delegated will report any specific approval of services at its next regular meeting. The Audit Review Committee will regularly review summary reports detailing all services being provided to Deere by its independent registered public accounting firm.
During fiscal 2009, all services by Deeres independent registered public accounting firm were pre-approved by the Audit Review Committee in accordance with this policy.
STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS |
We expect the following items to be presented by stockholders at the annual meeting. Following SEC rules, other than minor formatting changes, we are reprinting the proposals and supporting statements as they were submitted to us. We take no responsibility for them. On request to the Secretary at the address listed under the Stockholder Proposals and Nominations section of this proxy statement, we will provide the names, addresses and shareholdings of the sponsors, as well as the names, addresses and shareholdings of any co-sponsors.
STOCKHOLDER PROPOSAL #1CEO PAY DISPARITY
A stockholder has submitted the following proposal:
STOCKHOLDER PROPOSAL
RESOLVED, that the stockholders request that the Board of Directors take all necessary steps to limit the CEOs compensation in any fiscal year to no more then three times the average of the other named executive officers (NEOs) set forth in the proxy statements Summary Compensation Table; that the same limit apply to the number of stock options granted to the CEO in any fiscal year; and there be no carryover from one fiscal year to another fiscal year.
SUPPORTING STATEMENT
The compensation Deere paid its CEO was 4.548 times the average of the other NEOs in 2008, not including the additional money he received from the exercise of stock options. In 2007 it was 4.375 times as much.
Moodys Investor Services has stated that anything greater than three times the compensation of the average of the other NEOs suggests that the CEO has undue influence on the board and reflects poorly on governance, according to Michael Kesner. ( Chicago Tribune, May 27, 2008,
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Section 3, p.2 ). Kesner is with Deloitte Consulting, part of Deloitte & Touche which is Deeres independent accountant. Moodys rates corporate bonds and the rating affects the cost of borrowing.
In its 2009 report RiskMetrics Group, the corporate governance watchdog, opposed the re-election of Deere board members who serve on the Compensation Committee. One reason for its opposition was the disparity in the pay of the CEO when compared to the other NEOs. The report states A large internal pay disparity can be a sign of poor succession planning and it can also create morale issues within the executive ranks. Risk Metrics clients include most of the largest investment managers, mutual fund companies and hedge funds.
CEOs in the United States, despite our current hard economic times, continue to pocket outlandishly large pay packages. S&P 500 CEOs last year averaged $10.5 million, 344 times the pay of typical American workers. Executive Excess 2008, Institute for Policy Studies and United for a Fair Economy. Deeres CEO was paid $22 million in 2008 (not including the exercise of stock options). His pay was more then 688 times the pay of the typical American worker.
His pay including what he received from the exercise of stock options was an incredible $21,000 an hour (assuming he worked 60 hours a week, 50 weeks).
In judging whether Corporate America is serious about reforming itself, CEO pay remains the acid test. To date, the results arent encouraging. Warren Buffett, letter to shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., February 2004, as quoted by Professors Bebchuk and Freid in their book, Pay Without Performance, 2004.
Please vote in favor of this proposal.
Deeres ResponseStatement in Opposition to Proposal
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE AGAINST THIS PROPOSAL TO LIMIT THE CEOS COMPENSATION TO NO MORE THAN THREE TIMES THE AVERAGE OF THE OTHER NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:
The Board has given careful consideration to this proposal and has concluded for the reasons described below that the adoption of this resolution is unnecessary and is not in the best interests of Deere and its stockholders.
The Board believes arbitrary restrictions on executive compensation would unduly limit Deeres ability to create compensation programs for its CEO and others that link pay to performance and to compete in the global marketplace for highly talented employees critical to Deeres continued success. The Board believes that the Board and the Compensation Committee (the Committee) should retain flexibility to design appropriate compensation programs for its CEO and to set the amount and type of CEO pay.
The Board recognizes the importance of executive compensation, particularly for its CEO, to the overall long-term performance of Deere. Deeres compensation philosophy is to pay for performance, support Deeres business strategies and offer competitive compensation arrangements. In the Compensation Discussion & Analysis (CD&A) section of this Proxy Statement, Deere has endeavored to provide stockholders with a thorough description of the companys compensation programs, including the philosophy and strategy underpinning the programs, the individual elements of the compensation programs and how Deeres compensation plans are administered. Deeres compensation programs consist of elements designed to complement each other and reward achievement of short-term and long-term objectives tied to Deeres performance through association with an operating metric or as a function of the Deere stock price. Deere has chosen the selected metrics to align employee compensation, including compensation for the Named Executive Officers
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(NEOs), to Deeres business strategy. For fiscal 2009, Short-Term Incentive (STI) awards paid to the NEOs were about 2% of the total amount of STI awards paid to approximately 28,000 eligible salaried employees. For fiscal 2009, Mid-Term Incentive (MTI) awards paid to the NEOs were equal to approximately 7% of the MTI payout to all eligible employees.
The proposal suggests that a disparity between CEO pay and the pay to other NEOs may indicate that the CEO has undue influence on the Board. The company has established governance processes that are reflected in Deeres Corporate Governance Policies and the various Board Committee charters, including policies and processes designed to address succession planning and ensure the independence of Deeres non-employee directors. These policies and charters are available on Deeres web site. In addition, the Committee provides recommendations for CEO compensation to be approved by the independent members of the Board. The CEOs compensation, therefore, is approved only after consideration both by the Committee, which is composed exclusively of independent directors, and by the independent members of the Board. The Board believes these structures and policies prevent the CEO from asserting undue influence on the Board, particularly with regard to the amount and type of CEO pay.
When reviewing the compensation for the CEO and other NEOs, the Committee considers a variety of information to determine the appropriate level of competitive and equitable pay. Moreover, the relationship between Deeres CEO compensation and that of Deeres other NEOs is influenced by the absence of a chief operating officer in Deeres organizational structure. The proposed limitation on CEO compensation is inappropriate as Deere is currently organized, with Deeres executive structure directly aligned with its operating businesses. Further, the Committee retains an independent outside executive compensation consultant to assist with compensation decisions and provide peer group data which the Committee uses to benchmark Deeres compensation programs and performance.
The Board believes that Deeres compensation practices and programs serve the interests of Deeres stockholders by providing compensation that is performance-based with a view towards maximizing long-term stockholder value.
Effect of Proposal
It is important to note that stockholder approval of this proposal would not require the Board to set limits on the CEOs compensation, including stock option grants. Approval of this proposal would advise the Board that a majority of Deeres stockholders voting at the meeting favor a change and would prefer that the Board take the necessary steps to adopt a policy limiting the CEOs compensation to no more than three times the average of the other Named Executive Officers and apply a similar limit to options granted to the CEO. The final decision on whether to implement limits on CEO compensation, including stock option grants, however, would remain with the Board. In addition to shareholder sentiment, there may be other factors that could affect the Boards decision regarding this proposal, such as a decision by Congress to adopt legislation relating to executive compensation.
The Board believes that the Committee is in the best position to consider the extensive information and factors, which include an emphasis on company performance, necessary to make independent, objective and competitive compensation recommendations for Deeres CEO that are in the best interest of Deere and its stockholders. The Committee should have flexibility in making the appropriate compensation recommendations to the Board so that Deere can motivate and competitively compensate its CEO in alignment with Deeres performance.
FOR THE REASONS
STATED, DEERES BOARD OF DIRECTORS |
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STOCKHOLDER PROPOSAL #2ADVISORY VOTE ON
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
A stockholder has submitted the following proposal:
STOCKHOLDER PROPOSAL
RESOLVED, that stockholders urge the Board of Directors to adopt a policy that gives the stockholders the opportunity at each annual stockholders meeting to vote on an advisory resolution, proposed by management, to ratify the compensation of the named executive officers (NEOs) set forth in the proxy statements Summary Compensation Table (the SCT) and the accompanying narrative disclosure of material factors provided to understand the SCT ( but not the Compensation Discussion and Analysis).
SUPPORTING STATEMENT
The following organizations support annual stockholder advisory votes on executive compensation:
1. | The Council of Institutional Investors, an association of 140 public, labor and corporate pension funds. | ||
2. | The California Public Employees Retirement System, The largest public pension fund in the U.S. |
RiskMetrics Group (RMG) is a corporate governance watchdog. RMGs clients include a majority of the largest investment managers, mutual fund companies and hedge fund managers.
RMG in its 2009 report on Deere said ***the internal pay disparity is significant in almost all pay components. Mr. Lane receives a significant portion of the performance-bonus and his long-term incentive multiple is substantially higher than other named executive officers. A large internal pay disparity can be a sign of poor succession planning and it can also create morale issues within the executive ranks.
The report added: *** providing generous perks to executives is considered a poor pay practice. Notably, costs related to Mr. Lanes personal use of aircraft were 4.5 times the multiple relative to market practice among industrial companies. In light of the current economic conditions affecting Deeres equity performance, as well as some of the financial performance of its business units, RMG is concerned with the utilization of company resources to benefit executives in this fashion, at shareholders expense.
In November 2007 Deere held a board of directors meeting in India. Directors spouses went to India at a cost of $286,378 to Deere. RMG highlights that perquisites to non-employee directors is uncommon at other S&P 500 Index companies.
In its 2009 report RMG said that its previous report had mentioned several pay practices of concern that had not been corrected.
RMG recommended that its clients vote in favor of this proposal at the annual meeting last year where the proposal received more then a 40% yes vote.
Boards in the United States, including Aflac, Verizon, Risk Metrics, Par Pharmaceuticals and Blockbuster have concluded that submitting executive compensation to stockholders for ratification is the right thing to do.
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A stockholder advisory vote on executive compensation will enhance constructive communication between stockholders and the board on the subject of compensation as well as improve transparency in setting executive compensation. Directors should be held to a high standard of accountability in explaining and justifying compensation policies and decisions in terms of aligning executive performance with the creation of stockholder value.
Please vote in favor of this proposal.
Deeres ResponseStatement in Opposition to Proposal
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE AGAINST THIS PROPOSAL TO ADOPT AN ADVISORY VOTE ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:
The Board has given careful consideration to this proposal and has concluded for the reasons described below that the adoption of this resolution is unnecessary and is not in the best interest of Deere and its stockholders.
The Board recognizes the importance of executive compensation to the overall long-term performance of Deere. Deeres compensation philosophy is to pay for performance, support Deeres business strategies and offer competitive compensation arrangements. In the Compensation Discussion & Analysis (CD&A) section of this proxy statement, Deere has endeavored to provide stockholders with a thorough description of the companys compensation programs, including the philosophy and strategy underpinning the programs, the individual elements of the compensation programs and how Deeres compensation plans are administered. Deeres compensation programs consist of elements designed to complement each other and reward achievement of short-term and long-term objectives.
Deeres Compensation Committee (Committee), composed entirely of independent directors, is responsible for reviewing and approving the compensation of Deere executives. The Committee provides recommendations for CEO compensation to be approved by the independent members of the Board.
In setting executive pay levels or in making executive pay recommendations to the Board, the Committee considers a variety of information to determine the appropriate level of competitive and equitable executive pay. The Committee retains an independent outside executive compensation consultant to assist with compensation decisions and provide peer group data which the Committee uses to benchmark Deeres compensation programs and performance. The Committee is able to use this information to timely evaluate and set executive pay for the relevant performance period. The Board is concerned that an advisory stockholder vote, which would take place several months after the relevant performance period has ended, is likely to be based more on market conditions at the time the vote is taken than on the information and analysis that was available to the Committee when it awarded or recommended compensation for the relevant performance period.
The Board welcomes and values the input of Deeres stockholders. A simple yes or no advisory vote on Deeres executive compensation, however, would not provide the Board with any clear indication of why shareholders voted the way they did. For example, a stockholder vote against ratifying executive compensation would reflect dissatisfaction, but would not communicate stockholder views of the merits, limitations or preferred enhancements of Deeres executive compensation or of any particular element thereof. If the Board is forced to speculate on the meaning of the advisory vote, the vote will be of little benefit to stockholders, Deere or the Board.
Moreover, as described in the Committees section of this proxy statement, Deere stockholders already have an available mechanism to communicate with the Board. Stockholders can send correspondence directly to Deeres Corporate Secretary, who will then submit the correspondence to the Board. Stockholders can also communicate directly with the presiding non-management director of
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the Board by sending correspondence directly to that director. Whether forwarded from the Corporate Secretary or sent directly from a shareholder, the Board will give shareholder communications the consideration that it considers appropriate. The communication mechanisms that exist today already give Deere stockholders the opportunity to provide specific and direct feedback to the Board about compensation issues.
Deere does not believe that the proposed advisory vote is necessary to ensure that Deeres compensation programs are aligned with the interests of its stockholders. The Board believes that its independent, well-informed and experienced members, including members of the Compensation Committee, are in the best position to make judgments or recommendations about the amount and form of executive compensation, and that Deeres compensation practices and programs serve the interests of Deeres stockholders by providing compensation that is performance-based with a view towards maximizing long-term stockholder value.
Effect of Proposal
It is important to note that stockholder approval of this proposal would not require the Board to implement a stockholder advisory vote on executive compensation. Approval of this proposal would advise the Board that a majority of Deeres stockholders voting at the meeting favor a change and would prefer that the Board take the necessary steps to adopt a policy for a stockholder advisory vote on executive compensation. The final decision on whether to implement an annual advisory vote on executive compensation, however, would remain with the Board. In addition to shareholder sentiment, there may be other factors that could affect the Boards decision regarding this proposal, such as a decision by Congress to adopt legislation relating to executive compensation.
The Board believes that the Committee is in the best position to consider the extensive information and factors necessary to make independent, objective and competitive compensation recommendations and decisions that are in the best interest of Deere and its stockholders. The Committee should have flexibility in making the appropriate compensation recommendations and decisions so that Deere can motivate and competitively compensate Deeres executives in alignment with company performance. The Board believes that current communication mechanisms exist to provide the Board with stockholder feedback about Board decisions, including, but not limited to, executive compensation.
FOR THE REASONS STATED, DEERES
BOARD OF DIRECTORS |
STOCKHOLDER PROPOSAL #3SEPARATION
OF CEO AND CHAIRMAN
RESPONSIBILITIES
A stockholder has submitted the following proposal:
STOCKHOLDER RESOLUTION
RESOLVED, that the stockholders urge the Board of Directors to take the necessary steps to amend the by-laws to require that an independent director shall serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors, and that the Chairman of the Board of Directors shall not concurrently serve as Chief Executive Officer.
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SUPPORTING STATEMENT
Deeres CEO is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors.
The following organizations support having an independent director as chairman of the Board of Directors and that the chairman not serve concurrently as CEO:
1. | The Council of Institutional Investors, an association of 140 public, labor and corporate pension funds. | ||
2. | The California Public Employees Retirement System, the largest public pension fund in the U. S. |
RiskMetrics Group, the corporate governance watchdog, in its 2009 report on Deere stated that it supported this proposal for several reasons including that Deere had exhibited poor pay practices. The proposal received more then 40% yes vote at the last annual meeting. The Corporate Library a leading independent source for corporate governance and executive compensation information and analysis has said that there is a high level of risk in regard to corporate governance at Deere.
Gary Wilson, the former chairman of Northwest Airlines and a director of Yahoo wrote: Americas most serious corporate governance problem is the Imperial CEO...a leader who is both chairman of the companys board of directors as well as its chief executive officer. Such a CEO can dominate his board and is accountable to no one.
This arrangement creates a conflict of interest, because the chairman is responsible for leading an independent board of directors. The boards primary responsibility on behalf of the owners is to hire, oversee and, if necessary, fire the CEO. If the CEO is also the chairman, then he leads a board that is responsible for evaluating, compensating and potentially firing himself.
The result of this conflict of interest is excessive CEO compensation and undeserved job security... reprinted from The Wall Street Journal, July 9, 2008, Dow Jones & Company.
In 2008, the Chairman/CEO of Deere was paid 4.548 times the average compensation of the other named executive officers (NEOs). In 2007 it was 4.375 times as much. Moodys Investor Services has a guideline that CEO pay should not exceed three times the average of the other NEOs.
According to Michael Kesner, Moodys feels that anything greater then that reflects poorly on corporate governance and suggests that the CEO has undue influence on the board (Chicago Tribune, May 27, 2008). Kesner is with Deloitte Consulting, part of Deliotte & Touche which is Deeres independent accountant. Moodys rates corporate bonds and the rating affects the cost of borrowing.
Mr. Wilson noted that many European countries require that the CEO and chairman positions be separate and that their CEOs are paid less then American CEOs.
The CEOs of Enron, World Com and Tyco, legends of mismanagement, also served as Chairman.
Please vote in favor of this proposal.
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Deeres ResponseStatement in Opposition to Proposal
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE AGAINST THIS PROPOSAL TO SEPARATE CEO AND CHAIRMAN RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:
The Board has given careful consideration to this proposal and has concluded for the reasons described below that the adoption of this resolution is unnecessary and is not in the best interest of Deere and its stockholders.
While some of the conventional functions for the Chairman have been and are shared by all directors, the Chairman position has traditionally been held by Deeres Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The Board believes that the decision as to who should serve as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and whether the offices should be combined or separated is the proper responsibility of the Board. The Board members have considerable experience and knowledge about the challenges and opportunities Deere faces. The Board, therefore, is in the best position to evaluate Deeres current and future needs and to judge how the capabilities of Deeres directors and senior management can be most effectively organized to meet those needs.
The Board generally believes that separating the Chairman and CEO functions is unnecessary in normal circumstances. Nevertheless, the Board will separate these functions when it considers such a separation to be in the best interest of Deere.
The proposals supporting statement asserts that combining the CEO and Chairman functions can create a conflict of interest and allow the CEO to dominate the Board. Deere has strong governance structures and processes in place to ensure the independence of its Board, eliminate conflicts of interest and prevent dominance of the Board by senior management. As described in more detail below, the Boards established governance processes reflected in the Corporate Governance Polices and the various Board Committee charters provide for independent discussion among directors and for independent evaluation of, and communication with, many members of senior management. These Corporate Governance Policies (and those discussed below) are available for review on Deeres web site.
While the Board has previously utilized an independent presiding director concept, consistent with its continuing commitment to strong corporate governance and Board independence, in May 2009 the Board passed a resolution to enhance the role of the Presiding Director. The changes included an election of an independent Presiding Director by a majority of the independent directors on the Board upon a recommendation from the Corporate Governance Committee for a one year term. The name and contact information for the current Presiding Director appear in the Corporate Governance section of this proxy statement.
As part of the May 2009 resolution, the Board expanded the duties and responsibilities of the Presiding Director to include the following:
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The Board also believes the following policies and processes already in place at Deere further strengthen the Boards independence:
The proposal seems to imply that combining the positions of CEO and Chairman may lead to excessive CEO pay. As previously stated and as described in the Compensation Discussion & Analysis (CD&A) section of this Proxy Statement, Deeres compensation programs are designed to pay for performance. A significant portion of the compensation paid to Deeres executives in the form of short-term, mid-term and long-term incentive awards is at risk because it is directly tied to company performance.
Given the enhanced Presiding Director policy of the Board of Directors, along with Deeres governance structures which are designed to ensure independence and protect against the possibility of undue influence by management, the Board believes that it is unnecessary to require that the responsibilities of the Chairman and CEO be separated. The Board should retain the authority to determine the corporate leadership structure that is most appropriate for Deere at any time.
Effect of Proposal
It is important to note that stockholder approval of this proposal would not in itself require the Board to separate the CEO and Chairman functions. Approval of this proposal would advise the Board that a majority of Deeres stockholders voting at the meeting favor a change and would prefer that the Board take the necessary steps to separate the Chairman and CEO functions. The final decision on whether the offices of Chairman and CEO should be combined or separated, however, would remain with the Board.
Requiring that an independent director serve as Chairman of the Board is not desirable because it would unduly impair the Boards flexibility to annually elect the individual it deems best suited to serve as Chairman. Deere and its stockholders are best served when the Board has the flexibility to determine who should serve as Chairman at any particular time depending upon the circumstances.
FOR THE REASONS STATED, DEERES BOARD OF
DIRECTORS |
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OTHER MATTERS |
We do not know of any other matters that will be considered at the annual meeting. If, however, any other appropriate business should properly come before the meeting, the Board will have discretionary authority to vote according to its best judgment.
DIRECTORS CONTINUING IN OFFICE |
The eight persons named below are now serving as our directors. Their terms will expire at the annual meetings in 2011 and 2012, as indicated. Their ages, present positions, principal occupations during the past five or more years, positions with Deere and directorships in other companies appear below.
TERMS EXPIRING AT ANNUAL MEETING IN 2011
Name and Age at | Present Position, Principal Occupations during the Past Five Years, | |
December 31, 2009 | Positions with Deere and Other Directorships | |
Charles O. Holliday,
Jr. |
Chairman of DuPont
| |
Dipak C. Jain |
Sandy & Morton Goldman Professor in Entrepreneurial Studies and Professor of Marketing, Dean Emeritus, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
|
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Name and Age at | Present Position, Principal Occupations during the Past Five Years, | |
December 31, 2009 | Positions with Deere and Other Directorships | |
Joachim
Milberg |
Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW) AG
| |
Richard B.
Myers |
Retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Retired General of the United States Air Force
|
TERMS EXPIRING AT ANNUAL MEETING IN 2012
Name and Age at | Present Position, Principal Occupations during the Past Five Years, | |
December 31, 2009 | Positions with Deere and Other Directorships | |
Crandall C.
Bowles |
Chairman of Springs Industries, Inc. and Chairman, The Springs Company
|
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Name and Age at | Present Position, Principal Occupations during the Past Five Years, | |
December 31, 2009 | Positions with Deere and Other Directorships | |
Vance D.
Coffman |
Retired Chairman of Lockheed Martin Corporation
| |
Clayton M.
Jones |
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rockwell Collins, Inc.
| |
Thomas H.
Patrick |
Chairman of New Vernon Capital, LLC
|
SECURITY
OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT |
The following table shows the number of shares of Deere common stock beneficially owned as of December 31, 2009, (unless otherwise indicated) by:
A beneficial owner of stock is a person who has sole or shared voting power, meaning the power to control voting decisions, or sole or shared investment power, meaning the power to cause the sale of the stock. A person is also considered the beneficial owner of shares as to which the person has the right to acquire beneficial ownership (within the meaning of the preceding sentence) within 60 days. For this reason, the following table includes exercisable stock options and shares underlying RSUs that either are scheduled to settle within 60 days of December 31, 2009 or that would be settled within 60 days at the discretion of an individual identified in the table (e.g., upon retirement).
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All individuals listed in the table have sole voting and investment power over the shares unless otherwise noted. As of December 31, 2009, Deere had no preferred stock issued or outstanding.
Shares | ||||||||||||
Beneficially | Options | Percent of | ||||||||||
Owned Excluding | Exercisable | Shares | ||||||||||
Options | Within 60 Days | Total | Outstanding | |||||||||
Greater Than 5% Owners | ||||||||||||
Capital World Investors | ||||||||||||
333 South Hope Street | ||||||||||||
Los Angeles, California 90071-1447 (1) | 27,180,000 | 6.4 | % | |||||||||
Non-Employee Directors (2) | ||||||||||||
Crandall C. Bowles | 27,558 | 27,558 | * | |||||||||
Vance D. Coffman | 11,374 | 11,374 | * | |||||||||
Charles O. Holliday, Jr. | 6,002 | 6,002 | * | |||||||||
Dipak C. Jain | 18,076 | 18,076 | * | |||||||||
Clayton M. Jones | 5,666 | 5,666 | * | |||||||||
Joachim Milberg | 15,550 | 15,550 | * | |||||||||
Richard B. Myers | 8,018 | 8,018 | * | |||||||||
Thomas H. Patrick | 44,094 | 44,094 | * | |||||||||
Aulana L. Peters | 17,250 | 17,250 | * | |||||||||
David B. Speer | 5,525 | 5,525 | * | |||||||||
Named Executive Officers (3) | ||||||||||||
Samuel R. Allen | 57,140 | 92,913 | 150,053 | * | ||||||||
Robert W. Lane | 324,459 | 1,441,736 | 1,766,195 | * | ||||||||
James M. Field | 7,146 | 117,985 | 125,131 | * | ||||||||
Michael J. Mack, Jr. | 15,779 | 82,970 | 98,749 | * | ||||||||
David C. Everitt | 2,624 | 92,940 | 95,564 | * | ||||||||
James A. Israel | 4,999 | 74,370 | 79,369 | * | ||||||||
James R. Jenkins | 38,277 | 119,650 | 157,927 | * | ||||||||
H.J. Markley | 61,370 | 132,943 | 194,313 | * | ||||||||
All directors and executive | ||||||||||||
officers as a group (20 persons) (4) | 678,676 | 2,298,522 | 2,977,198 | * |
* | Less than 1% of the outstanding shares of Deere common stock. | |
(1) | The ownership information for Capital World Investors (Capital World) is based on information supplied by Capital World and contained in reports of institutional investment managers filed with the SEC for the period ended September 30, 2009. Capital World holds the shares in its capacity as a registered investment advisor on behalf of numerous investment advisory clients, none of which is known to own more than five percent of Deeres shares. Capital World has shared dispositive power over 27,180,000 shares and shared voting authority over 3,265,000 shares. |
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(2) | The table includes restricted shares and RSUs awarded to directors under Deere's Non-Employee Director Stock Ownership Plan (see footnote (2) to the Fiscal 2009 Director Compensation Table.) Restricted shares and RSUs may not be transferred prior to retirement as a director. RSUs are payable only in Deere common stock following retirement and have no voting rights until they are settled in shares of stock. In addition, directors own the following number of deferred stock units which are payable solely in cash under the terms of the Non-Employee Director Deferred Compensation Plan: | |
Director | Deferred Units | |||
Crandall C. Bowles | 25,578 | |||
Vance D. Coffman | 11,810 | |||
Thomas H. Patrick | 12,511 |
(3) | Executive officers own the following number of RSUs awarded under our Omnibus Equity and Incentive Plan as part of long-term compensation. These RSUs cannot be settled within 60 days of December 31, 2009 and have no voting rights until they are settled in shares of stock. | |
Executive | Restricted Units | ||
Samuel R. Allen | 109,133 | ||
Robert W. Lane | 471,461 | ||
James M. Field | 35,774 | ||
Michael J. Mack, Jr. | 57,453 | ||
David C. Everitt | 145,936 | ||
James A. Israel | 50,210 | ||
James R. Jenkins | 82,433 | ||
H.J. Markley | 89,505 | ||
All executive officers | 1,094,689 |
(4) | The number of shares shown for all directors and executive officers as a group includes 14,447 shares owned jointly with family members over which the directors and executive officers share voting and investment power. | |
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE |
Corporate Governance Policies
In recognition of the importance of corporate governance as a component of providing shareholder value, our Board of Directors has adopted Corporate Governance Policies for the company. Our Corporate Governance Policies are periodically reviewed and revised as appropriate by the Board to ensure that the policies reflect the Boards corporate governance objectives. Pursuant to the requirements of the NYSE, these policies meet or exceed the independence standards of the NYSE. Our Corporate Governance Policies can be found on our website at http://www.deere.com/en_US/ir/corporategovernance/policies.html.
Director Independence
As part of our Corporate Governance Policies, the Board has adopted categorical standards to assist the Board in evaluating the independence of each director. The categorical standards are intended to assist the Board in determining whether or not certain relationships between our directors and Deere or its subsidiaries (either directly or indirectly as a partner, stockholder, officer, director, trustee or employee of an organization that has a relationship with Deere) are material relationships for purposes of the NYSE independence standards. The categorical standards establish thresholds at which such
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relationships are deemed to be not material. The categorical standards are attached as Appendix D to this Proxy Statement and are included as part of the Corporate Governance Policies referenced above. A copy may also be obtained upon request to the Deere & Company Stockholder Relations Department. In addition, each directors independence is evaluated under our Related Person Transactions Approval Policy as discussed in the Review and Approval of Related Persons Transactions section below.
In November 2009 we reviewed the independence of each director, applying the independence standards set forth in our Corporate Governance Policies. The review considered relationships and transactions between each director (and his or her immediate family and affiliates) and each of the following: Deere, Deeres management and Deeres independent registered public accounting firm.
Based on this review, at the December 2009 Board Meeting, the Board affirmatively determined that the following directors have no material relationships with Deere and its subsidiaries and are independent as defined in our Corporate Governance Policies and the listing standards of the NYSE: Mrs. Bowles, Mr. Coffman, Mr. Holliday, Mr. Jain, Mr. Jones, Mr. Milberg, Mr. Myers, Mr. Patrick, Mrs. Peters and Mr. Speer. Mr. Allen and Mr. Lane are considered inside directors because of their employment relationship with Deere.
Review and Approval of Related Persons Transactions.
The Board has adopted a Related Person Transactions Approval Policy (the Related Person Policy). Under the Related Person Policy, our Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for reviewing, approving and ratifying all related person transactions.
Under the Related Person Policy, a related person includes:
(1) | executive officers and directors of Deere; | ||
(2) | any holder of 5% or more of Deeres voting securities; and | ||
(3) | an immediate family member of anyone in categories (1) or (2). |
A related person transaction is a transaction, relationship or arrangement between a related person and Deere where:
Each year, our directors and executive officers complete annual questionnaires designed to elicit information about potential related person transactions. Deeres directors and officers must promptly advise our Corporate Secretary if there are any changes to the information previously provided.
After consultation with our General Counsel, management and outside counsel, as appropriate, our Corporate Secretary determines whether the transaction is reasonably likely to be a related person transaction. Related person transactions are submitted to the Corporate Governance Committee for consideration at its next meeting. If action is required prior to the next meeting, the transaction is submitted to the Chairperson of the Corporate Governance Committee (Chairperson) and the Chairpersons determination is then reported to the Corporate Governance Committee at its next meeting.
When evaluating potential related person transactions, the Corporate Governance Committee or the Chairperson, as applicable, considers all reasonably available relevant facts and circumstances and approves only the related person transactions determined in good faith to be in, or not inconsistent with, our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct Guidelines, and the best interest of our stockholders.
Patrick Mack, brother of Michael J. Mack, Jr. our President, Worldwide Construction and Forestry Operations, is an employee in the Credit division of Deere. During fiscal 2009, Patrick Mack received $393,454 in cash compensation and stock options valued at $132,951 at the time of grant. Patrick Macks
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compensation is consistent with that of other employees at his grade level. Consistent with our Corporance Governance Committee Charter, this transaction was approved by the Corporate Governance Committee after determining that it is not inconsistent with our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct Guidelines.
Following the end of fiscal 2009, Mr. Lane received certain compensation as described in the Compensation Discussion & Analysis under the heading Compensation Decisions Relating to Two Former Executives.
Presiding Director
While the Board has previously utilized an independent presiding director concept, consistent with its continuing commitment to strong corporate governance and Board independence, in May 2009 the Board passed a resolution to enhance the role of the Presiding Director. The enhanced duties under the new policy include the following:
Charles O. Holliday, Jr. currently serves as our Presiding Director.
Communication with the Board
If you wish to communicate with the Board you may send correspondence to Corporate Secretary, Deere & Company, One John Deere Place, Moline, Illinois 61265-8098. The Secretary will submit your correspondence to the Board or the appropriate committee, as applicable.
You may communicate directly with the Presiding Director of the Board by sending correspondence to Presiding Director, Board of Directors, Deere & Company, Department A, One John Deere Place, Moline, Illinois 61265-8098.
COMMITTEES |
The Board met seven times during fiscal 2009. Directors are expected to attend Board meetings, meetings of committees on which they serve and stockholder meetings. Directors are expected to spend the time needed and meet as frequently as necessary to properly discharge their responsibilities. During fiscal 2009, all directors attended 75% or more of the meetings of the Board and committees on which they served. All directors attended the annual stockholder meeting in February 2009.
Each Board meeting normally begins with a session between the CEO and the independent directors. This provides a platform for discussions outside the presence of the non-Board management attendees, as well as an opportunity for the independent directors to go into executive session (without the CEO) if requested by any director. The outside directors may meet in executive session, without the CEO, at any time, and are scheduled for such non-management executive sessions at each regularly scheduled Board meeting. The Presiding Director will preside over these executive sessions.
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The Board has delegated some of its authority to the following five committees of the Board: the Executive Committee, the Compensation Committee, the Corporate Governance Committee, the Pension Plan Oversight Committee and the Audit Review Committee. Each such committee has adopted a charter that complies with current NYSE rules relating to corporate governance matters. Copies of the committee charters, as well as our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct Guidelines, are available at www.JohnDeere.com/corpgov. A copy of these charters and policies also may be obtained upon request to the Deere & Company Stockholder Relations Department.
The Executive Committee |
The Executive Committee may act on behalf of the Board if a matter requires Board action between meetings of the full Board. The Executive Committees authority concerning certain significant matters is limited by law and our Bylaws. | |
The Compensation Committee |
The Compensation Committee approves compensation for executive officers of Deere and makes recommendations to the Board regarding incentive and equity-based compensation plans. The Compensation Committees responsibilities include: | |
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| ||
The Committee currently retains Watson Wyatt & Company as its compensation consultant to provide independent advice and ongoing recommendations regarding executive compensation. The scope of the compensation consultants work includes the following: | ||
| ||
The annual Compensation Committee report follows the CD&A section of this Proxy Statement. Our processes and procedures for considering and determining executive compensation are more fully described in the CD&A. | ||
The
Corporate |
The Corporate Governance Committee monitors corporate governance policies and procedures and serves as the nominating committee for Board directors. The primary functions performed by the Committee include:
|
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The Committee will consider candidates for nomination as a director recommended by stockholders, directors, officers, third party search firms and other sources. In evaluating candidates, the Committee considers the needs of the Board and the attributes of the candidate (including skills, experience, international versus domestic background, diversity, age, and legal and regulatory requirements). The Committee will review all candidates in the same manner, regardless of the source of the recommendation. The Committee will consider individuals recommended by stockholders for nomination as a director in accordance with the procedures described under the Stockholder Proposals and Nominations section of this Proxy Statement. The Board has determined that under current NYSE listing standards all members of the Corporate Governance Committee are independent. | ||
The Pension Plan |
The Pension Plan Oversight Committee oversees our pension plans. The Committee establishes corporate policy with respect to the pension plans, and reviews funding policies. The Committee also has authority to make substantive amendments and modifications to the pension plans. The Committee reports to the Board on its activities. | |
The Audit Review
|
The Audit Review Committees duties and responsibilities include, among other things:
|
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The Audit Review Committee reports to the Board on its activities and findings. The Board has determined that under current NYSE listing standards all members of the Audit Review Committee are independent and financially literate. The Board also determined that Mr. Holliday, Mr. Patrick and Mrs. Peters are audit committee financial experts as defined by the SEC and that each has accounting or related financial management expertise as required by NYSE listing standards. The Audit Review Committee annual report follows the Compensation of Directors section of this Proxy Statement. |
The following table shows the current membership of each committee and the number of meetings held by each committee during fiscal 2009:
Pension | |||||||||
Corporate | Plan | Audit | |||||||
Executive | Compensation | Governance | Oversight | Review | |||||
Director | Committee | Committee | Committee | Committee | Committee | ||||
Samuel R. Allen | X | ||||||||
Crandall C. Bowles | X | X | Chair | ||||||
Vance D. Coffman | X | Chair | X | ||||||
Charles O. Holliday, Jr. | X | X | Chair | ||||||
Dipak C. Jain | X | X | |||||||
Clayton M. Jones | X | X | |||||||
Robert W. Lane | Chair | ||||||||
Joachim Milberg | X | X | |||||||
Richard B. Myers | X | X | |||||||
Thomas H. Patrick | X | Chair | X | ||||||
Aulana L. Peters | X | X | |||||||
David B. Speer | X | X | |||||||
Fiscal 2009 meetings | 0 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
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COMPENSATION OF DIRECTORS |
We pay non-employee directors an annual retainer along with additional fees to committee chairpersons as described below. We do not pay any other committee retainers or meeting fees. In addition, we award non-employee directors restricted stock units (RSUs) upon their election to the Board and at each annual meeting during their service as directors. A person who becomes a non-employee director between annual meetings, or who serves a partial term, receives a prorated retainer and a prorated RSU award. We also reimburse directors for expenses related to meeting attendance. Directors who are employees receive no additional compensation for serving on the Board or its committees. Compensation for non-employee directors is reviewed annually by the Corporate Governance Committee. No changes were made for fiscal 2009 director compensation. The following chart describes amounts paid and the value of awards granted:
Date Approved by Corporate Governance Committee | August 2007 | ||
Effective Date of Annual Amounts | September 2007 | ||
Retainer | $ | 100,000 | |
Equity Award | $ | 100,000 | |
Audit Committee Chair Fee | $ | 15,000 | |
Compensation Committee Chair Fee | $ | 15,000 | |
Other Committee Chair Fees | $ | 10,000 |
Under our Non-Employee Director Deferred Compensation Plan, directors may choose to defer some or all of their annual retainers until retirement as a director. A director may elect to have these deferrals invested in either an interest-bearing account or in an account with a return equivalent to an investment in Deere common stock.
Until fiscal 2008, non-employee directors received the equity award in the form of restricted stock. Beginning in fiscal 2008, directors receive the equity award in the form of RSUs. We do not impose stock ownership requirements on directors but do require them to hold all equity awards until one of the following triggering events: retirement from the Board, permanent and total disability, death, or a change in control of Deere. The directors are prohibited from selling, gifting or otherwise disposing of their RSUs prior to a triggering event. While the restrictions are in effect, the non-employee directors may vote the restricted shares, receive dividends on the restricted shares and receive dividend equivalents on the RSUs.
In fiscal 2009, we provided the following annual compensation to non-employee directors:
Fiscal 2009 Director Compensation Table
Nonqualified | |||||||||||||||||
Deferred | |||||||||||||||||
Fees Earned or | Compensation | ||||||||||||||||
Paid in Cash | Stock Awards | Earnings | |||||||||||||||
($) | ($) | ($) | Total | ||||||||||||||
Name | (1) | (2) | (3) | ($) | |||||||||||||
Crandall C. Bowles | $ | 110,000 | $ | 99,998 | $ | 0 | $ | 209,998 | |||||||||
Vance D. Coffman | $ | 111,250 | $ | 99,998 | $ | 0 | $ | 211,248 | |||||||||
T. Kevin Dunnigan (4) | $ | 45,417 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 45,417 | |||||||||
Charles O. Holliday, Jr. | $ | 111,250 | $ | 99,998 | $ | 0 | $ | 211,248 | |||||||||
Dipak C. Jain | $ | 100,000 | $ | 99,998 | $ | 5,068 | $ | 205,066 | |||||||||
Clayton M. Jones | $ | 100,000 | $ | 99,998 | $ | 0 | $ | 199,998 | |||||||||
Arthur L. Kelly (4) | $ | 45,417 | $ | 0 | $ | 2,459 | $ | 47,876 | |||||||||
Antonio Madero B. (4) | $ | 41,667 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 41,667 | |||||||||
Joachim Milberg | $ | 100,000 | $ | 99,998 | $ | 0 | $ | 199,998 |
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Nonqualified | |||||||||||||
Deferred | |||||||||||||
Fees Earned or | Compensation | ||||||||||||
Paid in Cash | Stock Awards | Earnings | |||||||||||
($) | ($) | ($) | Total | ||||||||||
Name | (1) | (2) | (3) | ($) | |||||||||
Richard B. Myers | $ | 100,000 | $ | 99,998 | $ | 0 | $ | 199,998 | |||||
Thomas H. Patrick | $ | 110,000 | $ | 99,998 | $ | 0 | $ | 209,998 | |||||
Aulana L. Peters | $ | 100,000 | $ | 99,998 | $ | 0 | $ | 199,998 | |||||
David B. Speer (5) | $ | 87,500 | $ | 110,686 | $ | 0 | $ | 198,186 |
(1) | All fees earned in fiscal 2009, including Committee Chairperson fees, whether paid in cash or deferred under the Non-Employee Director Deferred Compensation Plan, are included in this column. Messrs. Coffman, Holliday, Dunnigan, and Kelly received pro-rata chair fees in fiscal 2009. | |
(2) | Represents the grant date fair value of RSUs for financial statement reporting purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP). These amounts represent our accounting expense for these awards and do not correspond to the actual value that will be realized by the non-employee directors. All grants are fully expensed in the fiscal year granted based on the grant price (the average of the high and low price for Deere common stock on the grant date). For fiscal 2009, the grant date was March 4, 2009, and the grant price was $26.99. The non-employee director grant date is seven calendar days after the annual meeting of stockholders. The grant price for the pro-rated RSU award as discussed in footnote (5) below was $33.40. The assumptions made in valuing the RSUs reported in this column are discussed in Note 24, Stock Option and Restricted Stock Awards of our consolidated financial statements filed with the SEC on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2009. We recognize the compensation cost on the RSU awards in the fiscal year they are granted because directors are eligible to receive payment of the awards upon cessation of service as a member of the Board. The following table lists the cumulative restricted shares and RSUs held by current directors as of October 31, 2009. These shares and units may not be transferred prior to retirement as a director. |
Director Name | Restricted Shares | RSUs | ||||
Crandall C. Bowles | 19,916 | 4,842 | ||||
Vance D. Coffman | 6,532 | 4,842 | ||||
Charles O. Holliday, Jr. | 1,160 | 4,842 | ||||
Dipak C. Jain | 13,234 | 4,842 | ||||
Clayton M. Jones | 824 | 4,842 | ||||
Joachim Milberg | 10,708 | 4,842 | ||||
Richard B. Myers | 3,176 | 4,842 | ||||
Thomas H. Patrick | 19,252 | 4,842 | ||||
Aulana L. Peters | 12,008 | 4,842 | ||||
David B. Speer (5) | 0 | 4,025 |
(3) | Directors are eligible to participate in the Non-Employee Director Deferred Compensation Plan. Under this plan, participants may defer part or all of their annual cash compensation. In addition, when the non-employee director retirement plan was eliminated in 1997, participating directors at that time received a lump sum deferral to the plan equal to the present value of the life annuity offered under the former retirement plan. For these deferrals, two investment choices are available: | |
|
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| ||
The amounts included in this column represent the above-market earnings on the interest bearing investment alternative. Above-market earnings represent the difference between the prime rate as determined by the Federal Reserve Statistical Release plus 2% and 120% of the applicable federal long-term rate. The elimination of above market earnings on voluntary deferred compensation for deferrals made after fiscal 2009 is consistent with the change in interest rate on voluntary deferred compensation for the Named Executives. | ||
(4) | Messrs. Dunnigan, Kelly and Maderos terms expired at the annual meeting of shareholders held on February 25, 2009. The amounts in the Fees Earned column reflect payment for service through that date. Amounts in the Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings column represent earnings for the entire fiscal year. | |
(5) | Mr. Speer was elected to the Board on November 15, 2008. His amounts reflect a partial year award for the retainer fees, a pro-rated RSU award for November 2008 until February 2009, and a full RSU award in March 2009. |
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The reports of the Audit Review Committee and the Compensation Committee that follow will not be deemed incorporated by reference by any general statement incorporating by reference this proxy statement or future filings into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, except to the extent that Deere specifically incorporates the information by reference, and will not otherwise be deemed filed under these Acts.
AUDIT REVIEW COMMITTEE REPORT |
To the Board of Directors:
The Audit Review Committee consists of the following members of the Board of Directors: Charles O. Holliday, Jr. (Chair), Dipak C. Jain, Joachim Milberg, Thomas H. Patrick and Aulana L. Peters. Each of the members is independent as defined under the rules of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The Audit Review Committee is responsible for assisting the Board of Directors in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities pertaining to the accounting, auditing and financial reporting processes of Deere & Company (Deere). Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining Deeres internal control over financial reporting and for preparing financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The Audit Review Committee is directly responsible for the appointment, oversight, compensation and retention of Deloitte & Touche LLP, the independent registered public accounting firm for Deere. Deloitte & Touche LLP is responsible for performing an independent audit of Deeres annual financial statements and internal control over financial reporting, and expressing opinions on (i) the conformity of Deeres financial statements with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and (ii) the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting.
All members of the Audit Review Committee are financially literate under the applicable NYSE rules, and the following members of the Committee Mr. Holliday, Mr. Patrick and Mrs. Peters are audit committee financial experts within the meaning of that term as defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in Regulation S-K under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Audit Review Committee has a written charter describing its responsibilities, which has been approved by the Board of Directors and is available on Deeres website at www.deere.com/corpgov. The Audit Review Committees responsibility is one of oversight. Members of the Audit Review Committee rely on the information provided and the representations made to them by management, which has primary responsibility for establishing and maintaining appropriate internal control over financial reporting, and for Deeres financial statements and reports; and by the independent registered public accounting firm, which is responsible for performing an audit in accordance with Standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and expressing opinions on (i) the conformity of Deeres financial statements with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States and (ii) the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting.
In this context, we have reviewed and discussed with management Deeres audited financial statements as of and for the year ended October 31, 2009.
We have discussed with Deloitte & Touche LLP, the independent registered public accounting firm for Deere, the matters required to be discussed by American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Professional Standards, Vol. 1. AU Section 380), as adopted by PCAOB in Rule 3200T.
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We have received and reviewed the written disclosures and the letter from Deloitte & Touche LLP required by applicable requirements of the PCAOB regarding the independent registered public accounting firms communications with the Audit Review Committee concerning independence, and have discussed with them their independence. We have concluded that Deloitte & Touche LLPs provision of audit and non-audit services to Deere is compatible with their independence.
Based on the reviews and discussions referred to above, and exercising our business judgment, we recommend to the Board of Directors that the financial statements referred to above be included in Deeres Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2009 for filing with the SEC. We have selected Deloitte & Touche LLP as Deere & Companys independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal 2010, and have approved submitting the selection of the independent registered public accounting firm for ratification by the shareholders.
Audit Review
Committee |
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COMPENSATION DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS (CD&A) |
Introduction
The CD&A is organized as follows:
Following the CD&A are a series of tables containing detailed information about the compensation earned by the following executive officers listed in the Summary Compensation Table (each a Named Executive) in fiscal 2009.
Named Executive Officers
The following table shows senior leadership changes that occurred during fiscal 2009:
Name | Previous Position | Current Position | |||
Samuel R. Allen | President, Worldwide Construction & | President and Chief Executive Officer | |||
Forestry Operations* | effective August 1, 2009 | ||||
Robert W. Lane | Chairman, President and Chief | Chairman effective until February 24, 2010; | |||
Executive Officer | Retired as employee effective December 31, 2009 | ||||
James M. Field | President, (former) Commercial & | Senior Vice President and Chief Financial | |||
Consumer Equipment Operations | Officer effective June 1, 2009 | ||||
Michael J. Mack, Jr. | Senior Vice President and Chief | President, Worldwide Construction & Forestry | |||
Financial Officer | Operations effective June 1, 2009 | ||||
David C. Everitt | President, Agricultural Equipment | President, Agricultural Equipment Operations | |||
Operations | |||||
James A. Israel | President, John Deere Credit | President, John Deere Credit | |||
James R. Jenkins | Senior Vice President and General | Senior Vice President and General Counsel | |||
Counsel | |||||
H.J. Markley | Executive Vice President, Worldwide | Executive Vice President, Worldwide Parts and | |||
Parts and Global Supply Management | Global Supply Management; Retired effective | ||||
December 31, 2009** |
* | During the transition to CEO, Mr. Allen served as President and Chief Operating Officer from June 1, 2009 to August 1, 2009. Effective February 24, 2010, Mr. Allen is appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors. | |
** | Mr. Markley is no longer an active employee of Deere as of August 28, 2009. Mr. Markleys effective retirement date was December 31, 2009, due to his use of accumulated vacation. |
Executive Summary
At Deere, we aspire to distinctively serve our customers those linked to the land through a great business. To achieve this aspiration, our strategy is:
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Execution of this strategy is expected to create a sustainable business that rewards our customers, our employees and our stockholders. The following CD&A describes how our employees, particularly our Named Executives, are rewarded through our compensation programs.
Compensation Philosophy
Our
longstanding compensation philosophy includes the principles of paying for
performance, supporting business strategies and paying competitively. The
Committee believes that this philosophy continues to drive our salaried
employees to produce positive results for Deere and our shareholders. This
philosophy drives our compensation design, as described under the section Total
Rewards Strategy, which was approved by the Board in August 2002. Total Rewards
Strategy represents the collaboration between Deere and its salaried employees
to strive for higher company performance, while maintaining our core values of
quality, innovation, integrity and commitment.
Total
Direct Compensation
Total direct
compensation, consisting of base salary, Short-Term Incentive (STI), Mid-Term
Incentive (MTI) and Long-Term Incentive (LTI), is the focus of the
Committees annual review of compensation for the Named Executives. Base salary,
STI and MTI awards are delivered in cash. Long-term incentives consist of equity
awards including RSUs and stock options. Indirect compensation includes
perquisites, retirement benefits, deferred compensation and post-employment
benefits.
The following table summarizes the direct compensation elements awarded to Named Executives in fiscal 2009 using (a) salary and non-equity incentive plan compensation as reported in the Summary Compensation Table; (b) the full grant date value for RSUs awarded in fiscal 2009; and (c) the full binomial value for stock options awards in fiscal 2009. Inclusion of this table is not intended to replace the Fiscal 2009 Summary Compensation Table, but rather to demonstrate how the Committee views the compensation awarded to Named Executives during the year and at the time equity awards are granted. Market data for most of the companies in our peer group is available using this methodology.
Stock | Non-Equity | % change | |||||||||||||||||||||
Fiscal | Awards | Option | Incentive Plan | Total Direct | from | ||||||||||||||||||
Name | Year | Salary | (RSUs) | Awards | Compensation | Compensation | prior year | ||||||||||||||||
Samuel R. Allen | 2009 | $ | 795,965 | $ | 829,038 | $ | 818,914 | $ | 1,606,687 | $ | 4,050,604 | -5 | % | ||||||||||
2008 | $ | 578,205 | $ | 852,938 | $ | 803,743 | $ | 2,006,962 | $ | 4,241,848 | 9 | % | |||||||||||
2007 | $ | 546,521 | $ | 783,385 | $ | 684,820 | $ | 1,877,143 | $ | 3,891,869 | |||||||||||||
Robert W. Lane | 2009 | $ | 1,512,779 | $ | 3,769,920 | $ | 3,723,837 | $ | 4,864,800 | $ | 13,871,336 | -12 | % | ||||||||||
2008 | $ | 1,435,545 | $ | 3,807,980 | $ | 3,588,470 | $ | 6,930,421 | $ | 15,762,416 | 10 | % | |||||||||||
2007 | $ | 1,306,280 | $ | 3,505,059 | $ | 3,063,858 | $ | 6,393,070 | $ | 14,268,267 | |||||||||||||
James M. Field* | 2009 | $ | 492,321 | $ | 557,650 | $ | 550,845 | $ | 1,282,097 | $ | 2,882,913 | ||||||||||||
Michael J. Mack, Jr. | 2009 | $ | 582,821 | $ | 682,357 | $ | 674,027 | $ | 1,342,033 | $ | 3,281,238 | -15 | % | ||||||||||
2008 | $ | 543,367 | $ | 722,018 | $ | 680,425 | $ | 1,930,241 | $ | 3,876,051 | 13 | % | |||||||||||
2007 | $ | 515,646 | $ | 570,922 | $ | 499,048 | $ | 1,834,698 | $ | 3,420,314 | |||||||||||||
David C. Everitt | 2009 | $ | 624,820 | $ | 829,474 | $ | 819,332 | $ | 1,378,309 | $ | 3,651,935 | -14 | % | ||||||||||
2008 | $ | 590,115 | $ | 861,288 | $ | 811,639 | $ | 2,008,179 | $ | 4,271,221 | 10 | % | |||||||||||
2007 | $ | 552,299 | $ | 777,096 | $ | 679,294 | $ | 1,885,089 | $ | 3,893,778 | |||||||||||||
James A. Israel | 2009 | $ | 460,863 | $ | 561,855 | $ | 555,011 | $ | 1,266,818 | $ | 2,844,547 | -15 | % | ||||||||||
2008 | $ | 438,950 | $ | 594,561 | $ | 560,288 | $ | 1,770,228 | $ | 3,364,027 | |||||||||||||
James R. Jenkins* | 2009 | $ | 546,225 | $ | 665,896 | $ | 657,780 | $ | 1,324,864 | $ | 3,194,765 | ||||||||||||
H. J. Markley | 2009 | $ | 592,842 | $ | 722,776 | $ | 713,964 | $ | 1,356,564 | $ | 3,386,146 | -18 | % | ||||||||||
2008 | $ | 564,654 | $ | 809,772 | $ | 763,149 | $ | 1,983,925 | $ | 4,121,500 | 8 | % | |||||||||||
2007 | $ | 538,596 | $ | 742,556 | $ | 649,131 | $ | 1,880,550 | $ | 3,810,833 |
* | Messrs. Field and Jenkins met the criteria for inclusion as Named Executives for the first time in fiscal 2009. Therefore, only data for fiscal 2009 is included. |
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As seen from the above table, total direct compensation is lower in fiscal 2009 than fiscal 2008 primarily due to lower non-equity incentive compensation which is further explained in the Short-Term Incentive section. Using the most currently available market data at the time compensation actions occurred in December 2008, Committee decisions resulted in total direct compensation:
See the Review and Approval of Total Direct Compensation section below for an overview of compensation delivery for fiscal 2009.
Pay for
Performance Analysis
In the course
of reviewing our overall executive compensation program, our compensation
consultant, Watson Wyatt & Company, reviewed the relationship between
long-term compensation (as further described in the Long-Term Compensation
section below) and our performance. This review was conducted in order to assess
whether the long-term compensation delivered to Named Executives for the prior
four fiscal years (2006-2009) has been commensurate with our performance
relative to our peer group as identified in the Peer Group and Market Data
section below. For purposes of this review, company performance is defined as
total shareholder return and long-term compensation is defined by realizable
value which is the sum of:
(i) | the value of any in-the-money stock options granted over the four-year period reviewed (the difference between the closing price for Deere common stock on October 31, 2009, which was $45.55, and the option exercise price); | ||
(ii) | the current value of restricted shares granted over the four-year period reviewed; and | ||
(iii) | the value of payouts made under the MTI for the four-year performance period ending in 2009. |
This analysis reveals that we achieved total shareholder return in the upper quartile of the peer group from fiscal 2006-2009 while realizable values for long-term compensation for the Named Executives were between the median and 75th percentile of the peer group. The Committee believes this analysis demonstrates an appropriate relationship between our long-term compensation and company performance.
Since we did not achieve maximum STI payout for fiscal 2009, total direct compensation for the Named Executives is between median and upper quartile as compared to the peer group. The Committee believes that although our performance in terms of total shareholder return was in the upper quartile, the Named Executives total direct compensation is appropriate given the companys STI and MTI results as compared to the performance metrics established at the beginning of the year.
Committee
Actions in Fiscal 2009
The
Committee reviews our executive compensation programs on an ongoing basis.
Recent actions of the Committee include:
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Although the required focus of the CD&A is on compensation for the Named Executives, the compensation programs discussed below apply, in many cases, to groups of employees beyond the Named Executives.
Total Rewards Strategy (TRS)
TRS includes base salary, short-term, mid-term and long-term incentive compensation as well as employee benefits. The award range and value from each of the incentive components of compensation is tied to our performance through association with an operating metric or as a function of our stock price. We have chosen metrics that align employee compensation, including compensation for the Named Executives, to our business strategy. This alignment is further accomplished by keeping our metrics simple, transparent and consistently communicated from year to year. SVA, for example, has been published in the annual report every year since 2002 in the section following the Chairmans letter.
TRS was communicated throughout the Deere enterprise prior to implementation in fiscal 2004 and applies to the majority of salaried employees in addition to all of the Named Executives.
TRS is supported by the following principles deriving from our compensation philosophy:
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Compensation Committee
The Committee is responsible for reviewing and approving corporate goals and objectives relevant to compensation for the majority of salaried employees, evaluating the Named Executives performance in relation to these goals, and evaluating and approving compensation of the Named Executives. See the Committees section of this Proxy Statement for a detailed listing of Committee responsibilities and members.
The Committee does not delegate any responsibilities related to the compensation of Named Executives and the Committee exercises its independent judgment when approving executive compensation. No member of the Committee is a former or current officer of Deere or any of its subsidiaries.
The Committee periodically reviews compensation delivery to ensure its alignment with our business strategy and performance, market practices and the interest of employees and stockholders. In addition, the Committee periodically reviews market practices for all elements of executive compensation and approves necessary adjustments to remain competitive.
The Corporate Governance Committee of the Board directs an annual evaluation process of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Generally, at the Board meeting in August each year, the full Board (in executive session without the CEO present) evaluates the CEOs performance. The Committee considers the Boards evaluation when providing recommendations to the Board for the CEOs compensation. The Committees recommendations for the CEOs compensation are presented to and approved by the independent members of the Board. The CEO does not play a role in and is not present during discussions regarding his own compensation.
The CEO plays a significant role in setting the compensation for the other Named Executives. The CEO presents an evaluation of each Named Executives individual performance. The CEO also provides his recommendations for changes to the Named Executives base salaries and LTI awards. Since the STI and MTI awards are calculated using predetermined factors, the CEO does not provide recommendations for changes to the other Named Executives STI and MTI awards. The Committee has the discretion to accept, reject or modify the CEOs recommendations. The other Named Executives are not present during these discussions.
Compensation Committee Consultant
During fiscal 2009 the Committee retained Watson Wyatt & Company to replace Hewitt Associates LLC (Hewitt) as its Compensation Consultant (Consultant) and to assist with designing our executive compensation program, reviewing compensation relative to our performance and the competitive market and monitoring the effectiveness of our executive compensation program. In view of the actuarial and human resources consulting services that Hewitt has historically provided, and continues to provide, to Deere, the Committee determined that retaining a consultant that does not provide other significant services to Deere would help ensure that it was receiving, and was understood by all relevant constituencies to be receiving, an independent perspective on executive compensation. The Consultant attends Committee meetings, reviews compensation data with the Committee and participates in general discussions regarding executive compensation issues.
While the Committee considers input from the Consultant, ultimately the Committees decisions reflect many factors and considerations. Personnel in our human resources department, along with the Vice President, Human Resources, work with the Consultant at the direction of the Committee to develop materials and analysis essential to the Committees compensation determinations and evaluations. Such materials include competitive market assessments and summaries of current legal and regulatory developments.
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The Consultant periodically meets independently with the Chairman of the Committee to discuss compensation matters. In addition, the Consultant regularly participates in executive sessions with the Committee (without any of our personnel or executives present) to discuss compensation matters.
Hewitt provided consultation to the Committee related to compensation decisions made for fiscal 2009. Watson Wyatt & Company provided additional analysis during fiscal 2009 and guidance on fiscal 2010 compensation targets and performance metrics. Hewitt continues to provide the Committee with market data for our peer group companies while also providing Deere with actuarial and human resource consulting services. Watson Wyatt & Company provides no other significant services to Deere.
Peer Group and Market Data
To ensure that total compensation for Named Executives is aligned to the market, based on information provided by the Consultant, we benchmarked compensation and performance against the following peer group for fiscal 2009.
3M Company | Johnson Controls Inc. |
Alcoa Inc. | Lockheed Martin Corporation |
Caterpillar Inc. | Northrop Grumman Corporation |
Cummins Inc. | PACCAR Inc. |
Eaton Corporation | Parker Hannifin Corporation |
Emerson Electric Company | PPG Industries Inc. |
General Dynamics Corporation | Raytheon Company |
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company | Textron Inc. |
Honeywell International Inc. | United Technologies Corporation |
Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Whirlpool Corporation |
Ingersoll-Rand Company Limited | Xerox Corporation |
These companies are similar to Deere in sales volume, products, services, market capitalization and/or global presence.
Revenue* | Market Value | |||||
Fiscal Year | At Oct 31, 2009 | |||||
Company | Fiscal Year | Employees | ($MM) | ($MM) | ||
3M | Dec 08 | 79,183 | $25,269 | $52,084 | ||
Alcoa | Dec 08 | 87,000 | $26,901 | $12,102 | ||
Caterpillar | Dec 08 | 112,887 | $51,324 | $34,302 | ||
Cummins | Dec 08 | 39,800 | $14,354 | $8,690 | ||
Eaton | Dec 08 | 75,000 | $15,376 | $10,011 | ||
Emerson Electric | Sep 09 | 140,700 | $20,915 | $28,373 | ||
General Dynamics | Dec 08 | 92,300 | $29,300 | $24,190 | ||
Goodyear Tire & Rubber | Dec 08 | 74,700 | $19,488 | $3,119 | ||
Honeywell International | Dec 08 | 128,000 | $36,556 | $27,386 | ||
Illinois Tool Works | Dec 08 | 65,000 | $15,869 | $22,967 | ||
Ingersoll-Rand | Dec 08 | 60,000 | $13,227 | $10,084 | ||
Johnson Controls | Sep 09 | 130,000 | $28,497 | $17,176 | ||
Lockheed Martin | Dec 08 | 146,000 | $42,731 | $26,194 | ||
Northrop Grumman | Dec 08 | 123,600 | $33,887 | $15,728 | ||
Paccar | Dec 08 | 18,700 | $14,973 | $13,613 | ||
Parker Hannifin | Jun 09 | 51,639 | $10,309 | $8,513 | ||
PPG Industries | Dec 08 | 44,900 | $15,849 | $9,423 |
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Revenue* | Market Value | |||||
Fiscal Year | At Oct 31, 2009 | |||||
Company | Fiscal Year | Employees | ($MM) | ($MM) | ||
Raytheon | Dec 08 | 72,800 | $23,174 | $17,352 | ||
Textron | Dec 08 | 43,000 | $14,246 | $4,805 | ||
TRW Automotive Holdings | Dec 08 | 62,200 | $14,995 | $1,807 | ||
United Technologies | Dec 08 | 223,100 | $58,506 | $57,612 | ||
Whirlpool | Dec 08 | 69,612 | $18,907 | $5,318 | ||
Xerox | Dec 08 | 57,100 | $17,608 | $6,537 | ||
75th Percentile | 118,243 | $28,899 | $25,192 | |||
Median | 74,700 | $19,488 | $13,613 | |||
25th Percentile | 58,550 | $15,186 | $8,602 | |||
Deere & Company | Oct 09 | 51,300 | $23,112 | $19,265 |
Source: S&P CompuStat Research Insight Database
* Reflects revenue for last reported fiscal year
Compensation paid by the peer group is representative of the compensation we believe is required to attract, retain and motivate executive talent. The list of companies has not significantly changed in recent years and provides a consistent measure for comparing compensation. The Committee periodically reviews and considers the peer group to confirm that it continues to be an appropriate benchmark for the Named Executives compensation and company performance.
CEO and Business Changes in Fiscal 2009
After an eighteen month succession planning process, on June 1, 2009, the Board elected Samuel R. Allen as President, Chief Operating Officer and a member of the Board. Mr. Allen has 34 years of service with the company and has been a senior officer since 2001. Effective August 1, 2009, Mr. Allen became our Chief Executive Officer.
In addition, Mr. Lane will continue to serve as Chairman of the Board until February 24, 2010. Mr. Allen has been appointed Chairman, effective February 24, 2010, immediately following the annual meeting. Mr. Lane continued as an employee of Deere until December 31, 2009 and provided transition services.
The John Deere Agriculture & Turf Equipment Division was created at the beginning of the third quarter of fiscal 2009 by combining the former Agricultural Equipment Operations and the former Commercial and Consumer Equipment Operations. This operating change had no affect on STI metrics for fiscal 2009. For a discussion on the impact of this reorganization on fiscal 2010 STI metrics, see Committee Actions Related to Fiscal 2010 below.
Elements of Executive Compensation
Each component of direct and indirect compensation and selected benefits is summarized in the table below:
Where Reported in | |||
Component | Purpose | Characteristics | Accompanying Tables |
Base Salary | Reward for level of responsibility, experience and sustained individual performance | Fixed cash component targeted at our peer group median. Base salary can vary from market due to individual performance, experience, time in position and internal equity considerations | Fiscal 2009 Summary Compensation Table under the column Salary |
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Where Reported in | |||
Component | Purpose | Characteristics | Accompanying Tables |
Discretionary Bonus Awards | To recognize outstanding individual achievement | A cash award that may not exceed 20% of base salary, except in unusual circumstances | No discretionary bonuses were awarded in fiscal 2009 |
Short-Term Incentive (STI) | Reward for the achievement of higher profitability through operating efficiencies and asset management during the fiscal year | A target STI award is designed to provide median annual cash compensation when combined with base salary compared with our peer group | Fiscal 2009 Summary Compensation Table under the column Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation and Fiscal 2009 Grants of Plan-Based Awards under the column Estimated Future Payouts Under Non-Equity Incentive Plan Awards |
Mid-Term Incentive (MTI) | Reward for the achievement of sustained profitable growth over a multi-year performance period | Cash portion of long-term compensation. MTI is designed to provide upper quartile compensation in combination with base salary, above target STI and target LTI awards compared with our peer group. | Fiscal 2009 Summary Compensation Table under the column Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation and Fiscal 2009 Grants of Plan-Based Awards under the column Estimated Future Payouts Under Non-Equity Incentive Plan Awards |
Long-Term Incentive (LTI) | Reward for the creation of shareholder value as reflected by our stock price | Equity-based portion of long-term compensation. A target LTI award in combination with base salary and a target STI award are designed to provide median compensation compared with our peer group. Award is delivered through a combination of RSUs and stock options. Ultimate value of award depends on our stock price. | Fiscal 2009 Summary Compensation Table under the column Stock Awards and Option Awards; Fiscal 2009 Grants of Plan-Based Awards under the column Grant Date Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards; Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal 2009 Year-End; Fiscal 2009 Option Exercises and Stock Vested; Fiscal 2009 Deferred Compensation Table in the row Deferred RSUs |
Perquisites | Provide our executives with selected benefits commensurate with those provided to executives at our peer group companies | Benefits which personally benefit an employee, are not related to job performance and are available to a select group of employees. | Fiscal 2009 Summary Compensation Table under the column All Other Compensation |
Retirement Benefits | Provide an appropriate level of replacement income upon retirement | A defined benefit pension plan plus a 401(k) plan (John Deere Savings and Investment Plan (SIP)). Our matches to the SIP are based on the applicable pension option (traditional versus contemporary) and our performance. | Fiscal 2009 Summary Compensation Table under the columns Change in Pension Value and All Other Compensation; Fiscal 2009 Pension Benefits Table |
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Where Reported in | |||
Component | Purpose | Characteristics | Accompanying Tables |
Deferred Compensation Benefits | Allows executives to defer compensation on a more tax-efficient basis | Employees can elect to defer base salary, STI or MTI into the Voluntary Deferred Compensation Plan. Employees participating in the contemporary pension option can defer employee contributions and receive matching employer contributions under the Defined Contribution Restoration Plan. Also includes deferred RSUs. | Accumulated amounts deferred are reported in the Fiscal 2009 Deferred Compensation Table. Above-market earnings on these accounts are reported in the Fiscal 2009 Summary Compensation Table under the column Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings |
Potential Payments upon Change in Control | Encourage executives to operate in the best interest of stockholders | Contingent in nature. Most elements are payable only if a Named Executives employment is terminated as specified under the change in control provisions of various plans. | Fiscal 2009 Potential Payments upon Change in Control |
Other Potential Post-Employment Payments | Lists potential payments under the scenarios of death, disability, retirement, termination without cause or for cause, and voluntary separation | Contingent in nature. Amounts are payable only if a Named Executives employment is terminated as specified under the arrangements of various plans. | Fiscal 2009 Potential Payments upon Termination of Employment Other than Following a Change in Control |
Direct Compensation Elements
The following information describes each direct compensation element, including discussion of performance metrics, where applicable.
Base Salary
In determining salary levels for each of our Named Executives, the Committee takes into consideration factors such as fulfillment of job responsibilities, the financial and operational performance of the activities directed by each Named Executive, experience, time in position, internal equity considerations, and potential. Each Named Executives current salary as compared to the salary range and the median salary practices of our peer group is also considered.
In December 2008, after considering the aforementioned factors, the Committee approved a base salary increase of 5% for the CEO and approved increases ranging from 5-10% for the other Named Executives. The resulting increases align with the market median for similar positions, except for the Chief Financial Officers (CFO). For both Mr. Field and Mr. Mack, base salary is below the market median due to the limited time each served in that position.
Short-Term Incentive (STI)
These factors are used to calculate the amount of the STI award paid to the Named Executives:
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The STI Plan is periodically approved by our stockholders and was last approved at the February 2005 annual meeting. The STI Plan will be considered for re-approval at the February 2010 annual meeting.
Performance Metrics for
STI
There are two metrics used in the
calculation of STI: one for the Equipment Operations and one for Credit
Operations. Credit Operations is a part of Financial Services.
OROA is the performance metric used by the Equipment Operations. Deere is primarily a manufacturing company with high investment in fixed assets, such as buildings and machinery, and significant expenses with longer term payoffs, such as research and development. OROA was selected as the STI performance metric because the Committee believes OROA effectively measures the efficient use of the Equipment Operations assets. Targeted OROA performance for each Equipment Operations segment changes according to its sales volume.
The sales volume is measured in relationship to mid-volume sales. Mid-volume sales are determined at the beginning of the fiscal year and represent the midpoint of a business cycle. It is determined using historical sales volumes, industry growth rates, and equipment market share data among other considerations.
The line in the above graph represents how Deeres operating leverage functions in a given business. For Deere, operating leverage means:
By adjusting OROA performance goals as sales volumes change, Deere believes the level of difficulty in attaining targeted performance will be comparable for a range of sales volumes and capacity utilization. To be successful as market conditions change, Deere must strategically position the business by encouraging sound employee decisions regarding investment of capital and other asset utilization. This model encourages our management team to make the necessary structural changes to the business such as capacity planning, margin enhancements and asset turnover for a given level of volumes. Using OROA aligns this strategy to employee decisions that affect this component of variable pay.
At the beginning of fiscal 2009, the Committee approved the following OROA goals at different sales volume levels for the Equipment Operations:
Fiscal 2009 OROA Goals | Minimum | Target | Maximum | ||||||
OROA Goals at Low Volume | 4 | % | 8 | % | 12 | % | |||
OROA Goals at Mid-Volume | 8 | % | 12 | % | 20 | % | |||
OROA Goals at High Volume | 12 | % | 20 | % | 28 | % |
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These OROA goals have not changed since fiscal 2007.
ROE is the performance metric for the Credit Operations. The Credit Operations has different cash flow risk characteristics and operates with significantly different debt-to-equity leverage than the Equipment Operations. ROE goals for the Credit Operations are adjusted for the actual mix of business subsidized by the Equipment Operations as well as for the business not subsidized. ROE goals are higher for non-subsidized business. The Committee approved the following ROE goals at the beginning of fiscal 2009:
Minimum | Target | Maximum | ||
12.33% | 13.35% | 14.36% |
The OROA and ROE calculations can be summarized as follows:
OROA
for the Equipment
Operations:
Operating
profit
+ Provisions for MTI
awards
= Adjusted operating profit
OROA = | Adjusted operating profit ÷ Average identifiable assets with inventories at standard cost and significant goodwill phased in over sixty months |
ROE
for the Credit
Operations:
Net income (after
taxes)
+ Provisions for MTI awards (net of income
taxes)
= Adjusted net income
ROE = | Adjusted net income ÷ Average equity with equity related to significant goodwill phased in over sixty months |
Any significant goodwill from acquisitions is phased into average assets or average equity evenly over a sixty-month period. This policy encourages investments in sound acquisitions that may include goodwill, while still requiring effective integration and management of new businesses in a timely manner.
For the Named Executives, a corporate composite weighting is used to calculate STI. For fiscal 2009, the corporate composite weighting consists of:
Agricultural and Turf Operations OROA: | ||
Agricultural Equipment Operations OROA | 40 | % |
Turf Operations OROA | 20 | % |
Construction & Forestry Operations OROA | 20 | % |
Credit Operations ROE | 20 | % |
Approval of STI
Rates
After review and consideration of
Deeres peer group data for target cash bonuses, the Committee approves target
STI rates as a percent of base salary for Named Executives at the beginning of
the fiscal year. In December 2008, the Committee approved STI rates for fiscal
2009 as follows:
STI Award Rates: | Fiscal 2009 | |||||
Performance Level | Minimum | Target | Maximum | |||
CEO | 62.5% | 125.0 | % | 250.0% | ||
Chief Operating Officer | 50.0% | 100.0 | % | 200.0% | ||
Other Named Executives | 42.5% | 85.0 | % | 170.0% |
For more information on the range of STI awards approved for fiscal 2009, see the Fiscal 2009 Grants of Plan-Based Awards table and footnote (2) to the table.
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Fiscal 2009 Performance Results
for STI
The chart below
details:
Goal to | Fiscal 2009 | Fiscal 2009 | Weighted | |||||||
Achieve | Performance | Performance | Award | Award | ||||||
Fiscal 2009 Performance Results for STI | Payout | Results | as % of Target | Weighting | Results | |||||
Agricultural & Turf Operations | ||||||||||
Agricultural Equipment Operations OROA | 18.4% for | 26.4% | 200% | 40% | 80% | |||||
maximum | ||||||||||
Turf Operations OROA | 4.0% for | Below Zero | 0% | 20% | 0% | |||||
minimum | ||||||||||
Construction & Forestry Operations OROA | 4.0% for | Below Zero | 0% | 20% | 0% | |||||
minimum | ||||||||||
Credit Operations ROE | 12.33% for | 7.1% | 0% | 20% | 0% | |||||
minimum | ||||||||||
Actual Performance as % of Target | 80% |
To further explain this chart and the fiscal 2009 OROA goals, for example, because Agricultural Equipment Operations sales were between low and mid volume for fiscal 2009, the division needed to achieve 18.4% OROA to earn maximum payout (see Fiscal 2009 OROA Goals chart above). Since the division achieved an OROA of 26.4%, a maximum payout for that component of the corporate composite was earned. For fiscal 2009, actual sales volumes for the combined Equipment Operations were below the mid volume.
The dollar amounts of the STI awards paid to Named Executives are calculated as follows:
Base salary
for the fiscal
year
x STI
target bonus
rates
x
Actual performance as a percent of target (up to a maximum of
200%)
=
STI award amount
STI awards paid to Named Executives are detailed in the Fiscal 2009 Summary Compensation Table under footnote (4).
The STI plan and the results for fiscal 2009 described above are also used to determine the STI award paid to most salaried employees worldwide. For fiscal 2009, STI awards paid to the Named Executives represented about 2.2% of the total amount of STI awards paid to approximately 27,100 eligible salaried employees.
See Committee Actions Related to Fiscal 2010 for changes related to STI for fiscal 2010.
Long-Term Compensation
Long-term compensation consists of a combination of MTI and LTI. MTI is paid in cash and is considered part of long-term compensation because each performance period encompasses a number of years. LTI is awarded using RSUs and stock options.
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Mid-Term Incentive (MTI)
The following factors are used to calculate the amount of the MTI award paid to the Named Executives:
* | Participation in MTI plan includes management level employees worldwide numbering about 7,600 as of fiscal 2009; therefore, the amount of each individual MTI award is determined, in part, by the number of eligible employees in the pool. |
The MTI Plan is periodically approved by Deere stockholders and was last approved at the February 2008 annual meeting.
Performance Metrics for
MTI
In 2003, the Committee established SVA
as the MTI performance metric to determine Deeres success in delivering
sustained growth in economic profitability. SVA was selected as the MTI
performance metric because the Committee believes that Deere should: (a) earn,
at a minimum, its weighted average cost of capital each year; (b) ensure
investments in capital and research and development earn their cost of capital;
and (c) ensure acquisitions do not dissipate shareholder value. We believe that
sustained growth can be accomplished only through a combination of revenue
growth and high returns on invested capital. Because MTI is based on
enterprise-wide SVA, MTI facilitates teamwork across all units of our
business.
SVA calculations for the Equipment Operations and Financial Services can be summarized as follows:
SVA of Equipment Operations: | |||
Operating profit | |||
+ | Provisions for MTI awards | ||
- | Estimated cost of assets ((average identifiable assets with inventories at standard cost) x | ||
12% cost of capital) | |||
= | SVA of Equipment Operations | ||
SVA of Financial Services: | |||
Net income divided by after-tax earnings rate of 65% | |||
+ | Provisions for MTI awards | ||
+/- | Allowance for credit losses | ||
- | Estimated cost of equity ((average equity plus average allowance for credit losses) | ||
x approximately 18% (pretax cost of equity)) | |||
= | SVA of Financial Services |
SVA of Equipment Operations + SVA of Financial Services = Deere SVA
The Committee continues to evaluate and test various operating performance metrics to determine the strongest correlation over time with shareholder value creation. The Committee believes SVA contains significant sustained performance incentives and has a proven correlation to our total shareholder return. It has aligned employee performance with our business strategy over the past six years.
The Committee has approved MTI performance periods consisting of four consecutive fiscal years. The multi-year performance period approach emphasizes and rewards consistent, sustained operating performance. Since MTI was approved in 2003, two phase-in performance periods were completed during fiscal 2004 and 2005, and four-year performance periods were completed during fiscal years 2006
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through 2009. Starting with the completion of the first full four-year performance period in fiscal 2006, the Committee has conducted annual reviews of the target and maximum SVA cap. The maximum SVA cap matches enterprise SVA goals set by the business for each year in the performance period. The target SVA is set at half of the maximum SVA cap. The chart below details the target and maximum SVA goals for each of the performance periods that include fiscal 2009.
Fiscal 2006 | Fiscal 2007 | Fiscal 2008 | Fiscal 2009 | |
through | through | through | through | |
Four-Year Performance Periods | Fiscal 2009 | Fiscal 2010* | Fiscal 2011* | Fiscal 2012* |
Target SVA | $1.5 billion | $2.0 billion | $2.075 billion | $2.85 billion |
Maximum SVA Cap | $3.0 billion | $4.0 billion | $4.15 billion | $5.7 billion |
% of SVA Shared | 4.7% | 4.0% | 4.0% | 4.0% |
MTI Payout to all Plan | ||||
Participants at Target | $70.5 million | $80 million | $83 million | $114 million |
Payable in | Dec 2009 | Dec 2010 | Dec 2011 | Dec 2012 |
Approved by Committee | Nov 2005 | Nov 2006 | Nov 2007 | Dec 2008 |
* | For the multi-year performance periods ending in fiscal 2010 and beyond, any significant goodwill from acquisitions will be phased into average assets or average equity evenly over a sixty-month period. This policy encourages investments in sound acquisitions that may include goodwill, while still requiring effective integration and management of new businesses in a timely manner. |
If performance criteria are met, MTI plan participants share in a percentage of four-year accumulated SVA (see chart above), which results in a cash payout. The payout amount for each employee is calculated using the MTI award rates below, but may be less depending on the number of eligible employees in the pool. Any individual MTI award cannot exceed the maximum approved by the Committee.
Inherent in the MTI plan is a lagging, four-year impact of SVA. Whether positive or negative, SVA results for a given year become part of the MTI award calculation for that year and the next three years. Negative SVA in a given year is part of the calculation for that year and the next three years and can offset positive SVA earned in a prior or future year. Thus, MTI plan payouts made in a weak-performance year, following several strong-performance years, will be higher than the financial results for a weak-performance year alone would justify. The opposite is also true: MTI plan payouts in a strong-performance year, following a number of weak-performance years, will be lower than the financial results that the strong-performance year alone would justify.
Approval of MTI
Rates
After review and consideration of
upper quartile compensation data of our peer group, the Committee approves MTI
rates as a percent of salary at the beginning of the last fiscal year of the
performance period. In December 2008, the Committee approved the following MTI
award rates for the four-year performance period ending October 31,
2009.
MTI Award Rates: | Fiscal 2009 | ||||
Minimum* | Target | Maximum | |||
CEO | $1,100 | 160% | 320% | ||
Other Named Executives | $400 | 123% | 246% |
* | A minimum MTI award (defined in terms of actual dollars rather than as a percentage of salary) will not be paid unless accumulated SVA exceeds $1 million for a four-year performance period. |
The above MTI rates are unchanged since fiscal 2007. For details of the range of MTI awards approved for the performance period beginning in fiscal 2009, see the Fiscal 2009 Grants of Plan-Based Awards table and footnote (2).
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Fiscal 2009 Performance Results
for MTI
Deeres SVA, calculated in
accordance with the MTI performance metrics as described above, is illustrated
in the following table for the four-year performance period ending October 31,
2009:
Deere Enterprise SVA
Accumulated SVA for Performance Period = $4,282
For the four-year performance period ending October 31, 2009, the accumulated SVA, calculated in accordance with the MTI plan as described above, exceeded the $3 billion cap, resulting in a maximum MTI award. MTI awards paid to Named Executives are detailed in the Fiscal 2009 Summary Compensation Table under footnote (4). For fiscal 2009, MTI awards paid to the Named Executives were equal to approximately 7% of the MTI payout to all eligible employees.
In the years preceding the implementation of MTI, fiscal 1994 to 2003, accumulated SVA, as reported, was negative $1.4 billion as compared to accumulated positive SVA of $5.9 billion since 2003. Deeres adoption of the SVA model was an important factor in this significant SVA improvement.
See Committee Actions Related to Fiscal 2010 for changes related to MTI for fiscal 2010.
Long-Term Incentive (LTI)
The purpose of LTI is to reward the Named Executives for the creation of sustained shareholder value, encourage ownership of Deere stock, foster teamwork and retain and motivate high-caliber executives. We believe LTI aligns the interests of the Named Executives and our stockholders.
LTI awards consist of annual grants of market-priced stock options and RSUs under the John Deere Omnibus Equity and Incentive Plan (Omnibus Plan). The Omnibus Plan is periodically approved by our stockholders. The last such approval occurred at the February 2006 annual meeting. The Omnibus Plan will be considered for re-approval at the February 2010 annual meeting.
The Committee established LTI grants to the Named Executives based on the following criteria:
The number of options or RSUs previously granted to or held by a Named Executive is not a factor in determining individual grants. Past awards were granted based on performance in prior years. As a result, potential accumulated wealth is not viewed as relevant in arriving at the current year LTI award.
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Approval of LTI Target
Awards
At the beginning of the fiscal
year, after review and consideration of peer group data on target long-term
incentives, the Committee approves a range of LTI factors that are a multiple of
the base salaries for Named Executives. The following factors, unchanged since
fiscal 2007, were approved for fiscal 2009:
LTI Award Factors: | Fiscal 2009 | ||||
Minimum | Target | Maximum | |||
CEO | 12.75x | 17.375x | 22x | ||
Other Named Executives | 6x | 8.5x | 11x |
The Committee determines LTI awards at the first Committee meeting at the beginning of the fiscal year. The Committee has the discretion to increase or decrease a target LTI award within the approved range to distinguish an individuals level of performance for the prior fiscal year, to deliver a particular LTI value, or to reflect other adjustments as the Committee feels necessary. For fiscal 2009, the Committee approved increases to certain Named Executives target LTI awards in recognition of their individual performance as illustrated in footnote (3) to the Fiscal 2009 Grants of Plan Based Awards Table. Given the uncertainties of the market at the time of the grant, the Committee approved a 10% reduction in the LTI award factor that had been recommended by the CEO. In the case of the CEO, the full Board approved a 10% reduction from a target award. See footnote (3) to Fiscal 2009 Grants of Plan-Based Awards table for LTI factors used to calculate the number of RSUs and options awarded to each Named Executive during fiscal 2009.
Consistent with prior years, the Committee approved the LTI award value to be delivered as approximately 50% in stock options and approximately 50% in RSUs, using a conversion ratio of options to RSUs of 3 to 1. At the time of approval, the Committee believed that the resulting LTI value was aligned with Deeres peer group. See Fiscal 2009 Grants of Plan-Based Awards table and footnotes (3) and (4) to the table for more information on LTI awards delivered as well as terms of these awards. The accounting expense recognized during fiscal years 2007 through 2009 related to the LTI awards for the Named Executives is detailed in the Fiscal 2009 Summary Compensation Table under footnotes (2) and (3).
For fiscal 2009, the number of RSUs granted to the Named Executives represented 66% of all RSUs granted to eligible salaried employees and the number of stock options granted to Named Executives represented 14% of stock options granted to eligible salaried employees. These proportions are consistent with our philosophy that as Named Executives assume more responsibility, a larger portion of their incentive compensation should be focused on longer-term awards.
See Committee Actions Related to Fiscal 2010 for changes related to LTI for fiscal 2010.
LTI Grant
Practices
As has been the practice for
more than 15 years, the Committee authorizes the annual LTI awards for all
eligible employees on a single date each year. The grant date is seven calendar
days after the first Board meeting of the fiscal year. This timing allows for
stock price stabilization after the release of year-end financial results and
Board meeting announcements. The grant price for LTI awards is the average of
the high and low common stock price on the grant date as reported on the NYSE.
We have used the average grant price methodology for more than 30 years. This
grant price is also used to determine the number of RSUs and stock options to be
granted.
Stock Ownership
Guidelines
Stock ownership guidelines
apply to Named Executives to encourage the retention of stock acquired through
our various equity incentive plans. These guidelines are based on a multiple of
each Named Executives base salary. The guidelines are five times base salary
for the CEO and 3.5 times base salary for the other Named Executives. RSUs and
any common stock held personally by the Named Executive are included in
determining whether a Named Executive has achieved the applicable
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ownership guideline. The RSUs granted in fiscal 2008 and 2009 must be held until retirement or other permitted termination of employment. Stock options are not included in calculating whether the guidelines have been met. Once the guideline is achieved by the Named Executive, the number of shares held at that time becomes the fixed stock ownership requirement for the Named Executive for three years, even if base salary increases. Each of the Named Executives has achieved stockholdings in excess of the applicable multiple.
Review and Approval of Total
Direct Compensation
The Committee
believes each pay element is consistent with our compensation philosophy of
paying for performance, supporting business strategies and paying competitively.
The pay elements are designed to complement each other and reward the
achievement of short-term and long-term objectives. The Compensation Committee
believes that the allocation of the cash and equity components of TRS for the
Named Executives strikes an appropriate balance between our objective of paying
competitively to retain high-caliber executives and aligning Named Executive
compensation with our long-term performance to create sustainable shareholder
value.
The Committee believes that Deeres executive compensation is not structured to promote inappropriate risk taking by our executives. The performance metrics for determining STI (OROA and ROE) and MTI (SVA) are based on worldwide, publicly reported metrics with only minor adjustments as described above. The metrics for STI are capped at a maximum level of OROA and ROE performance. Payouts under the MTI plan are capped at a maximum amount of accumulated SVA for the multi-year performance period. The Committee believes that executive compensation opportunities are competitive and, on that basis, not excessive. Stock ownership guidelines tie significant amounts of personal wealth to Deeres long-term success. RSUs granted in December 2002 and 2007 through 2009 are required to be held until retirement. In addition, Deere has a Recoupment Policy which is described below. The stock ownership guidelines and policy, among other things, discourage excessive and unnecessary risk taking.
After review and consideration of our peer group data, the Committee reviews the combination of these elements when establishing compensation. The Committee intends that the combination of base salary, target STI and target LTI awards will result in compensation at market median. If the MTI goals are also met and above target STI goals are met, the Named Executives will receive upper quartile compensation as compared to our peer group. The Committee has evaluated the performance metrics associated with STI and MTI. The Committee believes that the achievement of these performance metrics will deliver upper quartile company performance as compared to our peer group and that compensation for the Named Executives is in line with our performance.
Although the Committee has the authority to decrease or eliminate the STI and/or MTI awards, the Committee did not do so for fiscal 2009. The Committee recognizes individual fulfillment of duties through adjustments to base salary and by awarding LTI within the approved ranges discussed above. The Committee reviews total direct compensation for each Named Executive and compares this compensation to the market position data of our peer group. This market position data takes into account the level of responsibility (including the level of sales volume) for the Named Executives operations.
Total direct compensation for the CEO is higher than other Named Executives due to the CEOs breadth of executive and operating responsibilities for the entire global enterprise and is supported by a comparison to our peer group. We have a practice of rotating individuals among the executive officer positions. As described in the beginning of the Executive Summary section, a primary part of our strategy is aligned high-performance teamwork. A substantial portion of the evaluation of individual performance is a careful analysis of each Named Executives significant collaboration and contribution to the success of a high performing team. Thus, while the market data for each position is a factor in reviewing total direct compensation, individual fulfillment of duties, teamwork, development, time in position, experience and internal equity among Named Executives, other than the CEO, are also considered. The Committee does not target CEO compensation as a certain multiple of the compensation of the other Named Executives. The relationship between the CEOs compensation and that of the other Named Executives is influenced by the
61
absence of a chief operating officer in our organizational structure. For our former CEO, Mr. Lane, total direct compensation as compared to the other Named Executives total direct compensation is generally comparable to the average ratio for similarly structured companies in our peer group. For the current CEO, Mr. Allen, this ratio is low as a result of his recent appointment to the position.
The fiscal 2009 STI awards apply only to our performance in fiscal 2009. By contrast, the MTI award paid for fiscal 2009 is calculated based on our cumulative SVA performance over the most recent four-year performance period, i.e. fiscal years 2006 through 2009. As detailed in the foregoing section entitled Mid-Term Incentive, each fiscal years SVA performance is part of the MTI calculations for up to four consecutive performance periods. The SVA earned in fiscal 2009 will be included in the calculations for the four MTI performance periods ending in fiscal years 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.
During fiscal 2009, after reviewing current market practices and peer group data, the Compensation Committee made adjustments to certain components of executive compensation. For example, as described below in the section Committee Actions Related to Fiscal 2010, the Committee reduced the potential STI bonus payout in the corporate composite calculation by 20%. In addition, as described in the section Approval of LTI Target Awards, the Compensation Committee approved a 10% reduction in the LTI award factor for the Named Executives while the independent members of the Board approved the same reduction for the CEO. The Compensation Committee believes these changes are aligned with our compensation philosophy and peer group.
Limitations on Deductibility of
Compensation
Section 162(m) of the IRC
generally limits to $1 million the U.S. federal tax deductibility of
compensation paid in one year to any employee. Performance-based compensation is
not subject to the limits on deductibility of Section 162(m), provided such
compensation meets certain requirements, including stockholder approval of
material terms of compensation.
The Committee strives to provide Named Executives with compensation programs that will preserve the tax deductibility of compensation paid by Deere, to the extent reasonably practicable and to the extent consistent with Deeres other compensation objectives. The Committee believes, however, that stockholder interests are best served by not restricting the Committees discretion and flexibility in structuring compensation programs, even though those programs may result in certain non-deductible compensation expenses.
Recoupment of Previously Paid
Incentive Compensation
In November
2007, the Committee adopted the Executive Incentive Award Recoupment Policy
(Recoupment Policy). The Recoupment Policy applies to the recoupment of
incentive compensation paid to or deferred by certain executives (including the
Named Executives) if certain conditions are met. This policy applies if the
Named Executive engaged in misconduct that:
Under the Recoupment Policy, if either of the above scenarios apply, there must also be a determination that the Named Executives incentive compensation would have been lower if the misconduct had not occurred.
Indirect Compensation Elements
Following is additional information about each indirect compensation element:
Perquisites
Various perquisites
are offered to Named Executives that Deere and the Committee believe are
reasonable to remain competitive. These perquisites constitute a small
percentage of total compensation. The Committee conducts an annual review of the
perquisites offered to the Named Executives. As part of this
62
annual review, in May 2009, the Committee established a policy requiring Named Executives to fully reimburse Deere for security services effective for fiscal 2010. For more information on the perquisites provided and to whom they apply, see footnote (6) to the Fiscal 2009 Summary Compensation Table. In addition to the items listed in the aforementioned footnote, Named Executives, as well as other selected employees, are also provided with the following perquisites at no incremental cost: indoor parking, monitoring of home security systems and access to Deere-sponsored skyboxes at local venues for personal use when not needed for business purposes. Installation and maintenance costs of home security systems are the responsibility of each Named Executive.
In August 2006, the Board voted to require the CEO to use Deere aircraft for all business and personal travel, believing that the ability to travel safely and efficiently provides substantial benefits that justify the cost. Deeres geographic location in the Midwest, outside of a major metropolitan area, makes personal and business travel cumbersome. Travelling by company aircraft for business and personal purposes allows the CEO to conduct business confidentially while travelling. Since the CEO travels extensively, inefficient travel is costly to Deere. Personal use of Deeres aircraft by other Named Executives is minimal. Any personal travel by the Named Executives individually or accompanied by their family members on Deere aircraft must be approved by the CEO. The Committee has limited the CEOs personal usage of company aircraft to approximately 100 hours.
Retirement Benefits
Pension
Benefits
The Named Executives
participate in the same range of pension benefits and are covered by the same
plans (with the exception of the Officer Option discussed under the section
Pension Benefits below) on the same plan terms provided to most qualifying
U.S. salaried employees. We also maintain two additional defined benefit plans
in which Named Executives may participate, the Senior Supplementary Pension
Benefit Plan (the Supplementary Plan) and the John Deere Supplemental Benefit
Plan (the Supplemental Plan).
The Supplementary Plan provides employees with the same benefit they would have received under the qualified plan but for the compensation limits imposed by the Internal Revenue Code and thereby avoids the relative disadvantage that participants would experience compared to other qualified plan participants. The Supplemental Plan is designed to reward career service at Deere above a specified grade level and utilizes a formula that takes into account only years of service above the specified grade level. We believe that the defined benefit plans serve as important retention tools, provide a level of competitive replacement income upon retirement, and reward long-term employment and service as an officer of Deere. For additional information, see the Fiscal 2009 Pension Benefits Table along with the accompanying narrative and footnotes.
We also maintain a tax-qualified defined contribution plan, the John Deere Savings and Investment Plan (SIP), that is available to the majority of U.S. employees, including the Named Executives. We make matching contributions on up to six percent of an employees pay to participant SIP accounts. The fiscal year corporate composite OROA of the STI Plan (see the Performance Metrics for STI section above) is used for determining the level of actual company match for the following calendar year. The following table illustrates the company match for calendar 2009, reported under the All Other Compensation column of the Fiscal 2009 Summary Compensation Table (stated as a percent of base salary):
Traditional | Contemporary | Contemporary |
1% 6% | First 2% | Next 4% |
100% | 300% | 100% |
Deferred
Compensation Benefits
We also
maintain certain deferred compensation plans that provide the Named Executives
with a longer-term savings opportunity on a tax-efficient basis. All deferred
compensation benefits are offered to attract, retain and motivate employees and
are commonly offered by companies with whom we compete for talent. See the
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation section below for more details.
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Potential Payments upon Change in Control and Other Potential Post-Employment Payments
Potential
Payments upon Change in Control
We
have had change in control agreements in place since 2000. In August 2009, the
Committee approved a Change in Control Severance Program (the CIC Program) to
replace the existing change in control agreements. The adoption of the CIC
Program and corresponding changes to existing terms occurred as a result of the
Committees ongoing review of our executive compensation program and were
approved after consultation and review with the Consultant. The principal
changes introduced by the CIC Program are noted in the section Committee
Actions in Fiscal 2009 above.
The Committee believes that, as revised, the CIC Program continues to serve the following purposes:
For more information, see Fiscal 2009 Potential Payments upon Change in Control and corresponding tables.
Other Potential
Post Employment Payments
Upon
certain types of terminations of employment not related to a change in control,
payments under various Deere policies and plans may be paid to Named Executives.
These events and amounts are explained in the section below entitled Fiscal
2009 Potential Payments upon Termination of Employment Other than Following a
Change in Control.
Committee Actions Related to Fiscal 2010
During fiscal 2009 and 2010, our management continues to take an in-depth look at our overall strategy, including positioning Deere for global growth. To that end, our compensation components may change to realign with our business objectives. In anticipation of this strategy review, the following decisions were approved by the Committee related to TRS for fiscal 2010:
STI Metrics
As mentioned above under Committee Actions in Fiscal 2009, the Committee approved the following revisions related to STI metrics for fiscal 2010:
1. | Aligned ROE goals based on debt-to-equity in the Credit Operations: | ||
The credit crisis created a disruption of funding sources. The Credit Operations increased its cash positions to assure sufficient funds to meet customers future financing needs. This decision resulted in a lower debt-to-equity position, which aligns to lower ROE. The Committee approved the following ROE goals, which are benchmarked against other financial institutions categorized by SNL Financial as a bank, thrift, or specialty lender with greater than $1 billion in average assets in fiscal 2008. |
Minimum | Target | Maximum |
10.00% | 10.93% | 11.86% |
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2. | Recognized the combination of the former Agricultural Equipment Operations and former Commercial and Consumer Equipment Operations effective with the third quarter of fiscal 2009 as described above under CEO and Business Changes in Fiscal 2009. The metrics for these operations will be combined for fiscal 2010 as described below. | ||
3. | Reduced potential STI bonus payout in the corporate composite calculation: | ||
In fiscal 2009, the Agricultural Equipment Operations OROA was weighted at 40% and the Turf Operations was weighted 20%. Due to continued challenging business conditions, our management recommended, and the Committee approved, that the combined Agricultural and Turf Operations OROA be weighted at 40% rather than 60%. This weighting results in a reduction of corporate composite payout potential by 20%. We anticipate that fiscal 2010 will be a transition year with further evaluation of this metric for fiscal 2011. These changes impact the fiscal 2010 corporate composite for all STI eligible employees including the Named Executives as follows: |
Division Metric | 2010 Award Weighting |
Agricultural and Turf Operations OROA | 40% |
Construction & Forestry Operations OROA | 20% |
Financial Services ROE | 20% |
No Metric with No Bonus Potential | 20% |
MTI Metrics
The Committee has re-considered the impact of four-year performance periods in light of the fluctuations in business conditions and current market practice. During fiscal 2010, the Committee intends to approve a three-year performance period starting in fiscal 2011 which would cover fiscal years 2011 through 2013. The Committee believes a three-year performance period will minimize the impact of the lag effect described above and better matches the timing of SVA accumulation and an MTI payout. Therefore, the Committee did not approve a four-year performance period starting in fiscal 2010, which would have covered fiscal years 2010 through 2013. This will provide a logical transition from a four-year to a three-year performance cycle.
LTI
The fiscal 2010 equity grant to Named Executives, which was approved by the Committee and awarded in December 2009, was based on the following criteria:
1. | In fiscal 2009, the number of shares were delivered in the form of 50% options and 50% RSUs. For fiscal 2010, the LTI value was delivered in the form of 75% options and 25% RSUs which better aligns our LTI mix of performance and time-based awards with our peer group. | ||
2. | For the Named Executives, except for the CEO, the Committee approved a 10% reduction in the LTI award factor that had been recommended by the CEO. In the case of the CEO, the full Board approved a 10% reduction from a target award. |
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As a result of these decisions, the following awards were approved for the grant on December 9, 2009 (see Compensation Decisions Relating to Two Former Executives below for a discussion regarding Mr. Lane and Mr. Markleys LTI award):
Exercise | Grant Date Fair Value | |||||||||||
Price | of Stock and Option | |||||||||||
Award | Number of RSUs | ($ / Sh) | Awards | |||||||||
Name | Type | or Options | (1) | ($) (2) | ||||||||
Samuel R. Allen | RSUs | 27,043 | $52.25 | $ | 1,412,997 | |||||||
Options | 269,353 | $ | 4,231,536 | |||||||||
$ | 5,644,533 | |||||||||||
James M. Field | RSUs | 5,668 | $52.25 | $ | 296,153 | |||||||
Options | 56,457 | $ | 886,939 | |||||||||
$ | 1,183,092 | |||||||||||
Michael J. Mack, Jr. | RSUs | 6,505 | $52.25 | $ | 339,886 | |||||||
Options | 64,797 | $ | 1,017,961 | |||||||||
$ | 1,357,847 | |||||||||||
David C. Everitt | RSUs | 6,931 | $52.25 | $ | 362,145 | |||||||
Options | 69,036 | $ | 1,084,556 | |||||||||
$ | 1,446,701 | |||||||||||
James A. Israel | RSUs | 5,101 | $52.25 | $ | 266,527 | |||||||
Options | 50,808 | $ | 798,194 | |||||||||
$ | 1,064,721 | |||||||||||
James R. Jenkins | RSUs | 6,046 | $52.25 | $ | 315,904 | |||||||
Options | 60,219 | $ | 946,040 | |||||||||
$ | 1,261,944 |
(1) | The exercise price is the average of the high and low price of Deere common stock on the NYSE on the grant date. | |
(2) | For RSUs, fair value is the market value of the underlying stock on the grant date (which is the same as the exercise price). For options, the fair value on the grant date was $15.71, which was calculated using the binomial lattice option pricing model. |
The Committee and management are reviewing current practices with respect to equity grants that occur in the year of an eligible participants retirement. The Committee intends to adopt guidelines in the future that will appropriately adjust any awards made within a twelve-month window prior to the date of retirement.
The Omnibus Plan that will be presented for approval at the February 2010 annual meeting, as described above in this Proxy Statement, includes a provision that for awards made on or after February 24, 2010 there must be both a Change in Control of Deere and a Qualifying Termination of Employment for the change in control acceleration provisions to apply.
The capitalized terms are defined above in the companys proposal.
Compensation Decisions Relating to Two Former Executives
1. | As noted above, Mr. Lane served as our CEO through July 31, 2009 and continued as an employee of Deere through his retirement date of December 31, 2009. Mr. Lane also continues to serve as our Chairman until Februry 24, 2010. During the portion of fiscal 2010 during which he remained in employee status, Mr. Lane continued to be paid base salary at the annual rate of $1,518,800 and upon retirement received payment of $186,923 for accrued but unused vacation. The Committee designated Mr. Lane as an employee eligible for an STI award for fiscal 2010 with a target rate of 125% of base salary. Under the terms of the STI plan, Mr. Lanes award for fiscal 2010, if any, will be calculated based on our performance in relation to the metrics noted above and will take into account only his salary for the portion of fiscal 2010 preceding his retirement. Under the terms of the MTI program, Mr. Lane will be entitled to receive the MTI payout, if any, for the four-year performance cycle ending with fiscal 2010. |
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In December 2009, the Board awarded Mr. Lane an LTI award based on the following considerations:
| ||
Mr. Lanes LTI award consisting of 47,846 RSUs had a value of approximately $2,500,000 on the date of grant using the stock price fair market value of $52.25. For Mr. Lane, this represents a significantly reduced award in comparison to an award calculated using the CEO target award factor. The RSUs awarded to Mr. Lane will settle after three years, reflecting Mr. Lanes future contributions as an ongoing ambassador of Deere. | ||
The change in the actuarial present value of Mr. Lanes accumulated benefit from the start of fiscal 2010 through Mr. Lanes retirement date under all defined benefit plans in which he participates was approximately $464,000; see Pension Benefits below for a description of these plans. The aggregate decrease during this period in the balance of all nonqualified deferred compensation plans in which Mr. Lane participates, as described below under the section Nonqualified Deferred Compensation, was approximately $181,000. During this period, Mr. Lane received other compensation totaling less than $10,000. | ||
2. | Mr. Markley served as the Executive Vice President, Worldwide Parts and Global Supply Management until his last day in the office on August 28, 2009, but continued as an employee of Deere through his retirement date of December 31, 2009. During the portion of fiscal 2010 during which he remained in employee status, Mr. Markley continued to be paid base salary at the annual rate of $595,200 and upon retirement received payment of $180,842 for deferred and accrued but unused vacation. The Committee designated Mr. Markley as an employee eligible for an STI award for fiscal 2010 with a target rate of 85% of base salary. Under the terms of the STI plan, Mr. Markleys award for fiscal 2010, if any, will be based on our performance based on the metrics noted above and will take into account only his salary for the portion of fiscal 2010 preceding his retirement. Under the terms of the MTI program, Mr. Markley will be entitled to receive the MTI payout, if any, for the four-year performance cycle ending with fiscal 2010. | |
In December 2009 the Committee awarded Mr. Markley an LTI award consisting of 6,562 RSUs having a value of approximately $343,000 on the date of grant using the stock price fair market value of $52.25 and 65,358 options having a value of approximately $1,027,000 using the fair value on the grant date of $15.71 as described above. The Committee made this award in recognition of his individual performance, strong leadership support on critical business initiatives, and his efforts in ensuring a smooth distribution of his executive responsibilities to other officers. The RSUs awarded to Mr. Markley will settle after three years and his stock options will vest in full upon his retirement. The change in the actuarial present value of Mr. Markleys accumulated benefit from the start of fiscal 2010 through Mr. Markleys retirement date under all defined benefit plans in which he participates was approximately $425,000; see Pension Benefits below for a description of these plans. The aggregate decrease during this period in the balance of all nonqualified deferred compensation plans in which Mr. Markley participates, as described below under the section Nonqualified Deferred Compensation, was approximately $170,000. During this period, Mr. Markley also had other compensation of approximately $50,000 for Deeres contribution to defined contribution plans. |
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COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT |
The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors has reviewed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis required by Item 402(b) of Regulation S-K and discussed it with Deeres management. Based on the Compensation Committees review and discussions with management, the Compensation Committee recommends to the Board of Directors that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in Deeres Proxy Statement.
Vance D. Coffman, Chair | |
Crandall C. Bowles | |
Clayton M. Jones | |
Richard B. Myers | |
David B. Speer |
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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION TABLES |
Fiscal 2009 Summary Compensation Table
We are required to include in the Fiscal 2009 Summary Compensation Table, any CEO and CFO serving for any part of the fiscal year, the next three highest paid executives, and any retired executive whose disclosure would otherwise have been required had the Named Executive been serving at the end of the fiscal year. Due to the organizational changes that occurred during fiscal 2009, as outlined in the CD&A, the compensation of eight Named Executives is reported in the Summary Compensation Table. Fiscal 2009 is the first year Messrs. Field and Jenkins met the criteria for inclusion. Therefore, only data for fiscal 2009 is included.
Change in | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pension Value | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
and Nonqualified | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Non-Equity | Deferred | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Incentive Plan | Compensation | All Other | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Salary | Stock Awards | Option Awards | Compensation | Earnings | Compensation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fiscal | ($) | ($) | ($) | ($) | ($) | ($) | Total | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Name & Position | Year | (1) | (2) | (3) | (4) | (5) | (6) | ($) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Samuel R. Allen | 2009 | $ | 795,965 | $ | 829,038 | (7) | $ | 818,914 | (7) | $ | 1,606,687 | $ | 1,337,240 | $ | 222,299 | $ | 5,610,143 | ||||||||||||
President & Chief | 2008 | $ | 578,205 | $ | 1,674,702 | (7) | $ | 1,512,588 | (7) | $ | 2,006,962 | $ | 225,881 | $ | 193,050 | $ | 6,191,388 | ||||||||||||
Executive Officer | 2007 | $ | 546,521 | $ | 821,824 | $ | 660,914 | $ | 1,877,143 | $ | 270,349 | $ | 154,444 | $ | 4,331,195 | ||||||||||||||
Robert W. Lane | 2009 | $ | 1,512,779 | $ | 3,769,920 | (7) | $ | 3,723,837 | (7) | $ | 4,864,800 | $ | 6,817,402 | $ | 127,309 | $ | 20,816,047 | ||||||||||||
Chairman | 2008 | $ | 1,435,545 | $ | 3,933,231 | (7) | $ | 3,676,338 | (7) | $ | 6,930,421 | $ | 5,625,577 | $ | 442,490 | $ | 22,043,602 | ||||||||||||
2007 | $ | 1,306,280 | $ | 5,134,780 | (7) | $ | 4,181,359 | (7) | $ | 6,393,070 | $ | 3,106,847 | $ | 381,086 | $ | 20,503,422 | |||||||||||||
James M. Field | 2009 | $ | 492,321 | $ | 422,230 | $ | 401,849 | $ | 1,282,097 | $ | 281,811 | $ | 186,582 | $ | 3,066,890 | ||||||||||||||
Senior Vice President | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chief Financial Officer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Michael J. Mack, Jr. | 2009 | $ | 582,821 | $ | 652,693 | $ | 611,370 | $ | 1,342,033 | $ | 656,152 | $ | 163,490 | $ | 4,008,559 | ||||||||||||||
President, WW Construction | 2008 | $ | 543,367 | $ | 578,688 | $ | 525,045 | $ | 1,930,241 | $ | 57,187 | $ | 212,209 | $ | 3,846,738 | ||||||||||||||
& Forestry Operations | 2007 | $ | 515,646 | $ | 452,041 | $ | 418,310 | $ | 1,834,698 | $ | 99,629 | $ | 136,316 | $ | 3,456,640 | ||||||||||||||
David C. Everitt | 2009 | $ | 624,820 | $ | 829,474 | (7) | $ | 819,332 | (7) | $ | 1,378,309 | $ | 1,347,991 | $ | 22,178 | $ | 5,022,104 | ||||||||||||
President, Agricultural | 2008 | $ | 590,115 | $ | 889,344 | (7) | $ | 831,629 | (7) | $ | 2,008,179 | $ | 424,899 | $ | 72,152 | $ | 4,816,318 | ||||||||||||
Equipment Operations | 2007 | $ | 552,299 | $ | 1,135,859 | (7) | $ | 930,154 | (7) | $ | 1,885,089 | $ | 373,182 | $ | 49,321 | $ | 4,925,904 | ||||||||||||
James A. Israel | 2009 | $ | 460,863 | $ | 561,855 | (7) | $ | 555,011 | (7) | $ | 1,266,818 | $ | 909,991 | $ | 28,405 | $ | 3,782,943 | ||||||||||||
President, Credit | 2008 | $ | 438,950 | $ | 1,140,886 | (7) | $ | 1,036,048 | (7) | $ | 1,770,228 | $ | 80,737 | $ | 63,941 | $ | 4,530,790 | ||||||||||||
James R. Jenkins | 2009 | $ | 546,225 | $ | 698,923 | $ | 650,308 | $ | 1,324,864 | $ | 551,591 | $ | 145,041 | $ | 3,916,952 | ||||||||||||||
Senior Vice President | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
General Counsel | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
H. J. Markley (Retired) | 2009 | $ | 592,842 | $ | 722,776 | (7) | $ | 713,964 | (7) | $ | 1,356,564 | $ | 1,402,404 | $ | 166,462 | $ | 4,955,012 | ||||||||||||
Executive Vice President | 2008 | $ | 564,654 | $ | 840,191 | (7) | $ | 784,823 | (7) | $ | 1,983,925 | $ | 505,855 | $ | 178,411 | $ | 4,857,859 | ||||||||||||
WW Parts & Global | 2007 | $ | 538,596 | $ | 1,130,183 | (7) | $ | 920,476 | (7) | $ | 1,880,550 | $ | 377,903 | $ | 156,934 | $ | 5,004,642 | ||||||||||||
Supply Mgmt |
(1) | Includes amounts deferred by the Named Executive under the John Deere Voluntary Deferred Compensation Plan. For salary amounts deferred in fiscal 2009, see amounts listed in the first column of the Fiscal 2009 Deferred Compensation Table corresponding with Deferred Plan. | ||
(2) | Represents the amount recognized for financial statement reporting purposes with respect to outstanding RSUs in accordance with GAAP. The assumptions made in valuing RSUs reported in this column are discussed in Note 24, Stock Option and Restricted Stock Awards of our consolidated financial statements filed with the SEC on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2009. See the Fiscal 2009 Grants of Plan-Based Awards table for the full fair value of RSUs granted in 2009. RSUs are valued using the full value grant price as of the grant date and this value does not correspond to the actual value that will be realized by the Named Executives. The RSUs included in this table vest after three years. RSUs granted in fiscal 2004-2007 must be held for at least five years from the grant date before they are converted to Deere common stock. The RSUs granted in fiscal 2008 and 2009 must be held until retirement or other permitted |
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termination of employment. RSU grants are discussed in the Long-Term Incentive section of the CD&A under Elements of Executive Compensation. Except as described in footnote (7) below, the compensation cost of RSUs is recognized on a straight-line basis over the three-year vesting period. In accordance with SEC rules, the amounts shown exclude the potential impact of estimated forfeitures related to service-based vesting conditions. | |||
(3) | Represents the amount recognized for financial statement reporting purposes with respect to outstanding option awards in accordance with GAAP. We use a binomial lattice option pricing model to calculate option value and this value does not correspond to the actual value that may be realized by the Named Executives. Except as described in footnote (7) below, the compensation cost of the stock options that vest is recognized on a straight-line basis over the three-year vesting period. The assumptions made in valuing option awards reported in this column and a more detailed discussion of the binomial lattice option pricing model are described in Note 24, Stock Option and Restricted Stock Awards of our consolidated financial statements filed with the SEC on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2009. See the Fiscal 2009 Grants of Plan- Based Awards table for the full fair value of options granted in 2009. Option grants are discussed in the Long-Term Incentive section of the CD&A under Elements of Executive Compensation. | ||
(4) | Non-equity incentive plan compensation includes cash awards under the STI plan and the MTI plan. See the CD&A under Elements of Executive Compensation for a more detailed description of STI and MTI awards. Cash awards earned for the performance period ending in fiscal 2009 were paid to Named Executives on December 15, 2009, unless deferred under the Voluntary Deferred Compensation Plan. | ||
The following table shows the awards earned under the STI and MTI plans: |
STI (a) | MTI (b) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Actual | Target | Actual | Total Non- | |||||||||||||||||||||
Target | Performance | Award as % | Performance | Equity Incentive | ||||||||||||||||||||
Fiscal | Award as % | as % of | Award | of Median | as % of | Award | Plan | |||||||||||||||||
Name | Year | of Salary | Target | Amount | Salary | Target | Amount | Compensation | ||||||||||||||||
Samuel R. Allen | 2009 | 85-125 | % (c) | 80 | % | $ | 653,256 | 123 | % | 200 | % | $ | 953,431 | $ | 1,606,687 | |||||||||
2008 | 85 | % | 200 | % | $ | 982,949 | 123 | % | 200 | % | $ | 1,024,013 | $ | 2,006,962 | ||||||||||
2007 | 70 | % | 200 | % | $ | 750,627 | 123 | % | 200 | % | $ | 1,126,516 | $ | 1,877,143 | ||||||||||
Robert W. Lane | 2009 | 125 | % | 80 | % | $ | 1,512,779 | 160 | % | 200 | % | $ | 3,352,021 | $ | 4,864,800 | |||||||||
2008 | 125 | % | 200 | % | $ | 3,588,863 | 160 | % | 200 | % | $ | 3,341,558 | $ | 6,930,421 | ||||||||||
2007 | 110 | % | 200 | % | $ | 2,873,816 | 160 | % | 200 | % | $ | 3,519,254 | $ | 6,393,070 | ||||||||||
James M. Field | 2009 | 85 | % | 80 | % | $ | 328,666 | 123 | % | 200 | % | $ | 953,431 | $ | 1,282,097 | |||||||||
Michael J. Mack, Jr. | 2009 | 85 | % | 80 | % | $ | 388,602 | 123 | % | 200 | % | $ | 953,431 | $ | 1,342,033 | |||||||||
2008 | 85 | % | 200 | % | $ | 906,228 | 123 | % | 200 | % | $ | 1,024,013 | $ | 1,930,241 | ||||||||||
2007 | 70 | % | 200 | % | $ | 708,182 | 123 | % | 200 | % | $ | 1,126,516 | $ | 1,834,698 | ||||||||||
David C. Everitt | 2009 | 85 | % | 80 | % | $ | 424,878 | 123 | % | 200 | % | $ | 953,431 | $ | 1,378,309 | |||||||||
2008 | 85 | % | 200 | % | $ | 984,166 | 123 | % | 200 | % | $ | 1,024,013 | $ | 2,008,179 | ||||||||||
2007 | 70 | % | 200 | % | $ | 758,573 | 123 | % | 200 | % | $ | 1,126,516 | $ | 1,885,089 | ||||||||||
James A. Israel | 2009 | 85 | % | 80 | % | $ | 313,387 | 123 | % | 200 | % | $ | 953,431 | $ | 1,266,818 | |||||||||
2008 | 85 | % | 200 | % | $ | 746,215 | 123 | % | 200 | % | $ | 1,024,013 | $ | 1,770,228 | ||||||||||
James R. Jenkins | 2009 | 85 | % | 80 | % | $ | 371,433 | 123 | % | 200 | % | $ | 953,431 | $ | 1,324,864 | |||||||||
H. J. Markley | 2009 | 85 | % | 80 | % | $ | 403,133 | 123 | % | 200 | % | $ | 953,431 | $ | 1,356,564 | |||||||||
2008 | 85 | % | 200 | % | $ | 959,912 | 123 | % | 200 | % | $ | 1,024,013 | $ | 1,983,925 | ||||||||||
2007 | 70 | % | 200 | % | $ | 754,034 | 123 | % | 200 | % | $ | 1,126,516 | $ | 1,880,550 |
(a) | Based on actual Deere performance, as discussed in the CD&A under Fiscal 2009 Performance Results for STI, the Named Executives earned an STI award equal to 80% of their annual target bonus opportunity for fiscal 2009. An STI award equal to 200% of the annual target bonus opportunity was earned in fiscal 2008 and 2007. |
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(b) | Based on actual Deere performance, as discussed in the CD&A under Fiscal 2009 Performance Results for MTI, the Named Executives earned an MTI award equal to 200% of the target opportunity. An MTI award equal to 200% of the target bonus opportunity was earned in fiscal 2008 and 2007. The award amount of MTI is determined, in part, by the number of eligible employees in the pool. | |||
(c) | During fiscal 2009, Mr. Allens STI target award rates varied as he transitioned from President, Worldwide Construction & Forestry Operations through May 31, 2009 to Chief Operating Officer through July 31, 2009 to Chief Executive Officer. The target rates for these positions were approved at the beginning of the fiscal year. | |||
(5) | The following table shows the change in pension value and above-market earnings on nonqualified deferred compensation during the fiscal year. The footnotes below describe how the amounts were calculated. |
Nonqualified | |||||||||||||
Deferred | |||||||||||||
Change in | Compensation | ||||||||||||
Pension Value | Earnings | ||||||||||||
Name | Fiscal Year | (a) | (b) | Total | |||||||||
Samuel R. Allen | 2009 | $ | 1,328,039 | $ | 9,201 | $ | 1,337,240 | ||||||
2008 | $ | 202,133 | $ | 23,748 | $ | 225,881 | |||||||
2007 | $ | 242,969 | $ | 27,380 | $ | 270,349 | |||||||
Robert W. Lane | 2009 | $ | 6,796,400 | $ | 21,002 | $ | 6,817,402 | ||||||
2008 | $ | 5,547,750 | $ | 77,827 | $ | 5,625,577 | |||||||
2007 | $ | 2,984,816 | $ | 122,031 | $ | 3,106,847 | |||||||
James M. Field | 2009 | $ | 278,580 | $ | 3,231 | $ | 281,811 | ||||||
Michael J. Mack, Jr. | 2009 | $ | 645,386 | $ | 10,766 | $ | 656,152 | ||||||
2008 | $ | 45,128 | $ | 12,059 | $ | 57,187 | |||||||
2007 | $ | 86,198 | $ | 13,431 | $ | 99,629 | |||||||
David C. Everitt | 2009 | $ | 1,338,490 | $ | 9,501 | $ | 1,347,991 | ||||||
2008 | $ | 401,728 | $ | 23,171 | $ | 424,899 | |||||||
2007 | $ | 336,851 | $ | 36,331 | $ | 373,182 | |||||||
James A. Israel | 2009 | $ | 904,264 | $ | 5,727 | $ | 909,991 | ||||||
2008 | $ | 80,737 | $ | | $ | 80,737 | |||||||
James R. Jenkins | 2009 | $ | 544,771 | $ | 6,820 | $ | 551,591 | ||||||
H. J. Markley | 2009 | $ | 1,382,032 | $ | 20,372 | $ | 1,402,404 | ||||||
2008 | $ | 447,344 | $ | 58,511 | $ | 505,855 | |||||||
2007 | $ | 323,046 | $ | 54,857 | $ | 377,903 |
(a) | Represents the change in the actuarial present value of each Named Executives accumulated benefit under all defined benefit plans from October 31, 2008 to October 31, 2009. The pension value calculations include the same assumptions as used in the U.S. pension plan valuations for financial reporting purposes. For more information on the assumptions, see footnote (4) under the Fiscal 2009 Pension Benefits Table. | ||
(b) | Represents above-market earnings on compensation that is deferred by the Named Executives under our nonqualified deferred compensation plans. Above-market earnings represent the difference between the interest rate used to calculate earnings under the plan (prime rate plus 2%) and 120% of the applicable federal long-term rate prescribed by the IRC. See the Fiscal 2009 Deferred Compensation Table for additional information. |
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(6) | The following table provides details about each component of the All Other Compensation column in the Fiscal 2009 Summary Compensation Table. |
Company | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal | Contributions | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Use of | to Defined | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Company | Financial | Medical | Misc | Contribution | Total All | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Aircraft | Planning | Relocation | Exams | Perquisites | Tax Gross Ups | Plans | Other | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Name | Year | (a) | (b) | (c) | (d) | (e) | (f) | (g) | Compensation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Samuel R. Allen | 2009 | $ | 27,738 | $ | 9,983 | $ | | $ | 3,086 | $ | 1,838 | $ | 1,763 | (1) | $ | 177,891 | $ | 222,299 | |||||||||||||||
2008 | $ | 1,044 | $ | 6,207 | $ | | $ | 3,037 | $ | 24,507 | $ | 25,099 | (1) | $ | 133,156 | $ | 193,050 | ||||||||||||||||
2007 | $ | 6,923 | $ | 5,823 | $ | | $ | | $ | 8,323 | $ | 9,419 | (1),(4) | $ | 123,956 | $ | 154,444 | ||||||||||||||||
Robert W. Lane | 2009 | $ | 91,509 | $ | 15,000 | $ | | $ | | $ | 4,300 | $ | | $ | 16,500 | $ | 127,309 | ||||||||||||||||
2008 | $ | 401,732 | $ | 15,000 | $ | | $ | 8,674 | $ | 1,584 | $ | | $ | 15,500 | $ | 442,490 | |||||||||||||||||
2007 | $ | 324,825 | $ | 15,000 | $ | | $ | 10,154 | $ | 9,900 | $ | 5,707 | (4) | $ | 15,500 | $ | 381,086 | ||||||||||||||||
James M. Field | 2009 | $ | | $ | 1,575 | $ | 56,981 | $ | 1,143 | $ | 3,274 | $ | 3,829 | (3) | $ | 119,780 | $ | 186,582 | |||||||||||||||
Michael J. Mack, Jr. | 2009 | $ | | $ | 10,000 | $ | | $ | 4,142 | $ | 1,578 | $ | | $ | 147,770 | $ | 163,490 | ||||||||||||||||
2008 | $ | 30,701 | $ | 10,000 | $ | | $ | 5,556 | $ | 22,490 | $ | 19,216 | (1) | $ | 124,246 | $ | 212,209 | ||||||||||||||||
2007 | $ | 4,548 | $ | 10,000 | $ | | $ | | $ | 8,868 | $ | 9,108 | (4) | $ | 103,792 | $ | 136,316 | ||||||||||||||||
David C. Everitt | 2009 | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | 2,723 | $ | 2,955 | $ | | $ | 16,500 | $ | 22,178 | ||||||||||||||||
2008 | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | 3,433 | $ | 30,593 | $ | 22,626 | (1) | $ | 15,500 | $ | 72,152 | ||||||||||||||||
2007 | $ | 4,294 | $ | 5,000 | $ | | $ | 2,374 | $ | 9,086 | $ | 13,067 | (1),(4) | $ | 15,500 | $ | 49,321 | ||||||||||||||||
James A. Israel | 2009 | $ | | $ | 10,000 | $ | | $ | | $ | 1,905 | $ | | $ | 16,500 | $ | 28,405 | ||||||||||||||||
2008 | $ | | $ | 10,000 | $ | | $ | | $ | 20,113 | $ | 18,328 | (1) | $ | 15,500 | $ | 63,941 | ||||||||||||||||
James R. Jenkins | 2009 | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | 1,980 | $ | | $ | 143,061 | $ | 145,041 | ||||||||||||||||
H. J. Markley | 2009 | $ | | $ | 10,000 | $ | | $ | | $ | 1,187 | $ | | $ | 155,275 | $ | 166,462 | ||||||||||||||||
2008 | $ | | $ | 10,000 | $ | | $ | | $ | 19,434 | $ | 16,612 | (4) | $ | 132,365 | $ | 178,411 | ||||||||||||||||
2007 | $ | 4,294 | $ | 10,000 | $ | | $ | | $ | 7,937 | $ | 7,690 | (4) | $ | 127,013 | $ | 156,934 |
(a) | Per IRS regulations, the Named Executives recognize imputed income on the personal use of Deeres aircraft at rates established by the IRS. For SEC purposes, the cost of personal use of Deeres aircraft is calculated based on the incremental cost to Deere. To determine the incremental cost, Deere calculates the variable costs for fuel on a per mile basis, plus any direct trip expenses such as on-board catering, landing/ramp fees and crew expenses. Fixed costs which do not change based on usage, such as pilot salaries, depreciation of aircraft and cost of maintenance are excluded. For amounts reported in fiscal 2008 and 2007, the cost per mile included maintenance costs. For Deere, the CEOs personal usage of the companys aircraft is about 1% of overall usage. Due to minimal personal usage of company aircraft, Deere has determined that maintenance should be excluded from the incremental cost calculation. If maintenance costs had been excluded in fiscal 2008 and 2007, the amounts reported for Mr. Lane would have been $184,360 and $146,758, respectively. For fiscal 2009, the combined personal usage of company aircraft for Messrs. Lane and Allen represents about 1% of overall aircraft usage and about 100 hours of travel. | ||
(b) | This column contains amounts Deere paid for financial planning assistance on behalf of the Named Executives. The CEO may annually receive up to $15,000 of assistance and the other Named Executives may receive up to $10,000 annually. | ||
(c) | This column contains amounts reimbursed for relocation. | ||
(d) | This column contains the amounts Deere paid for annual medical exams for Named Executives. | ||
(e) | Miscellaneous perquisites include other personal benefits received by the Named Executives including company-provided car washes in fiscal 2007 and 2008, participation in a staff retreat which included spouses in fiscal 2007, spouse attendance at a board meeting in fiscal 2008 and company events in fiscal 2009, and drive-by surveillance and response to security alarms of certain Named Executives residences by our Corporate Security Staff. Effective at the beginning of fiscal 2010, Named Executives are required to fully reimburse Deere for security services. |
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(f) | Tax gross ups are provided when expenses are incurred for business purposes, but applicable tax rules result in imputed income to the employee. Tax gross ups for any Named Executive may include: | |||||
(1) | Tax reimbursements on income imputed for spousal travel when required for business reasons. Starting in calendar 2009, tax gross ups for spousal travel were discontinued. Any amounts shown for fiscal 2009 occurred in November-December 2008; | |||||
(2) | Tax reimbursements associated with overseas assignments. Our policy provides that an employee will not incur excess taxes for an overseas assignment. Accordingly, an employees taxes are equalized to ensure that additional out-of-pocket tax expenses are not incurred by an employee; | |||||
(3) | Tax reimbursement for income imputed to the employee on reimbursed moving expenses; and | |||||
(4) | Tax reimbursement on income imputed for staff retreats. Starting in calendar 2009, tax gross ups for staff retreats were discontinued. | |||||
(g) | Deere makes contributions to the John Deere Savings and Investment Plan (SIP) for all employees. Deere also credits contributions to the Deere Defined Contribution Restoration Plan for all employees covered by the Contemporary Option under the tax-qualified pension plan. Messrs. Allen, Field, Mack, Jenkins and Markley are covered by the Contemporary Option. | |||||
(7) | The current years awards for Messrs. Allen, Lane, Everitt, Israel and Markley were fully expensed because they became eligible for retirement prior to fiscal 2009. This accounting treatment is required under GAAP for awards that are treated as vested at grant. Employees retain their awards upon retirement. |
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Fiscal 2009 Grants of Plan-Based Awards
The following table provides additional information regarding fiscal 2009 grants of RSU and stock option awards under the Omnibus Plan, and the potential range of awards that were approved in fiscal 2009 under STI and MTI for payout in future years. The footnotes below detail the performance period covered by these awards. These awards are further described in the CD&A under Elements of Executive Compensation.
All Other | All Other | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stock | Option | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Awards: | Awards: | Exercise | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of | Number of | or Base | Grant Date | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Estimated Future Payouts Under Non- | Shares of | Securities | Price of | Fair Value of | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Equity Incentive Plan Awards | Stock or | Underlying | Option | Closing | Stock and | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(2) | Units | Options | Awards | Price on | Option Awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Grant Date | Committee | Award | Threshold | Target | Maximum | (#) | (#) | ($ / Sh) | Grant | ($) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Name | (1) | Action Date | Type | ($) | ($) | ($) | (3) | (4) | (5) | Date | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Samuel R. Allen | 12/9/2008 | 12/9/2008 | STI | $ | 408,285 | $ | 816,570 | $ | 1,633,141 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
12/9/2008 | 12/9/2008 | MTI (7) | $ | 1,100 | $ | 2,710,145 | $ | 5,420,290 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12/17/2008 | 12/9/2008 | RSUs | 20,901 | $ | 829,038 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12/17/2008 | 12/9/2008 | Options | 62,704 | $ | 39.665 | $ | 40.38 | $ | 818,914 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Totals | $ | 409,385 | $ | 3,526,715 | $ | 7,053,431 | 20,901 | 62,704 | $ | 1,647,952 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Robert W. Lane | 12/9/2008 | 12/9/2008 | STI | $ | 945,487 | $ | 1,890,974 | $ | 3,781,948 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
12/9/2008 | 12/9/2008 | MTI | $ | 1,100 | $ | 2,710,145 | $ | 5,420,290 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12/17/2008 | 12/9/2008 | RSUs | 95,044 | $ | 3,769,920 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12/17/2008 | 12/9/2008 | Options | 285,133 | $ | 39.665 | $ | 40.38 | $ | 3,723,837 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Totals | $ | 946,587 | $ | 4,601,119 | $ | 9,202,238 | 95,044 | 285,133 | $ | 7,493,757 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
James M. Field | 12/9/2008 | 12/9/2008 | STI | $ | 205,417 | $ | 410,833 | $ | 821,666 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
12/9/2008 | 12/9/2008 | MTI | $ | 400 | $ | 770,859 | $ | 1,541,718 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12/17/2008 | 12/9/2008 | RSUs | 14,059 | $ | 557,650 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12/17/2008 | 12/9/2008 | Options | 42,178 | $ | 39.665 | $ | 40.38 | $ | 550,845 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Totals | $ | 205,817 | $ | 1,181,692 | $ | 2,363,384 | 14,059 | 42,178 | $ | 1,108,495 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Michael J. Mack, Jr. | 12/9/2008 | 12/9/2008 | STI | $ | 242,876 | $ | 485,752 | $ | 971,504 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
12/9/2008 | 12/9/2008 | MTI | $ | 400 | $ | 770,859 | $ | 1,541,718 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12/17/2008 | 12/9/2008 | RSUs | 17,203 | $ | 682,357 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12/17/2008 | 12/9/2008 | Options | 51,610 | $ | 39.665 | $ | 40.38 | $ | 674,027 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Totals | $ | 243,276 | $ | 1,256,611 | $ | 2,513,222 | 17,203 | 51,610 | $ | 1,356,384 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
David C. Everitt | 12/9/2008 | 12/9/2008 | STI | $ | 265,549 | $ | 531,097 | $ | 1,062,194 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
12/9/2008 | 12/9/2008 | MTI | $ | 400 | $ | 770,859 | $ | 1,541,718 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12/17/2008 | 12/9/2008 | RSUs | 20,912 | $ | 829,474 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12/17/2008 | 12/9/2008 | Options | 62,736 | $ | 39.665 | $ | 40.38 | $ | 819,332 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Totals | $ | 265,949 | $ | 1,301,956 | $ | 2,603,912 | 20,912 | 62,736 | $ | 1,648,806 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
James A. Israel | 12/9/2008 | 12/9/2008 | STI | $ | 195,867 | $ | 391,734 | $ | 783,467 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
12/9/2008 | 12/9/2008 | MTI | $ | 400 | $ | 770,859 | $ | 1,541,718 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12/17/2008 | 12/9/2008 | RSUs | 14,165 | $ | 561,855 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12/17/2008 | 12/9/2008 | Options | 42,497 | $ | 39.665 | $ | 40.38 | $ | 555,011 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Totals | $ | 196,267 | $ | 1,162,593 | $ | 2,325,185 | 14,165 | 42,497 | $ | 1,116,866 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
James R. Jenkins | 12/9/2008 | 12/9/2008 | STI | $ | 232,146 | $ | 464,291 | $ | 928,583 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
12/9/2008 | 12/9/2008 | MTI | $ | 400 | $ | 770,859 | $ | 1,541,718 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12/17/2008 | 12/9/2008 | RSUs | 16,788 | $ | 665,896 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12/17/2008 | 12/9/2008 | Options | 50,366 | $ | 39.665 | $ | 40.38 | $ | 657,780 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Totals | $ | 232,546 | $ | 1,235,150 | $ | 2,470,301 | 16,788 | 50,366 | $ | 1,323,676 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
H. J. Markley | 12/9/2008 | 12/9/2008 | STI | $ | 251,958 | $ | 503,916 | $ | 1,007,831 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
12/9/2008 | 12/9/2008 | MTI | $ | 400 | $ | 770,859 | $ | 1,541,718 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12/17/2008 | 12/9/2008 | RSUs | 18,222 | $ | 722,776 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12/17/2008 | 12/9/2008 | Options | 54,668 | $ | 39.665 | $ | 40.38 | $ | 713,964 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Totals | $ | 252,358 | $ | 1,274,775 | $ | 2,549,549 | 18,222 | 54,668 | $ | 1,436,740 |
(1) | For the non-equity incentive plan awards, the grant date is the date the Committee approved the range of the estimated potential future payouts for the performance periods noted under footnote (2) below. For equity awards, the grant date is seven calendar days after the first regularly scheduled Board meeting following the end of the fiscal year. |
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(2) | These columns show the range of potential payouts under the STI and MTI plans. | ||
The performance period for STI in this table covers November 1, 2008 to October 31, 2009. For the range of awards approved by the Committee for fiscal 2009, see Approval of STI Rates in the CD&A. For actual performance between minimum, target and maximum, the STI award earned is prorated on a straight-line basis. | |||
The range of MTI awards covers the four-year performance period beginning fiscal 2009, which started on November 1, 2008, and will end on October 31, 2012. For the range of awards approved by the Committee for fiscal 2009, see Approval of MTI Rates in the CD&A. No awards will be paid unless Deere generates at least $1 million of SVA for a performance period. The mid-range MTI award will be earned if $2.85 billion of SVA is generated and the maximum MTI award will be earned if $5.7 billion or more of SVA is generated during the performance period. The amounts in the table represent potential MTI awards assuming no change in the number of MTI participants and no change in the Named Executives salaries. The actual MTI awards will depend upon the following factors during the relevant performance period: | |||
| |||
(3) | Represents the number of RSUs granted in December 2008. RSUs will vest three years after the grant date, but must be held until retirement or other permitted termination of employment before they are settled in Deere common stock. As discussed above, for the Named Executives, except for the CEO, the Committee approved a 10% reduction in the LTI award factor that had been recommended by the CEO. In the case of the CEO, the full Board approved a 10% reduction from a target award. The Committee approved adjustments to LTI awards to recognize individual performance. The accounting expense recognized by Deere for these awards during fiscal 2009 is included in the Stock Awards column of the Fiscal 2009 Summary Compensation Table. Prior to settlement, each RSU entitles the individual to receive payments from Deere equal to any quarterly dividends that Deere pays on one share of its common stock. Dividend equivalents are paid in cash at the same time as dividends are paid on Deeres common stock. The following table calculates the number of RSUs and stock options awarded: |
Samuel R. Allen | Robert W. Lane | James M. Field | Michael J. Mack, Jr. | David C. Everitt | James A. Israel | James R. Jenkins | H.J. Markley | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Base Salary, as of 30 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
September 2008 | $ | 581,796 | $ | 1,446,504 | $ | 424,896 | $ | 535,200 | $ | 582,096 | $ | 440,700 | $ | 522,300 | $ | 566,904 | ||||||||||||||||
x LTI Factor | 9.5 | 17.375 | 8.75 | 8.5 | 9.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
÷ Grant Price | $ | 39.665 | $ | 39.665 | $ | 39.665 | $ | 39.665 | $ | 39.665 | $ | 39.665 | $ | 39.665 | $ | 39.665 | ||||||||||||||||
Number of shares | 139,343 | 633,631 | 93,730 | 114,690 | 139,415 | 94,439 | 111,926 | 121,484 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of shares with | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10% reduction | 125,409 | 570,268 | 84,357 | 103,221 | 125,474 | 84,995 | 100,733 | 109,336 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
x Rate of RSUs to be | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
delivered | 50 | % | 50 | % | 50 | % | 50 | % | 50 | % | 50 | % | 50 | % | 50 | % | ||||||||||||||||
÷ Conversion Rate | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of delivered RSUs | 20,901 | 95,044 | 14,059 | 17,203 | 20,912 | 14,165 | 16,788 | 18,222 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fair market value of Deere | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
stock on award date | $ | 39.665 | $ | 39.665 | $ | 39.665 | $ | 39.665 | $ | 39.665 | $ | 39.665 | $ | 39.665 | $ | 39.665 | ||||||||||||||||
Grant Date Fair Value-RSUs | $ | 829,038 | $ | 3,769,920 | $ | 557,650 | $ | 682,357 | $ | 829,474 | $ | 561,855 | $ | 665,896 | $ | 722,776 | ||||||||||||||||
x Rate of stock options to be | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
delivered | 50 | % | 50 | % | 50 | % | 50 | % | 50 | % | 50 | % | 50 | % | 50 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Number of delivered stock | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
options | 62,704 | 285,133 | 42,178 | 51,610 | 62,736 | 42,497 | 50,366 | 54,668 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fair value of options (see | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
footnote (6)) | $ | 13.06 | $ | 13.06 | $ | 13.06 | $ | 13.06 | $ | 13.06 | $ | 13.06 | $ | 13.06 | $ | 13.06 | ||||||||||||||||
Grant Date Fair Value- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Options | $ | 818,914 | $ | 3,723,837 | $ | 550,845 | $ | 674,027 | $ | 819,332 | $ | 555,011 | $ | 657,780 | $ | 713,964 |
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(4) | Represents the number of options granted during fiscal 2009 in December 2008. See footnote (3) above for a calculation of the number of options awarded. These options vest in approximately three equal installments on the first, second and third anniversaries of the grant date. The accounting expense recognized by Deere for these awards during fiscal 2009 is included in the Fiscal 2009 Summary Compensation Table, under the column Option Awards. | |
(5) | The exercise price is the average of the high and low price of Deere common stock on the NYSE on the grant date. | |
(6) | Represents the full grant date fair value of RSUs and options granted to the Named Executives in fiscal 2009 valued under GAAP. Generally, the full value is the amount that Deere would expense in its financial statements over the awards vesting period and does not correspond to the actual value that may be realized by the Named Executives. For RSUs, fair value is the market value of the underlying stock on the grant date (which is the same as the exercise price in column (5) for stock options). For options, the fair value on the grant date was $13.06, which was calculated using the binomial lattice option pricing model. For additional information on the valuation assumptions, refer to Note 24, Stock Option and Restricted Stock Awards of Deeres consolidated financial statements filed with the SEC on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2009. | |
(7) | The amounts reported for Mr. Allen reflect his status as CEO as of October 31, 2009 using the same pay assumptions as the former CEO. |
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Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal 2009 Year-End
The following table itemizes outstanding options and RSUs held by the Named Executives as of October 31, 2009.
Option Awards | Stock Awards | |||||||||||||||||||||
Number of | Number of | Number | ||||||||||||||||||||
Securities | Securities | of Shares | Market Value | |||||||||||||||||||
Underlying | Underlying | Total Number | or Units of | of Shares or | ||||||||||||||||||
Unexercised | Unexercised | of Securities | Market Value | Stock That | Units of Stock | |||||||||||||||||
Options | Options | Underlying | Option | of Unexercised | Option | Have Not | That Have Not | |||||||||||||||
Exercisable | Unexercisable | Unexercised | Exercise | Options | Expiration | Vested | Vested | |||||||||||||||
(#) | (#) | Options | Price | ($) | Date | (#) | ($) | |||||||||||||||
Name | Grant Date | (1) | (1) | (#) | ($) | (2) | (3) | (4) | (5) | |||||||||||||
Samuel R. Allen | 7-Dec-05 | 19,922 | | 19,922 | $ | 34.44 | $ | 221,333 | 7-Dec-15 | $ | | |||||||||||
6-Dec-06 | 16,337 | 16,034 | 32,371 | $ | 48.38 | $ | | 6-Dec-16 | 16,194 | $ | 737,637 | |||||||||||
5-Dec-07 | 9,794 | 19,014 | 28,808 | $ | 88.82 | $ | | 5-Dec-17 | 9,603 | $ | 437,417 | |||||||||||
17-Dec-08 | 62,704 | 62,704 | $ | 39.67 | $ | 369,013 | 17-Dec-18 | 20,901 | $ | 952,041 | ||||||||||||
46,053 | 97,752 | 143,805 | $ | 590,346 | 46,698 | $ | 2,127,095 | |||||||||||||||
Robert W. Lane | 10-Dec-03 | 190,512 | 190,512 | $ | 30.82 | $ | 2,806,242 | 10-Dec-13 | ||||||||||||||
8-Dec-04 | 320,000 | 320,000 | $ | 34.69 | $ | 3,476,800 | 8-Dec-14 | $ | | |||||||||||||
7-Dec-05 | 300,100 | 300,100 | $ | 34.44 | $ | 3,334,111 | 7-Dec-15 | $ | | |||||||||||||
6-Dec-06 | 145,639 | 71,733 | 217,372 | $ | 48.38 | $ | | 6-Dec-16 | 72,456 | $ | 3,300,371 | |||||||||||
5-Dec-07 | 43,730 | 84,889 | 128,619 | $ | 88.82 | $ | | 5-Dec-17 | 42,873 | $ | 1,952,865 | |||||||||||
17-Dec-08 | 285,133 | 285,133 | $ | 39.67 | $ | 1,678,008 | 17-Dec-18 | 95,044 | $ | 4,329,254 | ||||||||||||
999,981 | 441,755 | 1,441,736 | $ | 11,295,161 | 210,373 | $ | 9,582,490 | |||||||||||||||
James M. Field | 10-Dec-03 | 34,536 | 34,536 | $ | 30.82 | $ | 508,715 | 10-Dec-13 | | $ | | |||||||||||
8-Dec-04 | 26,798 | 26,798 | $ | 34.69 | $ | 291,160 | 8-Dec-14 | $ | | |||||||||||||
7-Dec-05 | 17,086 | 17,086 | $ | 34.44 | $ | 189,825 | 7-Dec-15 | $ | | |||||||||||||
6-Dec-06 | 8,964 | 4,416 | 13,380 | $ | 48.38 | $ | | 6-Dec-16 | 4,460 | $ | 203,153 | |||||||||||
5-Dec-07 | 6,011 | 11,669 | 17,680 | $ | 88.82 | $ | | 5-Dec-17 | 5,893 | $ | 268,426 | |||||||||||
17-Dec-08 | 42,178 | 42,178 | $ | 39.67 | $ | 248,218 | 17-Dec-18 | 14,059 | $ | 640,387 | ||||||||||||
93,395 | 58,263 | 151,658 | $ | 1,237,918 | 24,412 | $ | 1,111,966 | |||||||||||||||
Michael J. Mack, Jr. | 7-Dec-05 | 13,678 | | 13,678 | $ | 34.44 | $ | 151,963 | 7-Dec-15 | $ | | |||||||||||
6-Dec-06 | 23,722 | 11,684 | 35,406 | $ | 48.38 | $ | | 6-Dec-16 | 11,802 | $ | 537,581 | |||||||||||
5-Dec-07 | 8,291 | 16,097 | 24,388 | $ | 88.82 | $ | | 5-Dec-17 | 8,129 | $ | 370,276 | |||||||||||
17-Dec-08 | 51,610 | 51,610 | $ | 39.67 | $ | 303,725 | 17-Dec-18 | 17,203 | $ | 783,597 | ||||||||||||
45,691 | 79,391 | 125,082 | $ | 455,688 | 37,134 | $ | 1,691,454 | |||||||||||||||
David C. Everitt | 7-Dec-05 | 20,310 | | 20,310 | $ | 34.44 | $ | 225,644 | 7-Dec-15 | $ | | |||||||||||
6-Dec-06 | 15,905 | 15,905 | 31,810 | $ | 48.38 | $ | | 6-Dec-16 | 16,064 | $ | 731,715 | |||||||||||
5-Dec-07 | 9,890 | 19,201 | 29,091 | $ | 88.82 | $ | | 5-Dec-17 | 9,697 | $ | 441,698 | |||||||||||
17-Dec-08 | 62,736 | 62,736 | $ | 39.67 | $ | 369,201 | 17-Dec-18 | 20,912 | $ | 952,542 | ||||||||||||
46,105 | 97,842 | 143,947 | $ | 594,845 | 46,673 | $ | 2,125,955 | |||||||||||||||
James A. Israel | 7-Dec-05 | 12,948 | 12,948 | $ | 34.44 | $ | 143,852 | 7-Dec-15 | $ | | ||||||||||||
6-Dec-06 | 22,458 | 11,062 | 33,520 | $ | 48.38 | $ | | 6-Dec-16 | 11,172 | $ | 508,885 | |||||||||||
5-Dec-07 | 6,827 | 13,255 | 20,082 | $ | 88.82 | $ | | 5-Dec-17 | 6,694 | $ | 304,912 | |||||||||||
17-Dec-08 | 42,497 | 42,497 | $ | 39.67 | $ | 250,095 | 17-Dec-18 | 14,165 | $ | 645,216 | ||||||||||||
42,233 | 66,814 | 109,047 | $ | 393,947 | 32,031 | $ | 1,459,013 | |||||||||||||||
James R. Jenkins | 10-Dec-03 | 12,000 | 12,000 | $ | 30.82 | $ | 176,760 | 10-Dec-13 | $ | | ||||||||||||
8-Dec-04 | 40,000 | 40,000 | $ | 34.69 | $ | 434,600 | 8-Dec-14 | $ | | |||||||||||||
7-Dec-05 | 39,660 | 39,660 | $ | 34.44 | $ | 440,623 | 7-Dec-15 | $ | | |||||||||||||
6-Dec-06 | 30,096 | 14,824 | 44,920 | $ | 48.38 | $ | | 6-Dec-16 | 14,972 | $ | 681,975 | |||||||||||
5-Dec-07 | 8,092 | 15,708 | 23,800 | $ | 88.82 | $ | | 5-Dec-17 | 7,933 | $ | 361,348 | |||||||||||
17-Dec-08 | 50,366 | 50,366 | $ | 39.67 | $ | 296,404 | 17-Dec-18 | 16,788 | $ | 764,693 | ||||||||||||
129,848 | 80,898 | 210,746 | $ | 1,348,387 | 39,693 | $ | 1,808,016 | |||||||||||||||
H. J. Markley | 7-Dec-05 | 20,526 | | 20,526 | $ | 34.44 | $ | 228,044 | 7-Dec-15 | $ | | |||||||||||
6-Dec-06 | 15,198 | 15,198 | 30,396 | $ | 48.38 | $ | | 6-Dec-16 | 15,350 | $ | 699,193 | |||||||||||
5-Dec-07 | 9,300 | 18,053 | 27,353 | $ | 88.82 | $ | | 5-Dec-17 | 9,117 | $ | 415,279 | |||||||||||
17-Dec-08 | 54,668 | 54,668 | $ | 39.67 | $ | 321,721 | 17-Dec-18 | 18,222 | $ | 830,012 | ||||||||||||
45,024 | 87,919 | 132,943 | $ | 549,765 | 42,689 | $ | 1,944,484 |
(1) | Options generally become vested and exercisable in approximately three equal installments on the first, second and third anniversaries of the grant date. |
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(2) | The amount shown represents the number of options that have not been exercised (vested and unvested) multiplied by the difference between the closing price for Deere common stock on the NYSE on October 31, 2009, which was $45.55, and the option exercise price. No value is shown for underwater options. | |
(3) | Options expire ten years from the grant date. | |
(4) | RSUs generally vest three years from the grant date. RSUs granted in fiscal 2009 and 2008 must be held until retirement or other permitted termination of employment before they are settled in Deere common stock. RSUs granted in fiscal years 2007 must be held for at least five years from the grant date. RSUs that have vested, but have not been settled in Deere common stock are included on the Fiscal 2009 Deferred Compensation Table. | |
(5) | The amount shown represents the number of RSUs that have not vested multiplied by the closing price for Deere common stock on the NYSE on October 31, 2009, which was $45.55. |
Fiscal 2009 Option Exercises and Stock Vested
The following table provides information regarding option exercises and vesting of RSUs for each Named Executive during fiscal 2009. These options and stock awards were granted in prior fiscal years and are not related to performance in fiscal 2009.
Option Awards | Stock Awards | |||||||||||
Number of | Number of | |||||||||||
Shares | Value | Shares | ||||||||||
Acquired on | Realized on | Acquired on | Value Realized | |||||||||
Exercise | Exercise | Vesting | on Vesting | |||||||||
(#) | ($) | (#) | ($) | |||||||||
Name | (1) | (2) | (3) | (4) | ||||||||
Samuel R. Allen | | $ | | 20,120 | $ | 744,641 | ||||||
Robert W. Lane | | $ | | 100,032 | $ | 3,702,184 | ||||||
James M. Field | | $ | | 5,694 | $ | 210,735 | ||||||
Michael J. Mack, Jr. | | $ | | 13,814 | $ | 511,256 | ||||||
David C. Everitt | | $ | | 20,512 | $ | 759,149 | ||||||
James A. Israel | | $ | | 13,078 | $ | 484,017 | ||||||
James R. Jenkins | 6,000 | $ | 99,420 | 20,030 | $ | 741,310 | ||||||
H. J. Markley | | $ | | 20,730 | $ | 767,217 |
(1) | Represents the total number of shares which were exercised before any withholding of shares to pay the exercise price and taxes. | |
(2) | Value realized on exercise is based on the closing price of Deere common stock on the NYSE upon exercise minus the exercise price. |
The following table details the grant date, number of shares, and value realized for each option exercised.
Number of Shares | ||||||
Acquired on | Value Realized | |||||
Exercise | on Exercise | |||||
Name | Grant Date | (#) | ($) | |||
James R. Jenkins | 10-Dec-03 | 6,000 | $99,420 |
(3) | Represents the number of RSUs that vested during fiscal 2009. These RSUs were granted in December 2005 and vested on December 8, 2008. Although they are vested, these RSUs will not be settled in Deere common stock until December 2010, when the five-year holding period expires. | |
(4) | Represents the number of RSUs vested multiplied by the closing price ($37.01) of Deere common stock on the NYSE as of the vesting date. |
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Pension Benefits
The Named Executives are eligible to participate in pension plans that provide benefits based on years of service and pay. Pension benefits are provided under a qualified defined benefit pension plan called the John Deere Pension Plan for Salaried Employees (the Salaried Plan) and two nonqualified pension plans called the Senior Supplementary Pension Benefit Plan (the Supplementary Plan) and the John Deere Supplemental Pension Benefit Plan (the Supplemental Plan).
In 1996, we introduced a new pension option under the Salaried Plan known as the Contemporary Option. At that time, participants were given the choice between remaining in the existing Salaried Plan option known as the Traditional Option or choosing the new Contemporary Option. New employees hired after 1996 automatically participate in the Contemporary Option.
Salaried Plan
The Salaried Plan is a qualified plan subject to certain IRC
limitations on benefits and is subject to the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act. Deere makes contributions to, and benefits are paid from, a
tax-exempt pension trust. The two pension options, Traditional and Contemporary,
provided by the Salaried Plan can be summarized as follows:
Traditional
Option
The Traditional Option pension benefit
is based on a formula that calculates a retirement benefit using service credit,
Final Average Pay as defined below, and a multiplier. Generally, Final Average
Pay is the participants aggregate salary (up to IRC limits) for the last 60
months prior to retirement divided by 60, unless the last 60 months is not the
participants highest earnings. In that case, the Final Average Pay would be
calculated using the participants five highest consecutive anniversary years of
earnings.
The formula for calculating monthly pension benefits under the qualified Traditional Option is:
Final Average Pay (up to IRC limits)
x Years of Service
x 1.5%
Eligibility to retire with unreduced pension benefits under the Traditional Option is based on age and years of service. Participants who are age 60 with ten or more years of service, or who are age 65 with five or more years of service, receive unreduced pension benefits.
Under the Traditional Option, early retirement eligibility occurs upon the earlier of:
1) | having 30 years of service; | ||
2) | the sum of the participants years of service and age equaling 80 or more; or | ||
3) | reaching age 60 or more with ten years of service. |
Pension amounts are reduced 4% for each year that retirement benefits are received before age 60. Named Executives who are eligible to retire early under the Traditional Option are Messrs. Lane, Everitt and Israel.
Contemporary Option
Under the
Contemporary Option, Career Average Pay replaces Final Average Pay in
computing retirement benefits. Career Average Pay is calculated using salary
plus STI (up to IRC limits). For participants electing the Contemporary Option,
the transition to Career Average Pay includes salary and STI awards from 1992
through 1997 plus all subsequent salary and STI award payments until retirement.
For salaried employees participating in this option, Deere makes enhanced
contributions to the employees 401(k) retirement savings account.
79
The formula for calculating benefits under the qualified Contemporary Option is:
Career Average Pay (up to IRC limits)
x Years of Service
x 1.5%
Eligibility to retire with unreduced benefits under the Contemporary Option occurs at age 67 for all employees hired after 1996. For employees hired before 1997, the eligibility age for retiring with unreduced benefits is based on years of service as of January 1, 1997 and ranges from ages 60 to 67.
For employees hired before 1997 who were not eligible to retire on January 1, 1997, and employees hired after 1996, early retirement eligibility under the Contemporary Option is the earlier of:
1) | age 55 with ten or more years of service; or | ||
2) | age 65 with five or more years of service. |
Pension payments are reduced 4% for each year the employee is younger than the unreduced benefits age at retirement. Messrs. Allen and Markley are the only Named Executives currently eligible to retire under the Contemporary Option.
Supplementary
Plan
The Supplementary Plan is an
unfunded, nonqualified excess defined benefit plan, which provides additional
pension benefits in a comparable amount to those benefits that the participant
would have received under the Salaried Plan in the absence of IRC limitations.
Benefit payments for the Supplementary Plan are made from the assets of
Deere.
The formula used to calculate the benefit payable under the Supplementary Plan is the same as that used under the Salaried Plan, except that eligible earnings include only amounts above IRC qualified plan limits.
Supplemental
Plan
The Supplemental Plan is an unfunded,
nonqualified supplemental retirement plan for certain executives, including all
Named Executives. There also is a specified list of officers who, as of November
1, 1996, are eligible for the Officer Option under the Supplemental Plan.
Benefit payments for the Supplemental Plan are made from the assets of
Deere.
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The formulas for calculating benefits under the Supplemental Plan for each pension option can be summarized as follows:
Contemporary Option
Career Average Pay
x Years of Service as grade 13 and above beginning 1 January 1997
x 0.5%
Traditional Option
The Supplemental
Plan benefit under the Traditional Option is derived by subtracting the value of
the Traditional Option (Salaried Plan plus Supplementary Plan) from the value of
the Contemporary Option (Salaried Plan, Supplementary Plan plus Supplemental
Plan) had it been chosen. If this amount is positive, the Named Executive will
receive this additional amount as a Supplemental Plan benefit.
Officer
Option
The Officer Option was closed to new
entrants in 1996. Mr. Lane is the only remaining active employee eligible for
the Officer Option. The Officer Option is available to Mr. Lane only if he
retires after age 60. Mr. Lane turned 60 in November 2009 and retired on
December 31, 2009. Generally, the benefit consists of an additional one-half
percent of pension eligible earnings for the number of years the participant
served as an officer of Deere.
The formula for the Officer Option is as follows:
Officer Average Pay (as defined below)
x Years of Service as a non-officer
x 1.5%
plus
Officer Average Pay
x Years of Service as an officer
x 2.0%
less
Traditional Option benefit (Salaried Plan plus Supplementary Plan)
Officer Average Pay consists of the average of the highest five years of salary (not necessarily consecutive) of the last ten years of service, plus the higher of the target or actual STI awards received.
81
Fiscal 2009 Pension Benefits Table
Number of | Present | ||||||||||||
Assumed | Years of | Value of | |||||||||||
Retirement | Credited | Accumulated | Annual | ||||||||||
Age | Service | Benefit | Benefits | ||||||||||
Plan Name | (#) | (#) | ($) | ($) | |||||||||
Name | (1) | (2) | (3) | (4) | (5) | ||||||||
Samuel R. Allen | Salaried Plan | 63 | 34.4 | $ | 785,546 | $ | 89,593 | ||||||
Contemporary Option | Supplementary Plan | 63 | 34.4 | $ | 2,234,853 | $ | 222,450 | ||||||
Supplemental Plan | 63 | 12.8 | $ | 368,458 | $ | 38,785 | |||||||
Total | $ | 3,388,857 | $ | 350,828 | |||||||||
Robert W. Lane | Salaried Plan | 60 | 27.8 | $ | 1,194,029 | $ | 91,015 | ||||||
Traditional Option | Supplementary Plan | 60 | 27.8 | $ | 6,905,529 | $ | 453,828 | ||||||
with Officer Option | Supplemental Plan | 60 | 13.8 | $ | 21,156,152 | $ | 1,390,372 | ||||||
Total | $ | 29,255,710 | $ | 1,935,215 | |||||||||
James M. Field | Salaried Plan | 65 | 15.5 | $ | 154,021 | $ | 36,293 | ||||||
Contemporary Option | Supplementary Plan | 65 | 15.5 | $ | 212,066 | $ | 43,734 | ||||||
Supplemental Plan | 65 | 10.7 | $ | 89,018 | $ | 18,358 | |||||||
Total | $ | 455,105 | $ | 98,385 | |||||||||
Michael J. Mack Jr. | Salaried Plan | 65 | 23.3 | $ | 358,413 | $ | 58,182 | ||||||
Contemporary Option | Supplementary Plan | 65 | 23.3 | $ | 764,589 | $ | 109,072 | ||||||
Supplemental Plan | 65 | 12.8 | $ | 208,086 | $ | 30,664 | |||||||
Total | $ | 1,331,088 | $ | 197,918 | |||||||||
David C. Everitt | Salaried Plan | 60 | 34.4 | $ | 1,283,359 | $ | 112,543 | ||||||
Traditional Option | Supplementary Plan | 60 | 34.4 | $ | 2,190,313 | $ | 165,297 | ||||||
Supplemental Plan | 63 | 12.8 | $ | 615,114 | $ | 61,948 | |||||||
Total | $ | 4,088,786 | $ | 339,788 | |||||||||
James A. Israel | Salaried Plan | 60 | 30.8 | $ | 930,549 | $ | 100,825 | ||||||
Traditional Option | Supplementary Plan | 60 | 30.8 | $ | 890,419 | $ | 83,081 | ||||||
Supplemental Plan | 64 | 12.8 | $ | 330,180 | $ | 44,310 | |||||||
Total | $ | 2,151,148 | $ | 228,216 | |||||||||
James R. Jenkins | Salaried Plan | 65 | 9.7 | $ | 298,928 | $ | 27,462 | ||||||
Contemporary Option | Supplementary Plan | 65 | 9.7 | $ | 1,209,670 | $ | 97,261 | ||||||
Supplemental Plan | 65 | 9.7 | $ | 517,071 | $ | 41,574 | |||||||
Total | $ | 2,025,669 | $ | 166,297 | |||||||||
H. J. Markley | Salaried Plan | 63 | 35.3 | $ | 989,270 | $ | 94,832 | ||||||
Contemporary Option | Supplementary Plan | 63 | 35.3 | $ | 3,285,473 | $ | 274,866 | ||||||
Supplemental Plan | 63 | 12.8 | $ | 505,249 | $ | 44,759 | |||||||
Total | $ | 4,779,992 | $ | 414,457 |
(1) | Benefits are provided under the Salaried Plan, the Supplementary Plan and the Supplemental Plan as described in the narrative preceding the table. | |
(2) | The assumed retirement age is the earliest age at which the Named Executive could retire without any benefit reduction due to age or normal retirement age, if earlier. | |
(3) | Years and months of service credit under each plan as of October 31, 2009. The years of credited service are equal to years of service with Deere for the Salaried and Supplementary Plan. Service credit under the Supplemental Plan, with the exception of the Officer Option, is based on service as a grade 13 or above, beginning January 1, 1997. For the Officer Option, service is based on time as an officer eligible for this plan. |
82
(4) | The actuarial present value of the accumulated benefit is shown as of October 31, 2009, and is provided as a straight-life annuity for the qualified pension plan and a lump sum for nonqualified pension plan benefits. Pension benefits are not reduced for any social security benefits or other offset amounts that the Named Executive may receive. | |
An actuarial present value is calculated by estimating expected future payments starting at an assumed retirement age, weighting the estimated payments by the estimated probability of surviving to each post-retirement age and discounting the weighted payments at an assumed discount rate to reflect the time value of money. The actuarial present value represents an estimate of the amount which, if invested today at the discount rate, would be sufficient on an average basis to provide estimated future payments based on the current accumulated benefit. Actual benefit present values will vary from these estimates depending on many factors, including a Named Executives actual retirement age. | ||
The following assumptions were used to calculate the present value of the accumulated benefit. References to the assumptions used in fiscal 2008 and 2007 are included below because the change in the accumulated benefit between fiscal years is included in the Fiscal 2009 Summary Compensation Table under the column Change in Pension Value: | ||
| ||
(5) | Represents the estimated annual benefit amounts under each plan. |
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation
The Fiscal 2009 Deferred Compensation Table below shows information about three programs:
1) | the John Deere Voluntary Deferred Compensation Plan (Deferred Plan), a nonqualified deferred compensation plan; | ||
2) | the John Deere Defined Contribution Restoration Plan (DCRP), a nonqualified savings plan; and | ||
3) | deferred RSUs. |
Deferred Plan
Under the Deferred Plan, through fiscal 2008, Named Executives
could defer any part (in 5% increments up to 95%) of their cash compensation,
which includes salary, STI and MTI. For deferrals elected for fiscal 2009, up to
70% of salary may be deferred and STI and MTI awards may be deferred up to 95%.
On the first day of each calendar quarter, the balance in the accounts under the
Deferred Plan is credited with interest at the prime rate (as determined by the
Federal Reserve Statistical Release
83
for the prior month) plus 2%, as of the last day of the preceding quarter. For fiscal 2009, the rates paid ranged between 5.25% and 6.0%. For deferrals made after 2009, the deferred amounts will earn interest based on the Moodys A rated Corporate Bond Rate.
An election to defer salary must be made prior to the beginning of the calendar year in which deferral occurs. An election to defer STI must be made prior to the beginning of the fiscal year upon which the award is based. An election to defer MTI must be made prior to the close of the fiscal year preceding the calendar year of payment. Participants may elect to receive the deferred funds in a lump sum or in equal annual installments not to exceed ten years. Distribution must be completed within ten years following retirement. All deferral elections and associated distribution schedules are irrevocable. This plan is unfunded and participant accounts are at risk in the event of the companys bankruptcy.
DCRP
The DCRP is designed to allow executives participating in our
Contemporary Option to defer employee contributions and receive employer
matching contributions on up to 6% of eligible earnings that are otherwise
limited by the IRC. For DCRP purposes, eligible earnings include salary, STI and
commission compensation. None of the Named Executives receive commission
compensation. The 401(k) deferral percentage selected by the employee in place
each October 31st is used during the following calendar year to calculate the
DCRP employee contribution. This plan is unfunded and participant accounts are
at risk in the event of the companys bankruptcy.
Two investment options are available under the DCRP: the prime rate, as determined by the Federal Reserve Statistical Release for the prior month, plus 2%; or a rate of return based on the S&P 500 Index for the prior month. Participants may choose either investment option for any portion of their account. Participants can change investment options each calendar year. During fiscal 2009, the annualized rates of return under the two options were as follows:
Earnings Under Investment Options | ||||||
Prime plus 2% | S&P 500 Index | |||||
November-08 | 6.60 | % | -244.69 | % | ||
December-08 | 6.00 | % | -106.23 | % | ||
January-09 | 5.66 | % | -7.45 | % | ||
February-09 | 5.25 | % | -16.38 | % | ||
March-09 | 5.25 | % | -83.67 | % | ||
April-09 | 5.25 | % | -71.68 | % | ||
May-09 | 5.25 | % | 144.26 | % | ||
June-09 | 5.25 | % | 76.77 | % | ||
July-09 | 5.25 | % | 31.53 | % | ||
August-09 | 5.25 | % | 12.57 | % | ||
September-09 | 5.25 | % | 94.76 | % | ||
October-09 | 5.25 | % | 41.39 | % |
Distribution options for participants eligible for retirement as of December 31, 2005, who made an election prior to December 31, 2005, consist of a single lump sum payment, a specified dollar amount each year, or decrementing withdrawals over a specified number of years. For all other participants, distribution options consist of a lump sum distribution one year following the date of separation, or, in the case of retirement, five annual installments, beginning one year following the retirement date.
84
Deferred RSUs
There are two scenarios under which deferred RSUs can appear
in the following table:
Grant Date | Date Vested | Restriction Period | |||
December 2002 | December 2005 | Until retirement or no longer active employee | |||
December 2004 | December 2007 | Five years (December 2009) | |||
December 2005 | December 2008 | Five years (December 2010) |
The Deferred RSUs will not be settled in Deere common stock until either the election period or the restriction period expires.
Fiscal 2009 Deferred Compensation Table
Aggregate | |||||||||||||||||
Executive | Registrant | Earnings in | Aggregate | Aggregate | |||||||||||||
Contributions | Contributions | Last Fiscal | Withdrawals / | Balance at Last | |||||||||||||
in Last FY | in Last FY | Year | Distributions | FYE | |||||||||||||
($) | ($) | ($) | ($) | ($) | |||||||||||||
Name | Plan | (1) | (2) | (3) | (4) | (5) | |||||||||||
Samuel R. Allen | Deferred Plan | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | ||||||
DCRP Plan | $ | 90,235 | $ | 154,512 | $ | 61,305 | $ | | $ | 1,242,212 | |||||||
Deferred RSUs | $ | | $ | 744,641 | $ | 460,631 | $ | 938,680 | $ | 2,913,196 | |||||||
Total | $ | 90,235 | $ | 899,153 | $ | 521,936 | $ | 938,680 | $ | 4,155,408 | |||||||
Robert W. Lane | Deferred Plan | $ | | $ | | $ | 173,905 | $ | | $ | 3,307,751 | ||||||
DCRP Plan | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | |||||||
Deferred RSUs | $ | | $ | 3,702,184 | $ | 2,449,232 | $ | 5,601,800 | $ | 15,634,673 | |||||||
Total | $ | | $ | 3,702,184 | $ | 2,623,137 | $ | 5,601,800 | $ | 18,942,424 | |||||||
James M. Field | Deferred Plan | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | ||||||
DCRP Plan | $ | 55,369 | $ | 96,335 | $ | 21,813 | $ | | $ | 452,510 | |||||||
Deferred RSUs | $ | | $ | 210,735 | $ | 98,577 | $ | 584,862 | |||||||||
Total | $ | 55,369 | $ | 307,070 | $ | 120,390 | $ | | $ | 1,037,372 | |||||||
Michael J. Mack, Jr. | Deferred Plan | $ | 1,061,632 | $ | | $ | 58,770 | $ | | $ | 1,416,253 | ||||||
DCRP Plan | $ | 72,162 | $ | 124,514 | $ | (10,603 | ) | $ | | $ | 692,804 | ||||||
Deferred RSUs | $ | | $ | 511,256 | $ | 177,234 | $ | 391,218 | $ | 1,063,228 | |||||||
Total | $ | 1,133,794 | $ | 635,770 | $ | 225,401 | $ | 391,218 | $ | 3,172,285 | |||||||
David C. Everitt | Deferred Plan | $ | 502,045 | $ | | $ | 71,803 | $ | | $ | 1,506,860 | ||||||
DCRP Plan | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | |||||||
Deferred RSUs | $ | | $ | 759,149 | $ | 677,194 | $ | 4,205,723 | |||||||||
Total | $ | 502,045 | $ | 759,149 | $ | 748,997 | $ | | $ | 5,712,583 | |||||||
James A. Israel | Deferred Plan | $ | 885,114 | $ | | $ | 35,311 | $ | | $ | 920,425 | ||||||
DCRP Plan | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | |||||||
Deferred RSUs | $ | | $ | 484,017 | $ | 172,401 | $ | 991,350 | |||||||||
Total | $ | 885,114 | $ | 484,017 | $ | 207,712 | $ | | $ | 1,911,775 | |||||||
James R. Jenkins | Deferred Plan | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | ||||||
DCRP Plan | $ | 69,336 | $ | 120,034 | $ | (19,112 | ) | $ | | $ | 962,481 | ||||||
Deferred RSUs | $ | | $ | 741,310 | $ | 475,576 | $ | 938,680 | $ | 3,011,493 | |||||||
Total | $ | 69,336 | $ | 861,344 | $ | 456,464 | $ | 938,680 | $ | 3,973,974 | |||||||
H. J. Markley | Deferred Plan | $ | | $ | | $ | 67,856 | $ | | $ | 1,290,644 | ||||||
DCRP Plan | $ | 76,665 | $ | 131,920 | $ | 80,476 | $ | | $ | 1,576,535 | |||||||
Deferred RSUs | $ | | $ | 767,217 | $ | 515,452 | $ | 999,240 | $ | 3,271,674 | |||||||
Total | $ | 76,665 | $ | 899,137 | $ | 663,784 | $ | 999,240 | $ | 6,138,853 |
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(1) | The amounts in this column represent employee compensation deferrals that are included on the Fiscal 2009 Summary Compensation Table under the Salary and Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation columns. | |
(2) | The amounts in this column associated with the DCRP Plan are included in Fiscal 2009 Summary Compensation Table under the All Other Compensation column and represent Deeres contributions during the fiscal year. The amounts in this column associated with Deferred RSUs represent RSUs that vested in the current fiscal year, but have not been converted into Deere common stock. The amounts are equal to those reported in the Fiscal 2009 Option Exercises and Stock Vested table under the column Value Realized on Vesting. | |
(3) | For the Deferred Plan accounts, total earnings are calculated using the prime rate plus 2%. For the DCRP accounts, depending upon the investment choices made by the Named Executive, total earnings are calculated using the prime rate plus 2% or the change in market value of the S&P 500 Index for each month from October 31, 2008 to October 31, 2009. For rates of return, see Earnings Under Investment Options in the narrative preceding the Fiscal 2009 Deferred Compensation Table. For the Deferred RSUs accounts, the earnings represent the change in the intrinsic value of the RSUs. The following table shows the breakdown of total earnings on deferred compensation between above-market and at-market components. | |
Earnings in Last Fiscal Year | |||||||||||||
Above-Market | At Market | Aggregate | |||||||||||
($) | ($) | Earnings | |||||||||||
Name | Plan | (a) | (b) | ($) | |||||||||
Samuel R. Allen | Deferred Plan | $ | | $ | | $ | | ||||||
DCRP Plan | $ | 9,201 | $ | 52,104 | $ | 61,305 | |||||||
Deferred RSUs | $ | | $ | 460,631 | $ | 460,631 | |||||||
Total | $ | 9,201 | $ | 512,735 | $ | 521,936 | |||||||
Robert W. Lane | Deferred Plan | $ | 21,002 | $ | 152,903 | $ | 173,905 | ||||||
DCRP Plan | $ | | $ | | $ | | |||||||
Deferred RSUs | $ | | $ | 2,449,232 | $ | 2,449,232 | |||||||
Total | $ | 21,002 | $ | 2,602,135 | $ | 2,623,137 | |||||||
James M. Field | Deferred Plan | $ | | $ | | $ | | ||||||
DCRP Plan | $ | 3,231 | $ | 18,582 | $ | 21,813 | |||||||
Deferred RSUs | $ | | $ | 98,577 | $ | 98,577 | |||||||
Total | $ | 3,231 | $ | 117,159 | $ | 120,390 | |||||||
Michael J. Mack, Jr. | Deferred Plan | $ | 8,852 | $ | 49,918 | $ | 58,770 | ||||||
DCRP Plan | $ | 1,914 | $ | (12,517 | ) | $ | (10,603 | ) | |||||
Deferred RSUs | $ | | $ | 177,234 | $ | 177,234 | |||||||
Total | $ | 10,766 | $ | 214,635 | $ | 225,401 | |||||||
David C. Everitt | Deferred Plan | $ | 9,501 | $ | 62,302 | $ | 71,803 | ||||||
DCRP Plan | $ | | $ | | $ | | |||||||
Deferred RSUs | $ | | $ | 677,194 | $ | 677,194 | |||||||
Total | $ | 9,501 | $ | 739,496 | $ | 748,997 | |||||||
James A. Israel | Deferred Plan | $ | 5,727 | $ | 29,584 | $ | 35,311 | ||||||
DCRP Plan | $ | | $ | | $ | | |||||||
Deferred RSUs | $ | | $ | 172,401 | $ | 172,401 | |||||||
Total | $ | 5,727 | $ | 201,985 | $ | 207,712 | |||||||
James R. Jenkins | Deferred Plan | $ | | $ | | $ | | ||||||
DCRP Plan | $ | 6,820 | $ | (25,932 | ) | $ | (19,112 | ) | |||||
Deferred RSUs | $ | | $ | 475,576 | $ | 475,576 | |||||||
Total | $ | 6,820 | $ | 449,644 | $ | 456,464 | |||||||
H. J. Markley | Deferred Plan | $ | 8,195 | $ | 59,661 | $ | 67,856 | ||||||
DCRP Plan | $ | 12,177 | $ | 68,299 | $ | 80,476 | |||||||
Deferred RSUs | $ | | $ | 515,452 | $ | 515,452 | |||||||
Total | $ | 20,372 | $ | 643,412 | $ | 663,784 |
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(a) | Represents above-market earnings on compensation that is deferred by the Named Executive under nonqualified deferred compensation plans. Above-market earnings represent the difference between the prime rate plus 2% and 120% of the applicable federal long-term rate prescribed by the IRC. The amounts in this column are included in the Fiscal 2009 Summary Compensation Table under the column Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings. | |||
(b) | Represents earnings not considered to be above-market under the SEC rules on compensation deferred under our nonqualified deferred compensation plans. These amounts are not required to be included on the Fiscal 2009 Summary Compensation Table. | |||
(4) | Represents the settlement of RSUs that were granted in December 2003. For employees who did not choose to defer settlement beyond the minimum restriction period, as stated above, these RSUs became unrestricted on December 10, 2008. These RSUs were settled using a stock price of $37.85 which was the average of the high and low price for Deere common stock on that date. | |||
(5) | Of the aggregate balance, the following amounts were reported as compensation to the Named Executive in the Summary Compensation Table in prior years: Mr. Allen, $1,097,619; Mr. Lane, $1,828,126; Mr. Mack, $641,146; Mr. Everitt, $424,234; Mr. Israel, $250,560; and Mr. Markley, $185,991. |
Fiscal 2009 Potential Payments upon Change in Control
Consistent with the previous change in control agreements, the CIC Program retains our double trigger approach, under which participants will receive severance benefits only if both a change in control and qualifying termination occur. A qualifying termination is either:
The CIC Program will continue to use the same definition of change in control that was used in the previous change in control agreements and that includes the following change in control events:
Consistent with the previous change in control agreements, the CIC Program applies to certain executives, including the Named Executives. Severance benefits payable to the Named Executives under the CIC Program (which were also payable under the previous change in control agreements) include:
87
The changes between the CIC Program terms and the terms of the previous change in control agreements include:
All of the Named Executives have voluntarily relinquished their current change in control agreements in exchange for their participation in the CIC Program.
In addition, the Omnibus Plan and the Deferred Plan each contain change in control provisions that may trigger payments under these plans. Under the Omnibus Plan, unless the Board determines otherwise, and regardless of whether the employee was terminated or not, all outstanding equity awards vest and restriction periods are ended upon the occurrence of a change in control. All outstanding RSUs are cashed out as of the date of the change in control and the employee has the right to exercise all outstanding options. These payments are labeled in the table below as Change in Control only. Under the Deferred Plan, in the event of certain changes in control, the Committee may elect to terminate the plan within 12 months following the change in control and distribute all account balances, or the Committee may decide to keep the Deferred Plan in effect and modify the Deferred Plan to reflect the impact of the change in control.
The following table contains estimated potential payments that would have been due to a Named Executive if a change in control event had occured and, if applicable, the Named Executive experienced a Qualifying Termination, as of October 31, 2009. Although the calculations are intended to provide reasonable estimates of the potential payments, they are based on numerous assumptions, as described in the footnotes, and may not represent the actual amount a Named Executive would receive if a change in control occurred. As explained in the footnotes, the payments listed represent the incremental amounts due to Named Executives that exceed what the Named Executives would have received without the change in control. Not included in this table are the following payments to which the Named Executive is already entitled and are reported in previous sections of this Proxy Statement:
88
Since Mr. Markley ceased to be an active employee as of August 28, 2009, he is not eligible for any potential payments under the CIC Program and is not listed in this table.
Defined | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stock | Stock | Welfare | Contribution | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Salary | STI | MTI | Awards | Options | Benefits | Plans | Total | ||||||||||||||||||||
Name | (1) | (2) | (3) | (4) | (5) | (6) | (7) | Payments | |||||||||||||||||||
Samuel R. Allen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
~Change in Control only | $ | | $ | | $ | 402,380 | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | 402,380 | |||||||||||
~Change in Control and | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Qualifying Termination | $ | 3,600,000 | $ | 2,449,710 | $ | 402,380 | $ | | $ | | $ | 32,607 | $ | 533,673 | $ | 7,018,370 | |||||||||||
Robert W. Lane | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
~Change in Control only | $ | | $ | | $ | 1,414,667 | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | 1,414,667 | |||||||||||
~Change in Control and | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Qualifying Termination | $ | 4,556,400 | $ | 5,672,921 | $ | 1,414,667 | $ | | $ | | $ | 35,362 | $ | 49,500 | $ | 11,728,850 | |||||||||||
James M. Field | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
~Change in Control only | $ | | $ | | $ | 1,165,301 | $ | 1,111,967 | $ | 248,218 | $ | | $ | | $ | 2,525,486 | |||||||||||
~Change in Control and | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Qualifying Termination | $ | 1,542,420 | $ | 1,232,498 | $ | 1,165,301 | $ | 1,111,967 | $ | 248,218 | $ | 37,429 | $ | 359,340 | $ | 5,697,173 | |||||||||||
Michael J. Mack, Jr. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
~Change in Control only | $ | | $ | | $ | 1,165,301 | $ | 1,691,454 | $ | 303,725 | $ | | $ | | $ | 3,160,480 | |||||||||||
~Change in Control and | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Qualifying Termination | $ | 1,770,300 | $ | 1,457,258 | $ | 1,165,301 | $ | 1,691,454 | $ | 303,725 | $ | 38,085 | $ | 443,310 | $ | 6,869,433 | |||||||||||
David C. Everitt | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
~Change in Control only | $ | | $ | | $ | 402,380 | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | 402,380 | |||||||||||
~Change in Control and | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Qualifying Termination | $ | 1,886,100 | $ | 1,593,293 | $ | 402,380 | $ | | $ | | $ | 27,671 | $ | 49,500 | $ | 3,958,944 | |||||||||||
James A. Israel | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
~Change in Control only | $ | | $ | | $ | 402,380 | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | 402,380 | |||||||||||
~Change in Control and | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Qualifying Termination | $ | 1,388,100 | $ | 1,175,201 | $ | 402,380 | $ | | $ | | $ | 26,237 | $ | 49,500 | $ | 3,041,418 | |||||||||||
James R. Jenkins | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
~Change in Control only | $ | | $ | | $ | 1,165,301 | $ | 1,808,016 | $ | 296,404 | $ | | $ | | $ | 3,269,721 | |||||||||||
~Change in Control and | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Qualifying Termination | $ | 1,645,200 | $ | 1,392,874 | $ | 1,165,301 | $ | 1,808,016 | $ | 296,404 | $ | 26,978 | $ | 429,183 | $ | 6,763,956 |
(1) | The CIC Program provides for a lump sum payment of three times the annual base salary. | |
(2) | The CIC Program provides for a lump sum payment of three times the target STI bonus amount for the fiscal year in which the termination occurs. In addition, the Named Executive is entitled to a prorated STI award for the current year. Since the change in control calculations in this table are made as of the end of the fiscal year, the prorated award is equal to the STI earned for the current fiscal year as reported in the Fiscal 2009 Summary Compensation Table under the column Non- Equity Incentive Plan Compensation and is not duplicated in this table. | |
(3) | The MTI plan contains a change in control provision that entitles participants, as of the date of a change in control, to a lump sum MTI payment based on actual performance results to date for all four performance periods then in progress. The payout for the four-year performance period ending October 31, 2009, is reported in the Fiscal 2009 Summary Compensation Table under the column Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation and is not duplicated in this table. For Messrs. Field, Mack, and Jenkins, the amount shown in this table represents the payout for the three remaining performance periods. In the event of death, disability or retirement, employees who were eligible on September 30th in the year prior to a payout receive an award. Since Messrs. Allen, Everitt and Israel are eligible for retirement and would be entitled to the 2007-2010 MTI payout regardless of a change in control event, the amounts shown in the table for them represent the payout for the last two remaining performance periods. |
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(4) | In the event of a change in control under the terms of the Omnibus Plan, vesting and restriction requirements are no longer applicable for all stock awards and they are cashed out. As of October 31, 2009, all RSUs are restricted; therefore all outstanding RSUs could be cashed out based on the closing price for Deere common stock on the NYSE on October 31, 2009, which was $45.55. Since, however, Messrs. Allen, Everitt and Israel are eligible for retirement and RSUs will continue to vest over the three-year period whether or not they continue to provide services, there is no incremental benefit of the accelerated vesting for these individuals. For Messrs. Field, Mack, and Jenkins, who are not eligible for retirement, the amount shown in this table represents all unvested RSUs as of October 31, 2009. Vested RSUs are not included because they are already earned and included on the Deferred Compensation Table. Vested RSUs are included in the Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal 2009 Year-End. | |
(5) | In the event of a change in control under the terms of the Omnibus Plan, all outstanding stock options vest and can be exercised immediately. Since, however, Messrs. Allen, Everitt and Israel are eligible for retirement and stock options vest immediately upon retirement, there is no incremental benefit of the accelerated vesting for these individuals. For Messrs. Field, Mack, and Jenkins, who are not eligible for retirement, the amount represents the number of outstanding, unexercisable options multiplied by the difference between the closing price for Deere common stock on the NYSE on October 31, 2009, which was $45.55, and the option exercise prices. These amounts are included in the Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal 2009 Year-End. | |
(6) | The CIC Program provides for continuation of health care, life and accidental death and dismemberment, and disability insurance for three full years at the same premium cost and coverage. This benefit is discontinued if the Named Executive receives similar benefits from a subsequent employer during this three year period. | |
(7) | The CIC Program provides for an amount in cash equal to three times Deeres contributions on behalf of each of the Named Executives under our defined contribution plans for the plan year preceding termination (or, if greater, for the plan year immediately prior to the change in control). |
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Fiscal 2009 Potential Payments upon Termination of Employment Other than Following a Change in Control
The following table summarizes the estimated payments to be made to Named Executives under plans or established Deere practices in the event of termination of employment for death, disability, retirement, termination without cause, termination for cause and voluntary separation. Although the calculations are intended to provide reasonable estimates of the potential payments, they are based on numerous assumptions, as described in the footnotes, and may not represent the actual amount a Named Executive would receive if an eligible termination occurred.
The amounts shown assume the termination event occurred on and the Named Executive was actively employed until October 31, 2009.
Present Value | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stock | Deferred | of Accumulated | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Salary | STI | MTI | Stock Awards | Options | Compensation | Pension Benefit | Total | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Name | (1) | (2) | (3) | (4) | (5) | (6) | (7) | Payments | |||||||||||||||||||||
Samuel R. Allen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Death | $ | | $ | 653,256 | $ | 1,906,862 | $ | 4,141,634 | $ | 590,346 | $ | 1,242,212 | $ | 2,258,425 | $ | 10,792,735 | |||||||||||||
Disability | $ | 1,789,970 | $ | 653,256 | $ | 1,906,862 | $ | 5,040,290 | $ | 590,346 | $ | 1,242,212 | $ | 4,088,404 | $ | 15,311,340 | |||||||||||||
Retirement | $ | 653,256 | $ | 1,906,862 | $ | 5,040,290 | $ | 590,346 | $ | 1,242,212 | $ | 4,100,078 | $ | 13,533,044 | |||||||||||||||
Termination Without Cause | $ | 1,200,000 | $ | 653,256 | $ | 953,431 | $ | 2,913,196 | $ | | $ | 1,242,212 | $ | 4,100,078 | $ | 11,062,173 | |||||||||||||
Termination For Cause | $ | | $ | 653,256 | $ | 953,431 | $ | 2,913,196 | $ | | $ | 1,242,212 | $ | 4,100,078 | $ | 9,862,173 | |||||||||||||
Voluntary Separation (8) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Robert W. Lane | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Retirement (10) | $ | | $ | 1,512,779 | $ | 6,704,042 | $ | 25,217,163 | $ | 11,295,161 | $ | 3,307,751 | $ | 10,677,189 | $ | 58,714,085 | |||||||||||||
James M. Field | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Death | $ | | $ | 328,666 | $ | 1,906,862 | $ | 1,118,617 | $ | 1,237,918 | $ | 452,510 | $ | 273,143 | $ | 5,317,716 | |||||||||||||
Disability | $ | 1,090,740 | $ | 328,666 | $ | 1,906,862 | $ | 1,696,829 | $ | 1,237,918 | $ | 452,510 | $ | 1,172,574 | $ | 7,886,099 | |||||||||||||
Retirement (9) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Termination Without Cause | $ | 514,140 | $ | 328,666 | $ | 953,431 | $ | 584,862 | $ | | $ | 452,510 | $ | 500,874 | $ | 3,334,483 | |||||||||||||
Termination For Cause | $ | | $ | 328,666 | $ | 953,431 | $ | 584,862 | $ | | $ | 452,510 | $ | 500,874 | $ | 2,820,343 | |||||||||||||
Voluntary Separation | $ | | $ | 328,666 | $ | 953,431 | $ | 584,862 | $ | | $ | 452,510 | $ | 500,874 | $ | 2,820,343 | |||||||||||||
Michael J. Mack, Jr. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Death | $ | | $ | 388,602 | $ | 1,906,862 | $ | 2,014,904 | $ | 455,688 | $ | 2,109,057 | $ | 809,770 | $ | 7,684,883 | |||||||||||||
Disability | $ | 1,600,763 | $ | 388,602 | $ | 1,906,862 | $ | 2,754,682 | $ | 455,688 | $ | 2,109,057 | $ | 2,205,556 | $ | 11,421,210 | |||||||||||||
Retirement (9) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Termination Without Cause | $ | 590,100 | $ | 388,602 | $ | 953,431 | $ | 1,063,228 | $ | | $ | 2,109,057 | $ | 1,477,494 | $ | 6,581,912 | |||||||||||||
Termination For Cause | $ | | $ | 388,602 | $ | 953,431 | $ | 1,063,228 | $ | | $ | 2,109,057 | $ | 1,477,494 | $ | 5,991,812 | |||||||||||||
Voluntary Separation | $ | | $ | 388,602 | $ | 953,431 | $ | 1,063,228 | $ | | $ | 2,109,057 | $ | 1,477,494 | $ | 5,991,812 | |||||||||||||
David C. Everitt | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Death | $ | | $ | 424,878 | $ | 1,906,862 | $ | 5,431,336 | $ | 594,845 | $ | 1,506,860 | $ | 2,183,087 | $ | 12,047,868 | |||||||||||||
Disability | $ | 1,796,065 | $ | 424,878 | $ | 1,906,862 | $ | 6,331,678 | $ | 594,845 | $ | 1,506,860 | $ | 3,625,220 | $ | 16,186,408 | |||||||||||||
Retirement | $ | | $ | 424,878 | $ | 1,906,862 | $ | 6,331,678 | $ | 594,845 | $ | 1,506,860 | $ | 3,970,621 | $ | 14,735,744 | |||||||||||||
Termination Without Cause | $ | 628,700 | $ | 424,878 | $ | 953,431 | $ | 4,205,723 | $ | | $ | 1,506,860 | $ | 3,970,621 | $ | 11,690,213 | |||||||||||||
Termination For Cause | $ | | $ | 424,878 | $ | 953,431 | $ | 4,205,723 | $ | | $ | 1,506,860 | $ | 3,970,621 | $ | 11,061,513 | |||||||||||||
Voluntary Separation (8) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
James A. Israel | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Death | $ | | $ | 313,387 | $ | 1,906,862 | $ | 1,837,533 | $ | 393,947 | $ | 920,425 | $ | 1,172,757 | $ | 6,544,911 | |||||||||||||
Disability | $ | 1,333,470 | $ | 313,387 | $ | 1,906,862 | $ | 2,450,362 | $ | 393,947 | $ | 920,425 | $ | 2,185,449 | $ | 9,503,902 | |||||||||||||
Retirement | $ | | $ | 313,387 | $ | 1,906,862 | $ | 2,450,362 | $ | 393,947 | $ | 920,425 | $ | 2,148,282 | $ | 8,133,265 | |||||||||||||
Termination Without Cause | $ | 462,700 | $ | 313,387 | $ | 953,431 | $ | 991,350 | $ | | $ | 920,425 | $ | 2,148,282 | $ | 5,789,575 | |||||||||||||
Termination For Cause | $ | | $ | 313,387 | $ | 953,431 | $ | 991,350 | $ | | $ | 920,425 | $ | 2,148,282 | $ | 5,326,875 | |||||||||||||
Voluntary Separation (8) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
James R. Jenkins | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Death | $ | | $ | 371,433 | $ | 1,906,862 | $ | 4,088,796 | $ | 1,348,387 | $ | 962,481 | $ | 1,029,920 | $ | 9,707,879 | |||||||||||||
Disability | $ | 504,082 | $ | 371,433 | $ | 1,906,862 | $ | 4,819,509 | $ | 1,348,387 | $ | 962,481 | $ | 1,823,645 | $ | 11,736,399 | |||||||||||||
Retirement (9) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Termination Without Cause | $ | 548,400 | $ | 371,433 | $ | 953,431 | $ | 3,011,493 | $ | | $ | 962,481 | $ | 1,868,455 | $ | 7,715,693 | |||||||||||||
Termination For Cause | $ | | $ | 371,433 | $ | 953,431 | $ | 3,011,493 | $ | | $ | 962,481 | $ | 1,868,455 | $ | 7,167,293 | |||||||||||||
Voluntary Separation | $ | 371,433 | $ | 953,431 | $ | 3,011,493 | $ | 962,481 | $ | 1,868,455 | $ | 7,167,293 | |||||||||||||||||
H. J. Markley | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Retirement (10) | $ | | $ | 403,133 | $ | 1,906,862 | $ | 5,216,158 | $ | 549,765 | $ | 2,867,179 | $ | 5,280,550 | $ | 16,223,647 |
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(1) | None of the Named Executives has an employment agreement. We have severance guidelines, however, that provide compensation to assist an employee or Named Executive through a transition period if termination is initiated by Deere for reasons other than cause. Our severance guidelines provide for payment of one-half month of salary plus another one-half month of salary for each complete year of employment, up to a maximum of one year. We may elect to pay severance in either a lump sum or via salary continuance, unless the amount of severance exceeds two times the applicable limit under Section 401(a)(17) of the IRC, in which case severance will only be paid in a lump sum. | |
Under our Long-Term Disability Plan, if disabled before age 64, Named Executives receive monthly benefits until age 65 equal to 60% of the their salary plus the average of the three STI awards received immediately prior to the start of disability. The amount shown for disability represents the present value of the monthly benefit from the time of the disability, assumed to be October 31, 2009, to the time the Named Executive turns age 65. | ||
(2) | Under all termination events, the amount of STI earned for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2009, would be payable in a lump sum generally within two months after the end of the fiscal year, but in no event later than March 15th of the calendar year following the end of the fiscal year. This amount is also reported in the Fiscal 2009 Summary Compensation Table under the column Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation. | |
(3) | Under all termination events, the amount of MTI earned for the performance period ending on October 31, 2009, would be payable in a lump sum generally within two months after the end of the fiscal year, but in no event later than March 15th of the calendar year following the end of the fiscal year. This amount is also reported in the Fiscal 2009 Summary Compensation Table under the column Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation. Eligibility for payment of an MTI award is established on September 30th on the year prior to a payout. In the event of death, disability or retirement, employees who were eligible on September 30th in the year prior to a payout receive an award. The payout for the performance period ending October 31, 2010, has been estimated based on SVA performance through the end of fiscal 2009 and does not include any results for fiscal 2010. The actual payment in 2010 would include results for fiscal 2010 and would be paid in a lump sum within the time period described above. | |
(4) | In the event of death, a prorated number of unvested RSUs will vest based on the number of months lapsed since the grant date. The remaining unvested RSUs will be forfeited. Restrictions will lapse in January following death at which time the vested RSUs will be converted to shares of common stock. | |
In the event of disability or retirement, RSUs will continue to vest over the three-year period and will be converted to shares of Deere common stock at the end of the restriction period. | ||
In the event of termination with or without cause or voluntary separation, any vested RSUs will be cashed out. All unvested RSUs will be forfeited. |
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The following table details the number and value of RSUs under each scenario. In all cases, the market value is based on the closing price for Deere common stock on the NYSE on October 31, 2009, which was $45.55.
# of | # of | Total # of | Market Value | ||||||||
Unvested | Vested | Restricted | of Restricted | ||||||||
RSUs | RSUs | RSUs | RSUs | ||||||||
Samuel R. Allen | |||||||||||
Death | 26,969 | 63,956 | 90,925 | $ | 4,141,634 | ||||||
Disability or Retirement | 46,698 | 63,956 | 110,654 | $ | 5,040,290 | ||||||
Termination Without or For Cause (8) | 63,956 | 63,956 | $ | 2,913,196 | |||||||
Robert W. Lane | |||||||||||
Retirement | 210,373 | 343,242 | 553,615 | $ | 25,217,163 | ||||||
James M. Field | |||||||||||
Death | 11,718 | 12,840 | 24,558 | $ | 1,118,617 | ||||||
Disability | 24,412 | 12,840 | 37,252 | $ | 1,696,829 | ||||||
Termination Without or For | |||||||||||
Cause or Voluntary | |||||||||||
Separation | 12,840 | 12,840 | $ | 584,862 | |||||||
Michael J. Mack, Jr. | |||||||||||
Death | 20,893 | 23,342 | 44,235 | $ | 2,014,904 | ||||||
Disability | 37,134 | 23,342 | 60,476 | $ | 2,754,682 | ||||||
Termination Without or For Cause or | |||||||||||
Voluntary Separation | 23,342 | 23,342 | $ | 1,063,228 | |||||||
David C. Everitt | |||||||||||
Death | 26,907 | 92,332 | 119,239 | $ | 5,431,336 | ||||||
Disability or Retirement | 46,673 | 92,332 | 139,005 | $ | 6,331,678 | ||||||
Termination Without or For Cause (8) | 92,332 | 92,332 | $ | 4,205,723 | |||||||
James A. Israel | |||||||||||
Death | 18,577 | 21,764 | 40,341 | $ | 1,837,533 | ||||||
Disability or Retirement | 32,031 | 21,764 | 53,795 | $ | 2,450,362 | ||||||
Termination Without or For Cause (8) | 21,764 | 21,764 | $ | 991,350 | |||||||
James R. Jenkins | |||||||||||
Death | 23,651 | 66,114 | 89,765 | $ | 4,088,796 | ||||||
Disability | 39,693 | 66,114 | 105,807 | $ | 4,819,509 | ||||||
Termination Without or For | |||||||||||
Cause or Voluntary | |||||||||||
Separation | 66,114 | 66,114 | $ | 3,011,493 | |||||||
H. J. Markley | |||||||||||
Retirement | 42,689 | 71,826 | 114,515 | $ | 5,216,158 |
(5) | In the event of death, disability or retirement, all outstanding stock options are vested immediately. In the case of a death, the heirs have one year to exercise options. In the case of disability or retirement, options expire within five years. The amount shown in this table represents the number of stock options multiplied by the difference between the closing price for Deere common stock on the NYSE on October 31, 2009, which was $45.55, and the option exercise price. These outstanding stock options are reported in the Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal 2009 Year-End table. In the event of a termination other than for death, disability or retirement, all outstanding stock options are forfeited. | |
(6) | In all cases, balances held in the nonqualified deferred compensation plans are payable to the employee. These amounts are reported in the Fiscal 2009 Deferred Compensation Table under Deferred Plan and DCRP. The Deferred RSUs reported in the Fiscal 2009 Deferred Compensation Table are reported on this table under the column Stock Awards. |
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(7) | The present value of
the accumulated pension benefit was calculated using the following
assumptions: | |
Following are additional explanations related to the various scenarios:
| ||
(8) | Since Messrs. Allen, Everitt, and Israel are eligible for early retirement, the scenario for Voluntary Separation is not applicable. Under this scenario, these Named Executives would retire. | |
(9) | Since Messrs. Field, Jenkins and Mack are not eligible for normal or early retirement, this scenario is not applicable. | |
(10) | Since Messrs. Lane and Markley were no longer serving as executive officers at the end of fiscal 2009, only this scenario is applicable. The pension benefit amount for Mr. Lane excludes amounts under the Officer Option of the Supplemental Plan since the value only applies for retirement on or after age 60, and Mr. Lane turned 60 in November 2009. |
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The following table shows the total number
of outstanding options and shares available for future issuances under our
equity compensation plans as of October 31, 2009:
EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION |
Number of | Number of Securities | |||||||||
Securities to be | Remaining Available | |||||||||
Issued Upon | for Future Issuance | |||||||||
Exercise of | Under Equity | |||||||||
Outstanding | Weighted-Average | Compensation Plans | ||||||||
Options, | Exercise Price of | (excluding securities | ||||||||
Warrants | Outstanding Options, | reflected in column (a)) | ||||||||
and Rights (#) | Warrants and Rights ($) | (#) | ||||||||
Plan Category | (a) | (b) | (c) | |||||||
Equity Compensation Plans Approved by | ||||||||||
Security Holders | 21,409,566 | (1) | $ | 40.81 | 11,170,960 | (2) | ||||
Equity Compensation Plans Not Approved by | ||||||||||
Security Holders | -0- | | -0- | (3) | ||||||
Total | 21,409,566 | 40.81 | 11,170,960 |
(1) | This amount includes 1,559,598 restricted stock units awarded under the John Deere Omnibus Equity and Incentive Plan. The units are payable only in stock either five years after the award is granted or upon retirement. The weighted-average exercise price information in column (b) does not include these units. | |
(2) | This amount includes 303,856 shares available under the John Deere Non-Employee Director Stock Ownership Plan for future awards of restricted stock or restricted stock units and 10,867,104 shares available under the John Deere Omnibus Equity and Incentive Plan. Under the John Deere Omnibus Equity and Incentive Plan, Deere may award shares as performance awards, restricted stock or restricted stock equivalents, or other awards consistent with the purposes of the plan as determined by the Compensation Committee. In addition, shares covered by outstanding awards become available for new awards if the award is forfeited or expires before delivery of the shares. | |
(3) | Deere currently has no equity compensation plans, other than 401(k) savings plans, that are not approved by stockholders. |
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STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS AND NOMINATIONS |
Next years annual meeting of stockholders will be held on February 23, 2011. If you intend to present a proposal at next years annual meeting, and you wish to have the proposal included in the proxy statement for that meeting, you must submit the proposal in writing to the Corporate Secretary at the address below. The Secretary must receive this proposal no later than September 17, 2010.
If you would like to present a proposal at next years annual meeting, without including the proposal in the proxy statement, or if you would like to nominate one or more directors, you must provide written notice to the Corporate Secretary at the address below. The Secretary must receive this notice not earlier than October 26, 2010, and not later than November 25, 2010. Nominations of directors may be made at the annual meeting of stockholders only by or at the direction of or authorization by the Board (or any authorized committee of the Board), or by any stockholder entitled to vote at the meeting who complies with the above described notice procedure.
Notice of a proposal must include for each matter: (1) a brief description of the business to be brought before the meeting; (2) the reasons for bringing the matter before the meeting; (3) your name, and address; (4) the class and number of Deeres shares owned beneficially or of record by you; (5) whether and the extent to which any derivative or other instrument, transaction, agreement, or arrangement has been entered into by you or on your behalf with respect to Deeres stock; (6) any material interest you may have in the proposal; and (7) any other information related to you as required to be disclosed in connection with the solicitation of proxies with respect to such business under federal securities laws, as amended from time to time.
Notice of a nomination must include: (1) your name and address; (2) the name, age, business address, residence address and principal occupation of the nominee; (3) the class, series, and number of Deeres shares owned beneficially or of record by you and the nominee; (4) whether and the extent to which any derivative or other instrument, transaction, agreement, or arrangement has been entered into by you or on your behalf with respect to Deeres stock; (5) a description of all agreements or arrangements between you and the nominee regarding the nomination; (6) the nominees consent to be elected and to serve; and (7) any other information related to you as required to be disclosed in the solicitation of proxies for election of directors under the federal securities laws, as amended from time to time. We may require any nominee to furnish any other information, within reason, that may be needed to determine the eligibility of the nominee.
Directors of Deere must tender their resignation from the Board upon any material change in their occupation, career or principal business activity, including retirement. Directors must retire from the Board upon the first annual meeting of stockholders following the directors 71st birthday.
Proponents must submit stockholder proposals and recommendations for nomination as a director in writing to the following address:
Corporate Secretary
Deere & Company
One John Deere Place
Moline,
Illinois 61265-8098
The Secretary will forward the proposals and recommendations to the Corporate Governance Committee for consideration.
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COST OF SOLICITATION |
We pay the cost of the annual meeting and the cost of soliciting proxies. In addition to soliciting proxies by mail, we have made arrangements with brokers, banks and other holders of record to send proxy materials to you, and we will reimburse them for their expenses in doing so.
We have retained Georgeson Inc., a proxy soliciting firm, to assist in the solicitation of proxies, for an estimated fee of $10,000 plus reimbursement of certain out-of-pocket expenses. In addition to their usual duties, directors, officers and a few certain other employees of Deere may solicit proxies personally or by telephone, fax or e-mail. They will not receive special compensation for these services.
For the Board of Directors, | |
Moline, Illinois | GREGORY R. NOE |
January 13, 2010 | Secretary |
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APPENDIX A
AMENDMENTS TO THE RESTATED
CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION TO |
Deere stockholders are being asked to vote in favor of amending Article Sixth to read as follows:
The business and affairs of the corporation shall be managed by or under the direction of a board of directors consisting of not less than three nor more than eighteen directors. The exact number shall be determined from time to time by resolution adopted by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors in office at the time of adoption of such resolution.
At each annual meeting of stockholders beginning at the 2011 annual meeting, directors whose terms expire at that meeting (or such directors successors) shall be elected for a one-year term. Accordingly, at the 2011 annual meeting of stockholders, the directors whose terms expire at that meeting (or such directors successors) shall be elected to hold office for a one-year term expiring at the 2012 annual meeting of stockholders; at the 2012 annual meeting of stockholders, the directors whose terms expire at that meeting (or such directors successors) shall be elected to hold office for a one-year term expiring at the 2013 annual meeting of stockholders; and at the 2013 annual meeting of stockholders and each annual meeting of stockholders thereafter, all directors shall be elected to hold office for a one-year term expiring at the next annual meeting of stockholders.
Subject to prior death, resignation, retirement or removal from office (which may be with or without cause for all directors elected after the 2010 annual meeting), a director shall hold office until his or her term has expired and his or her successor has been duly elected and qualified. Except as required by law, any vacancy on the board of directors that results from an increase in the number of directors may be filled by a majority of the board of directors then in office, and any other vacancy occurring on the board of directors may be filled by a majority of the directors then in office, although less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director. Any director so chosen shall serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until his or her successor has been duly elected and qualified, subject, however, to such directors prior death, resignation, retirement or removal from office. In no case will a decrease in the number of directors shorten the term of any incumbent director.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, whenever the holders of any one or more classes or series of preferred stock issued by the corporation shall have the right, voting separately by class or series, to elect directors at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, the election, term of office, filling of vacancies and other features of such directorships shall be governed by the terms of this certificate of incorporation applicable thereto.
In addition, Deere stockholders are being asked to vote in favor of amending Section 2.74 of Article Fourth of Deeres Restated Certificate of Incorporation to delete the following sentence:
The classes in which such directors serve, as provided by article sixth, may be designated by the holders of the applicable preferred stock, unless such classes have been previously designated by the board of directors.
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APPENDIX B
JOHN DEERE OMNIBUS EQUITY AND
INCENTIVE PLAN |
Article I: General
1.1 Purpose
Deere & Company, a Delaware corporation (the Corporation), hereby adopts, subject to stockholder approval, this plan which shall be known as the JOHN DEERE OMNIBUS EQUITY AND INCENTIVE PLAN (the Plan). The Corporation and its Subsidiaries are severally and collectively referred to hereinafter as the Company. The purpose of the Plan is to foster and promote the long-term financial success of the Company and materially increase stockholder value by: (a) strengthening the Companys capability to develop, maintain, and direct an outstanding employee team; (b) motivating superior performance by means of long-term performance related incentives; (c) encouraging and providing for obtaining an ownership interest in the Company; (d) attracting and retaining outstanding talent by providing incentive compensation opportunities competitive with other major companies; and (e) enabling eligible employees to participate in the long-term growth and financial success of the Company.
1.2 Administration
(a) The Plan shall be administered by and under the direction of the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of the Corporation (the Board of Directors) or such other committee of directors as is designated by the Board of Directors (the Committee), which shall consist of two or more members. The members shall be appointed by the Board of Directors, and any vacancy on the Committee shall be filled by the Board of Directors.
(b) Subject to the limitations of the Plan, the Committee shall have the sole and complete authority to: (i) select from eligible employees of the Company, those who shall participate in the Plan (a Participant or Participants); (ii) make awards in such forms and amounts as it shall determine; (iii) impose such limitations, restrictions and conditions upon such awards as it shall deem appropriate; (iv) interpret the Plan and adopt, amend, and rescind administrative guidelines and other rules and regulations relating to the Plan; (v) correct any defect or omission or reconcile any inconsistency in this Plan or in any award granted hereunder; and (vi) make all other determinations and take all other actions deemed necessary or advisable for the implementation and administration of the Plan. The Committees determinations on matters within its authority shall be conclusive and binding upon the Company and all other persons.
(c) Except as provided below, the Committee may, to the extent that any such action will not prevent the Plan or any award under the Plan from complying with Rule 16b-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act) or any similar rule which may subsequently be in effect (Rule 16b-3), the outside director requirement of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as it may be amended from time to time, and the rules, regulations and guidance thereunder (the Code), the rules of the New York Stock Exchange applicable to companies listed for trading thereon or any other law, delegate any of its authority hereunder to such persons as it deems appropriate. The Committee shall not delegate its authority to amend, suspend or terminate the Plan.
(d) The provisions of this Plan are intended to qualify awards made to certain Participants (hereinafter identified as Covered Participants) under the Plan under the performance-based exception to the deduction limitation of Section 162(m) of the Code (Section 162(m)).
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1.3 Types of Awards Under the Plan
Awards under the Plan may be in the form of any one or more of the following: (a) Statutory Stock Options (ISOs, which term shall be deemed to include Incentive Stock Options as defined in Section 2.5 and any future type of tax-qualified option which may subsequently be authorized), Non-statutory Stock Options (NSOs and, collectively with ISOs, Options), and Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs) as described in Article II; (b) Performance Units and Performance Shares (Performance Units and Performance Shares) as described in Article III; (c) Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Equivalents (Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Equivalents) as described in Article IV; (d) Other Awards (Other Awards) as described in Article V; and (e) Substitute Awards as defined in Article IX (collectively, Awards).
1.4 Shares Subject to the Plan
(a) Shares of stock covered by Awards under the Plan may be authorized and unissued or treasury shares of the Corporations common stock, $1.00 par value per share, or such other shares as may be substituted pursuant to Section 1.6 (Common Stock).
(b) Effective February 24, 2010, the maximum number of shares of Common Stock which may be awarded for all purposes under the Plan shall be the aggregate of:
(i) 13,000,000 shares;
(ii) the number of shares previously authorized for Awards under the Plan but not reserved for outstanding Awards as of the date the Plan as amended is approved by the Corporations stockholders; and
(iii) any shares corresponding to Awards under the Plan that are forfeited after the date the amended Plan is approved.
(c) Effective for Awards made after February 22, 2006, awards of Performance Awards, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Equivalents, Other Awards and Substitute Awards shall reduce the maximum number of available authorized shares of Common Stock under the Plan by 2.5 shares for each share awarded. Awards of Options and SARS shall reduce the maximum number of available authorized shares of Common Stock under the Plan by one share for each share awarded. The full number of Options and SARs granted that are settled by the issuance of shares shall be counted against the number of shares available under the Plan, regardless of the number of shares actually issued upon settlement of such Options and SARs.
(d) Any shares of Common Stock subject to an Option which for any reason is canceled (excluding shares subject to an Option canceled upon the exercise of a related SAR to the extent shares are issued upon exercise of such SAR) or terminated without having been exercised, or any shares corresponding to other Awards under the Plan which are forfeited before delivery of such shares, shall again be available for Awards under the Plan.
(e) No fractional shares shall be issued, and the Committee shall determine the manner in which fractional share value shall be treated.
1.5 Maximum Awards Per Participant
(a) The aggregate number of shares of Common Stock (including any cash equivalents thereof) that may be subject to Options and SARs awarded during any fiscal year to a Covered Participant shall not exceed .5% of the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding as of the beginning of the fiscal year in which the Plan is approved by the stockholders of the Corporation.
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(b) The aggregate number of (i) all Performance Units and Performance Shares; (ii) all Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Equivalents; (iii) all Other Awards; and (iv) all Substitute Awards, awarded to a Covered Participant in any fiscal year shall not exceed the equivalent of 600,000 shares or the cash equivalent thereof (based on the Fair Market Value of Common Stock as of the date of the Award).
1.6 Adjustments Upon Certain Changes
In the event of a stock dividend or stock split, recapitalization, merger, consolidation, combination, exchange of shares or other increase or reduction in the number of issued shares of Common Stock, the Board of Directors or the Committee shall, in order to prevent the dilution or enlargement of rights under Awards (including Deferred Amounts), make such adjustments in the number and type of shares authorized by this Plan, the number and type of shares covered by, or with respect to which payments are measured under, outstanding Awards and the exercise prices specified therein as may be determined to be appropriate and equitable to prevent dilution or enlargement of rights. The determination of the Board of Directors or the Committee as to what adjustments shall be made, and the extent thereof, shall be final.
1.7 Eligible Participants
Participants shall be selected by the Committee from salaried employees of the Company.
Article II: Stock Options and Stock Appreciation Rights
2.1 Award of Stock Options
The Committee may, from time to time, subject to the provisions of the Plan and such other terms and conditions as the Committee may prescribe, award to any Participant ISOs and NSOs to purchase Common Stock.
2.2 Documentation of Stock Option Awards
The award of an Option may be evidenced by a signed written agreement (a Stock Option Agreement), a certificate or an electronic record containing such terms and conditions as the Committee may from time to time determine.
2.3 Option Price
The purchase price of Common Stock under each Option (the Option Price) shall be fixed by the Committee and except for Substitute Awards, shall be not less than the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock on the date the Option is awarded.
2.4 Exercise and Term of Options
(a) Options awarded under the Plan shall be exercisable at such times and be subject to such restrictions and conditions as the Committee shall approve, either at the time of grant of such Options or pursuant to a general determination, and which need not be the same for all Participants, provided that no such Option (other than Substitute Awards) shall be exercisable within the first six months of its term (except in the event of the death of the Participant in which event Section 2.8(b) shall control without regard to the six-month or other holding period requirements) and the term of each Option shall not extend later than ten years after the date of grant of the Option. Each Option which is intended to qualify as an ISO pursuant to Section 422 of the Code, and each Option which is intended to qualify as another type of ISO which may subsequently be authorized by law, shall comply with the applicable provisions of the Code pertaining to such Options.
(b) The Committee shall establish procedures governing the exercise of Options and shall require that written or electronic notice of exercise be given and that the Option Price be paid in full in cash (including check, bank draft or money order) at the time of exercise; provided, however, the Participant may instruct the Corporation to sell shares delivered on exercise as the Participants agent pursuant to a cashless exercise program or other similar program established or recognized by the Committee
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or may exercise Options using a net share settlement procedure established or recognized by the Committee. The Committee may permit a Participant, in lieu of part or all of the cash payment, to make payment in Common Stock already owned by that Participant, valued at Fair Market Value on the date of exercise, as partial or full payment of the Option Price; provided, however, that the Committee may, in any instance, in order to prevent any possible violation of law, require the Option Price to be paid in cash. As soon as practicable after receipt of each notice and full payment, the Company shall deliver to the Participant a certificate or certificates representing the acquired shares of Common Stock. The exercise of an Option shall cancel any related SAR to the extent of the number of shares as to which the Option is exercised.
(c) Notwithstanding the foregoing, in respect of Participants who at the time of award, vesting or exercise of Options are located in a jurisdiction that would but for this Section 2.4(c) subject such Options to tax prior to exercise, any exercise shall be subject to the prior written approval of the Director, Compensation and Benefits or an officer of the Corporation. Such approval shall be at the sole discretion of the Director, Compensation and Benefits or the officer. If and when granted, such approval will constitute the notice to the Corporation referred to above in Section 2.4(b).
2.5 Limitations on ISOs
Notwithstanding anything in the Plan to the contrary, to the extent required from time to time by the Code, the following additional provisions shall apply to the grant of Options which are intended to qualify as ISOs (as such term is defined in Section 422 of the Code):
(a) The aggregate Fair Market Value (determined as of the date the Option is granted) of the shares of Common Stock with respect to which ISOs are exercisable for the first time by any Participant during any calendar year (under all plans of the Company) shall not exceed $100,000 or such other amount as may subsequently be specified by the Code; provided that, to the extent that such limitation is exceeded, any excess Options (as determined under the Code) shall be deemed to be NSOs.
(b) Any ISO authorized under the Plan shall contain such other provisions as the Committee shall deem advisable, but shall in all events be consistent with and contain or be deemed to contain all provisions required in order to qualify the Options as ISOs.
(c) All ISOs must be granted within ten years from the earlier of the date on which this Plan was adopted by the Board of Directors or the date this Plan was approved by the stockholders.
(d) Unless sooner exercised, terminated, or canceled, all ISOs shall expire no later than ten years after the date of grant.
2.6 Loans
Subject to applicable laws and regulations, the Committee may provide for the Corporation or any Subsidiary to make loans to finance the exercise of any Option as well as the estimated or actual amount of any taxes payable by the holder as a result of the exercise or payment of any Option and may prescribe, or may empower the Corporation or such Subsidiary to prescribe, the other terms and conditions of such loan.
2.7 Award of Stock Appreciation Rights
(a) General. An SAR is a right to receive, without payment (except for applicable withholding taxes) to the Company, a number of shares of Common Stock, cash, or a combination thereof, the amount of which is determined pursuant to the formula set forth in Section 2.7(e). An SAR may be granted (i) in tandem with any Option granted under this Plan, either concurrently with the grant of such Option, or at such later time as determined by the Committee (as to all or any portion of the shares of Common Stock subject to the Option); or (ii) alone, without reference to any related Option. Each SAR granted by the Committee under this Plan shall be subject to the terms and conditions of this Section 2.7.
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(b) Number. Each SAR granted to any Participant shall relate to such number of shares of Common Stock as shall be determined by the Committee, subject to adjustment as provided in Section 1.6. In the case of an SAR granted with respect to an Option, the number of shares of Common Stock to which the SAR pertains shall be reduced in the same proportion that the holder of the Option exercises the related Option.
(c) Duration. The term of each SAR shall be determined by the Committee but in no event shall an SAR (other than a Substitute Award) be exercisable during the first six months of its term and the term of each SAR shall not extend later than ten years after the date of grant of the SAR. Subject to the foregoing, unless otherwise provided by the Committee, each SAR shall become exercisable at such time or times, to such extent and upon such conditions as the Option, if any, to which it relates is exercisable, or if the SAR is not granted in tandem with an Option, as determined by the Committee.
(d) Exercise. An SAR may be exercised, in whole or in part, by giving written notice to the Company, specifying the number of SARs which the holder wishes to exercise. Upon receipt of such written notice, the Company shall, within 90 days thereafter, deliver to the exercising holder a certificate for the shares of Common Stock or cash or both, as determined by the Committee, to which the holder is entitled.
(e) Payment. Subject to the right of the Committee to deliver cash in lieu of shares of Common Stock, the number of shares of Common Stock which shall be issuable upon the exercise of an SAR shall be determined by dividing:
(i) the number of shares of Common Stock as to which the SAR is exercised multiplied by the amount of the appreciation in such shares (for this purpose, the appreciation shall be the amount by which the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock subject to the SAR on the exercise date exceeds a base price equal to (A) in the case of an SAR related to an Option, the purchase price of a share of Common Stock under the Option or (B) in the case of an SAR granted alone, without reference to a related Option, an amount which shall be determined by the Committee at the time of grant, provided, however, such amount is at least equal to the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock on the date the SAR is awarded, (subject to adjustment under Section 1.6)); by
(ii) the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock on the exercise date.
In lieu of issuing shares of Common Stock upon the exercise of an SAR, the Committee may elect to pay the holder of the SAR cash equal to the appreciation (such appreciation to be determined as set forth in Section 2.7(e)(i) above) on the exercise date of any or all of the shares which would otherwise be issuable. No fractional shares of Common Stock shall be issued upon the exercise of an SAR; instead, the holder of the SAR shall be entitled to receive a cash adjustment equal to the same fraction of the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock on the exercise date.
(f) Documentation of SAR Awards. SARs awarded under the Plan may be evidenced by either a signed written agreement, a certificate or an electronic record containing such terms and conditions as the Committee may from time to time determine.
2.8 Termination of Employment
(a) In the event the Participant ceases to be an employee of the Company with the consent of the Committee or upon the Participants death, or retirement or disability pursuant to applicable disability or retirement plans of the Company, each of the Participants outstanding Options and SARs shall be exercisable by the Participant (or the Participants legal representative or designated beneficiary), subject to the vesting requirements of the Options and SARs, at any time prior to an expiration date established by the Committee at the time of award (which may be the original expiration date of such Option or such earlier time as the Committee may establish) or as set forth in Section 2.8(b) or (c), but in no event after its respective expiration date. If the Participant ceases to be an employee of the Company for any other reason and without such consent, all of the Participants then outstanding Options and SARs shall terminate immediately.
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(b) Unless the Committee establishes otherwise at the time of the Award, in the event of termination of employment because of death, the Participants outstanding Options and SARs may be exercised by the legal representative or designated beneficiary of the holder, as the case may be, within twelve months after the Participants death. Such exercise shall be upon the same terms at the time of exercise as would have been available to the original holder, had he or she remained in the continuous employ of the Company, except that such legal representative or designated beneficiary may exercise any Options and SARs held at the date of the Participants death without regard to the holding period established pursuant to Section 2.4(a) or 2.7(c) above.
Unless the Committee establishes otherwise at the time of the Award, in the event of termination of employment of the holder of an Option or SAR with the consent of the Committee or because of disability or retirement pursuant to applicable disability or retirement plans of the Company, an Option or SAR may be exercised by such holder, within five years after such termination, to the same extent and upon the same terms (including among other things, the holding period requirement established pursuant to Section 2.4(a) or 2.7(c) above) at the time of exercise as would have been available had such holder remained in the continuous employ of the Company. In the event of the death of such holder of an Option or SAR prior to the expiration of the five-year period specified in the preceding sentence, an Option or SAR held at death by such holder may be exercised by the holders heirs, legatees or legal representatives, as the case may be, (without regard to the holding period requirement established pursuant to Section 2.4(a) or 2.7(c) above) within one year after death or within five years following such termination, whichever is later, but only if and to the extent the Option or SAR would have been exercisable by the retired holder of the Option or SAR at the date of death.
(c) In the event of a termination of employment of a Participant with the consent of the Committee or because of the Participants death, retirement or disability pursuant to applicable disability or retirement plans of the Company, the Committee in its sole discretion may elect to accelerate the date on which certain of the Options and SARs issued to such Participant become exercisable, which acceleration may be conditioned on the forfeiture of other Awards issued to such Participant. It is expressly provided, however, that no such acceleration may permit the exercise of any Option or SAR in less than six months from the date of grant.
(d) Nothing in Section 2.8(b) and 2.8(c) shall make an Option or SAR exercisable after the stated expiration date of such Option or SAR.
2.9 Dividends
Dividends and dividend equivalents shall not be paid or accrued with respect to unexercised Options or unexercised SARs.
2.10 Restrictions on Repricings
Subject to adjustments pursuant to Section 1.6, without stockholder approval:
(i) the Option Price and SAR base price for determining appreciation fixed by the Committee at the time of grant shall not be lowered;
(ii) Options and SARs shall not be repurchased or exchanged for other Awards when the Option Price or base price for determining appreciation exceeds the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock; and
(iii) no other action shall be taken that is treated as a repricing of Options or SARs under generally accepted accounting principles applicable to the Corporation.
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Article III: Performance Shares and Units
3.1 Award of Performance Units and Performance Shares
The Committee may award to any Participant Performance Shares and Performance Units (Performance Awards). Each Performance Share shall represent one share of Common Stock. Each Performance Unit shall represent the right of a Participant to receive an amount equal to the value determined in the manner established by the Committee at the time of award, which value may, without limitation, be equal to the Fair Market Value of one share of Common Stock.
3.2 Documentation of Performance Awards
Each Performance Award under the Plan may be evidenced by a signed written agreement, a certificate or an electronic record containing such terms and conditions as the Committee may from time to time determine. Performance Shares shall be held by the Corporation while subject to performance targets. Dividends may be accrued on Performance Shares while they are subject to performance targets. Such accrued dividends may be paid with respect to Performance Shares only when the performance targets are met. Except for restrictions on transfer and as described above, the Participant as owner of such Performance Shares shall have all the rights of a holder of Common Stock.
3.3 Performance Period and Targets
(a) The performance period for each award of Performance Shares and Performance Units shall be of such duration as the Committee shall establish at the time of award; provided, however, that in no event will the performance period be less than one year (which may be a calendar year or a fiscal year, as determined by the Committee) (the Performance Period). There may be more than one award in existence at any one time and Performance Periods may differ.
(b) The Committee shall set performance targets relating to Performance Units and Performance Shares which shall be based on one or more of the following performance measures, or any combination of the following: (i) total stockholder return; (ii) growth in revenues, sales, settlements, market share, customer conversion, net income, stock price, and/or earnings per share; (iii) return on assets, net assets, and/or capital; (iv) return on stockholders equity; (v) economic value added; (vi) improvements in costs and/ or expenses; or (vii) in the case of Awards to Participants who are not Covered Participants, any similar performance measure established by the Committee. Such performance targets shall be established in writing by the Committee no later than the earlier of (i) 90 days after the commencement of the Performance Period with respect to which the award of Performance Units or Performance Shares is made and (ii) the date as of which twenty-five percent (25%) of such Performance Period has elapsed. For purposes of establishing performance targets, any of the factors set forth above may, as applicable, be measured either before or after income taxes, and on a corporate, division, subsidiary or individual basis, and may include or exclude interest, depreciation and amortization, goodwill, extraordinary items and other material non-recurring gains or losses, discontinued or added operations, the cumulative effect of changes in accounting policies and the effect of any tax law changes. Performance targets may be measured on an absolute basis or relative to selected peer companies or one or more market indices as determined by the Committee. At the time of setting performance targets, the Committee shall establish minimum, target and maximum performance targets to be achieved within the Performance Period. Failure to meet the minimum performance target will earn no Performance Award. Performance Awards will be earned as determined by the Committee in respect of a Performance Period in relation to the degree of attainment of performance between the minimum and maximum performance targets.
(c) If the Committee shall determine that an acquisition or disposition of assets or securities by the Company shall have a material effect (whether positive or negative) on the Companys ability to meet its performance target(s) for the applicable Performance Period(s), the Committee shall have the discretion to take any action that would reduce the amount of an Award, or to adjust a performance target for a Performance Period, subject, in the case of Awards to Covered Participants, to the limitations of Section 162(m).
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(d) Except as provided in Section 3.3(c) above, once established performance targets for Awards to Covered Participants shall not be changed during the Performance Period; provided, however, that the Committee retains the discretion to eliminate or decrease the amount of an Award otherwise payable to any Participant.
3.4 Payment Respecting Performance Awards
(a) Performance Awards shall be earned to the extent that their terms and conditions are met. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Performance Awards shall be payable to the Participant only in accordance with the terms thereof or otherwise when, if, and to the extent that the Committee determines to make such payment. All payment determinations shall be made by the Committee during the first four months following the end of the Performance Period. Anything in the preceding two sentences to the contrary notwithstanding and subject to Section 3.4(b) below, all payments under a Performance Award shall be made no later than (i) the 15th day of the third month following the end of the calendar year in which the applicable Performance Period ends or (ii) the 15th day of the third month following the end of the Companys taxable year in which the applicable Performance Period ends, whichever is later.
(b) The Participant may elect to defer any cash payment respecting a Performance Award pursuant to Article V hereof.
(c) Payment for Performance Awards may be made in a lump sum or in installments. Performance Shares may be paid in cash, Common Stock or in a combination thereof as the Committee may determine. Performance Units may be paid only in cash.
3.5 Termination of Employment
In the event the Participant ceases to be an employee of the Company before the end of any Performance Period with the consent of the Committee, or upon the Participants death, or retirement or disability pursuant to applicable disability or retirement plans of the Company before the end of any Performance Period: (a) each Performance Award previously granted to the participant shall continue to be subject to the performance targets for the Performance Period until such Awards are forfeited or earned pursuant to their terms and conditions; or (b) except with respect to Awards to Covered Participants, the Committee, in its absolute discretion, may authorize the payment to such Participant (or the Participants legal representative or designated beneficiary) of any of the Performance Units and Performance Shares which would have been paid to the Participant had the Participant continued as an employee of the Company to the end of the Performance Period provided that the number of Performance Units and Performance Shares paid early shall be discounted to reasonably reflect the time value of money and shall be based on the Companys progress, measured as of the date of acceleration, with regard to reaching the applicable performance targets. In the event a Participant ceases to be an employee of the Company for any other reason and without such consent before the end of the Performance Period, any unpaid amounts for outstanding Performance Periods shall be forfeited.
Article IV: Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Equivalents
4.1 Award of Restricted Stock
The Committee may award to any Participant shares of Common Stock, subject to this Article IV and such other terms and conditions as the Committee may prescribe (such shares being herein called Restricted Stock). Restricted Stock shall be held by the Corporation while subject to restrictions. As restrictions lapse the shares will be delivered to the Participant.
4.2 Documentation of Restricted Stock Awards
Awards of Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Equivalents under the Plan may be evidenced by a signed written agreement, a certificate or an electronic record containing such terms and conditions as the Committee may from time to time determine.
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4.3 Restriction Period
At the time of award there shall be established for each Participant, subject to Section 4.6, a restriction period (the Restriction Period) which shall lapse (a) upon the completion of a period of time (Time Goal) as shall be determined by the Committee, or (b) upon the achievement of stock price goals within certain time limitations (Price/Time Goal) as shall be determined by the Committee; provided, however, that, except for maximum aggregate Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Equivalent awards of 5% of the aggregate shares authorized by Section 1.4(b), the Restriction Period on Awards with a Price/Time Goal shall not be less than one year and the Restriction Period on Awards with only a Time Goal shall not be less than three years. Except for restrictions on transfer, the Participant as owner of such shares of Restricted Stock shall have all the rights of a holder of Common Stock. With respect to shares of Restricted Stock which are issued subject to a Time Goal, the Corporation shall deliver to the Participant (or the Participants legal representative or designated beneficiary) the certificates at the expiration of the Restriction Period. With respect to shares of Restricted Stock which are issued subject to a Price/Time Goal, the Corporation shall deliver to the Participant (or the Participants legal representative or designated beneficiary) the certificates upon the achievement of the Price/Time Goal on or before the close of the Restriction Period. With respect to shares of Restricted Stock which are issued subject to a Price/Time Goal which fail to meet the goal before the end of the Restriction Period, all such shares shall be forfeited.
4.4 Termination of Employment
In the event the Participant ceases to be an employee of the Company before the end of any Restriction Period with the consent of the Committee, or upon the Participants death, or retirement or disability pursuant to applicable disability or retirement plans of the Company before the end of any Restriction Period, the Committee shall have the absolute discretion to waive all or a portion of the Time Goals and Price/Time Goals established under Section 4.3 provided that the Price/Time Goals with respect to any Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Equivalent awarded to Covered Participants pursuant to Section 4.6 shall not be subject to waiver or modification after such goals are established. The shares thereby released, if any, shall thereafter be delivered to such Participant (or the Participants legal representative or designated beneficiary). In the event and to the extent the Committee does not exercise its discretion to waive the Time Goals and Price/Time Goals or a Participant ceases to be an employee of the Company for any other reason and without such consent before achievement of the Time Goal or Price/Time Goal, each Award to such Participant upon which the Restriction Period has not lapsed shall automatically be forfeited.
4.5 Award of Restricted Stock Equivalents
In lieu of or in addition to the foregoing Restricted Stock Awards, the Committee may award to any Participant restricted stock equivalents, subject to the terms and conditions of Sections 4.2, 4.3, and 4.4 being applied to such Awards as if those Awards were for Restricted Stock and subject to such other terms and conditions as the Committee may prescribe (Restricted Stock Equivalents). Each Restricted Stock Equivalent shall represent the right of the Participant to receive an amount determined in the manner established by the Committee at the time of award, which value may, without limitation, be equal to the Fair Market Value of one share of Common Stock. Payment for Restricted Stock Equivalents may be made only in cash, in a lump sum or in installments, as the Committee may determine.
4.6 Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Equivalents Awarded to Covered Participants
Any Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Equivalent awarded to a Covered Participant which the Committee intends to qualify for the performance-based exception under Section 162(m) shall be subject to a Price/Time Goal.
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Article V: Other Awards, Cash Equivalent Awards and Deferral
5.1 Other Awards
The Committee shall have the authority to specify the terms and provisions of other forms of equity-based or equity-related awards not described above which the Committee determines to be consistent with the purpose of the Plan and the interests of the Company, which awards may provide for cash payments based in whole or in part on the value or future value of Common Stock, for the acquisition or future acquisition of Common Stock, or any combination thereof (Other Awards); provided, that, such Other Awards with a performance goal shall not vest in less than one year and Other Awards without one or more performance goals shall not vest in less than three years. Performance goals shall be based on one or more or any combination of the measures described in Section 3.3(b), including in the case of Participants who are not Covered Participants, any similar performance measure established by the Committee. Other Awards shall also include cash payments (including the cash payment of dividend equivalents) under the Plan which may be based on one or more criteria determined by the Committee which are unrelated to the value of Common Stock and which may be granted in tandem with, or independent of, other Awards under the Plan.
5.2 Cash Equivalent Awards
The Committee may permit Participants, on such terms and conditions as the Committee may prescribe, to elect to receive Performance Share and Restricted Stock Awards in cash in lieu of Common Stock provided such election is made prior to the earlier of: (i) the date the shares are issued for the benefit of the Participant (including when held by the Corporation subject to restrictions); or (ii) the day prior to the beginning of the calendar year in which the Award would become payable. Any such cash equivalent payments shall be based on the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock on the date determined by the Committee and be on such terms as shall not represent an increase in benefits. Such cash equivalent payments shall be applied against the limits on the maximum number of shares of Common Stock pursuant to Section 1.4 and 1.5, based on such Fair Market Value.
5.3 Election To Defer
Participants eligible to also participate in the Deere & Company Voluntary Deferred Compensation Plan or any successor plan thereto may elect, with the consent of the Committee and on such terms and conditions as the Committee may prescribe, no later than the day prior to the beginning of the last calendar year of the Performance Period (and in any event no later than the date that is six months before the end of the Performance Period), to defer all or a portion of the Participants Performance, Restricted or Other Award that is payable in cash (the Deferred Amount). All Deferred Amounts will be subject to the terms and conditions of the Deere & Company Voluntary Deferred Compensation Plan or any successor plan thereto.
Article VI: Non-Transferability
6.1 Non-Transferability
Except as provided below, no Award under the Plan (including any Deferred Amount), and no interest therein, shall be transferable by the Participant otherwise than by will or, if the Participant dies intestate, by the laws of descent and distribution and no Award may be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged, hypothecated or otherwise encumbered in any way (whether by operation of law or otherwise) or be subject to execution, attachment, or similar process. Upon any attempt to so transfer, assign, pledge, hypothecate or otherwise dispose of, or subject to execution, attachment or similar process, any Award, or any right thereunder, contrary to the provisions hereof, the Award shall immediately become null and void. Except as provided below, all Awards shall be exercisable or received during the Participants lifetime only by the Participant or his legal representative.
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6.2 Permitted Transfers
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee may from time to time permit Awards to be transferable subject to such terms and conditions as the Committee may impose, provided, however, no Award may be transferred for value (within the meaning of the General Instructions to Securities and Exchange Commission Form S-8).
6.3 Transferability of Stock Options and SARs
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee may, in its discretion, authorize all or a portion of Options and SARs granted or to be granted to a Participant to be on terms which permit transfer by gift or domestic relations orders (i) by such Participant to family members, (ii) by family members to other family members, and (iii) to such other persons or entities as may be permitted under Form S-8 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time or any successor form thereto. Following transfer, any such Options and SARs shall continue to be subject to the same terms and conditions as were applicable immediately prior to transfer. The events of termination of employment of Section 2.8 hereof shall continue to be applied with respect to the employee, following which the options shall be exercisable by the transferee only to the extent, and for the periods established pursuant to Section 2.8. Family members, for purposes of this Section, has the meaning expressed in the instructions to Form S-8 under the Securities Act or 1933, as amended from time to time, or any successor form thereto.
6.4 Beneficiary Designation
Each Participant under the Plan may name, from time to time, any beneficiary or beneficiaries (who may be named contingently or successively) to whom any benefit under the Plan is to be paid in case of the Participants death before the Participant receives any or all of such benefit. Each designation will revoke all prior designations for the Plan by the same Participant, shall be in a form prescribed by the Corporation, and will be effective only when executed and filed by the Participant in writing during the Participants lifetime with the Corporation at such address specified on the designation form. In the absence of any such designation, benefits remaining unpaid at the Participants death shall be paid to the Participants estate.
Article VII: Change Of Control
The following acceleration and valuation provisions shall apply; (i) in the case of Awards made prior to February 24, 2010 in the event of a Change of Control or Potential Change of Control, as defined in this Article VII and; (ii) in the case of Awards made on or after February 24, 2010 (Future Awards) in the event of both (x) a Change of Control and (y) a Qualifying Termination, each as defined in this Article VII.
(a) In the event that:
(i) a Change of Control as defined in paragraph (b) of this Article VII occurs; or
(ii) a Potential Change of Control as defined in paragraph (c) of this Article VII occurs and the Committee or the Board of Directors determines that the provisions of this paragraph (a) should be invoked; and
(iii) in the case of Future Awards a Qualifying Termination occurs;
then, unless otherwise determined by the Committee or the Board of Directors in writing at or after the making of an Award, but prior to the occurrence of such Change of Control, all restrictions and vesting requirements applicable to any Award shall terminate; all Options and SARs granted hereunder shall become immediately exercisable and shall remain exercisable throughout their entire term; and, to the extent permitted under Section 409A, the value of all other Awards hereunder shall, to the extent determined by the Committee at or after grant, be cashed out on the basis of the Change of Control
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Price (as defined in paragraph (e) of this Article VII), provided, however, that no Award that provides for a deferral of compensation within the meaning of Section 409A shall be cashed out upon the occurrence of a Change of Control or Potential Change of Control unless the event or circumstances constituting the Change of Control or Potential Change of Control also constitute a change in the ownership of the Corporation, a change in the effective control of the Corporation or a change in the ownership of a substantial portion of the assets of the Corporation, in each case as determined under Section 409A; and provided, further, that to the extent that the original terms of an Award do not provide for the Award to be cashed out upon the occurrence of a Change of Control or Potential Change of Control, the Committee may subsequently provide for such a cash out only to the extent permitted under Section 409A. This Article VII shall not preclude Participants from participating on the same terms as stockholders generally (or in the case of Participants who hold Options, SARs or similar awards, on terms intended to achieve the same economic result as will apply to stockholders generally) in any Change of Control transaction in which shares of Common Stock are cancelled or exchanged for other consideration.
The term Section 409A shall mean Section 409A of the Code.
(b) For purposes of paragraph (a) of this Article VII, a Change of Control means a change in control of a nature that would be required to be reported in response to Schedule 14A of Regulation 14A promulgated under the Exchange Act whether or not the Corporation is then subject to such reporting requirement, provided that, without limitation, such a Change of Control shall be deemed to have occurred if:
(i) any person (as defined in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act) (other than a Participant or group of Participants, the Corporation or a Subsidiary, or any employee benefit plan of the Corporation including its trustee, or any corporation or similar entity which becomes the beneficial owner of securities of the Corporation in connection with a transaction excepted from the provisions of clause (iii) below) is or becomes the beneficial owner (as defined in Rule 13(d-3) under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Corporation (not including the securities beneficially owned or any securities acquired directly from the Corporation) representing thirty percent (30%) or more of the combined voting power of the Corporations then outstanding securities;
(ii) there shall cease to be a majority of the Board of Directors comprised as follows: individuals who upon approval of the Plan by the stockholders constitute the Board of Directors and any new director(s) whose appointment or election by the Board of Directors or nomination for election by the Corporations stockholders was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the directors then still in office who either were directors at the beginning of such period or whose appointment or election or nomination for election was previously so approved but excluding, for this purpose, any such new director whose initial assumption of office occurs as a result of an actual or threatened election contest with respect to the election or removal of directors or other actual or threatened solicitation of proxies or consents by or on behalf of a person other than the Board of Directors;
(iii) there is consummated a merger, consolidation or similar business combination transaction of the Corporation (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any business combination structured as a forward or reverse triangular merger involving any direct or indirect subsidiary of the Corporation) with any other company, other than a merger, consolidation or similar business combination transaction which would result in the voting securities of the Corporation outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity or any parent thereof) at least sixty percent (60%) of the combined voting power of the voting securities of the Corporation or such surviving entity or parent outstanding immediately after such merger, consolidation or similar business combination transaction; or
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(iv) the stockholders of the Corporation approve a plan of complete liquidation of the Corporation or there is consummated an agreement for the sale or disposition by the Corporation of all or substantially all of the Corporations assets.
(c) For purposes of paragraph (a) of this Article VII, a Potential Change of Control means the happening of any of the following:
(i) the entering into an agreement by the Corporation, the consummation of which would result in a Change of Control of the Corporation as defined in paragraph (b) of this Article VII; or
(ii) the acquisition of beneficial ownership, directly or indirectly, by any entity, person or group (other than a Participant or group of Participants, the Corporation or a Subsidiary, or any employee benefit plan of the Corporation including its trustee) of securities of the Corporation representing fifteen percent (15%) or more of the combined voting power of the Corporations outstanding securities and the adoption by the Board of Directors of a resolution to the effect that a Potential Change of Control of the Corporation has occurred for purposes of the Plan.
(d) For purposes of paragraph (a) of this Article VII,
(i) Qualifying Termination. The occurrence of any one or more of the following events shall constitute a Qualifying Termination:
(a) An involuntary termination of the Participants employment by the Corporation for reasons other than Cause within six (6) months preceding or within twenty-four (24) calendar months following a Change of Control of the Corporation; any such involuntary termination shall be pursuant to a Notice of Termination (specifying the Effective Date of Termination which shall be not less than five days from the date of the Notice of Termination) delivered to the Participant by the Corporation; or
(b) A voluntary termination of the Participants employment by the Participant for Good Reason within twenty-four (24) calendar months following a Change of Control of the Corporation pursuant to a Notice of Termination delivered to the Corporation by the Participant.
For purposes of the Plan, a Participants employment will be considered to have terminated upon (and only upon) such Participants separation from service from the Corporation and its 409A Affiliates as determined under the default provisions in Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-1(h).
Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, if the entity, business unit or division that employs a Participant is the subject of a Divestiture, the Participant will be considered to have experienced an involuntary termination of employment as of the date such entity ceases to be a 409A Affiliate or such business unit or division is sold or transferred, regardless of whether the Participant is considered to have experienced a termination of employment with the Corporation and its affiliates for any other purpose; provided, however, that if a Divestiture occurs within six (6) months preceding or within twenty-four (24) months following a Change of Control of the Corporation, then the Divestiture itself will not be considered to cause a termination of the Participants employment, and whether the Participant experiences a Qualifying Termination following such Divesture will be determined by reference to the Participants employment with the Participants employer immediately following the Divestiture (including all entities that are considered to be a single employer with such party under the default provisions in Treasury Regulations Section 1.409A-1(h)) (so that, for example, an involuntary termination of the Participants employment with the Participants employer immediately following the Divestiture (including all entities that are considered to be a single employer with such party under the default provisions in Treasury Regulations Section 1.409A-1(h)) for reasons other than Cause within 24 calendar months following a Change of Control of the Corporation will trigger the acceleration and valuation provisions).
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(ii) Cause means (a) the Participants willful and continued failure to substantially perform his duties with the Corporation (other than any such failure resulting from disability or occurring after issuance by the Participant of a Notice of Termination for Good Reason), after a written demand for substantial performance is delivered to the Participant that specifically identifies the manner in which the Corporation believes that the Participant has willfully failed to substantially perform his duties, and after the Participant has failed to resume substantial performance of his duties on a continuous basis within thirty (30) calendar days of receiving such demand; (b) the Participants willfully engaging in conduct (other than conduct covered under (a) above) which is demonstrably and materially injurious to the Corporation, monetarily or otherwise; or (c) the Participants having been convicted of, or having entered a plea of nolo contendere to, a felony. For purposes of this subparagraph, no act, or failure to act, on the Participants part shall be deemed willful unless done, or omitted to be done, by the Participant not in good faith and without reasonable belief that the action or omission was in the best interests of the Corporation.
(iii) Notice of Termination shall mean a written notice which shall indicate the specific termination provision in this Plan relied upon, and shall set forth in reasonable detail the facts and circumstances claimed to provide a basis for termination of the Participants employment under the provision so indicated.
(iv) Effective Date of Termination means the date on which a Qualifying Termination occurs which triggers the termination of vesting requirements and restrictions and cash-outs if applicable hereunder.
(v) Good Reason shall mean, without the Participants express written consent, the occurrence of any one or more of the following:
(a) The assignment of the Participant to duties materially inconsistent with the Participants authorities, duties, responsibilities, and status (including offices and reporting requirements) as an employee of the Corporation, or a reduction or alteration in the nature or status of the Participants authorities, duties, or responsibilities from the greater of (i) those in effect during the fiscal year immediately preceding the year of the Change of Control; or (ii) those in effect immediately preceding the Change of Control;
(b) The Corporations requiring the Participant to be based at a location which is at least fifty (50) miles further from the current primary residence than is such residence from the Corporations current headquarters, except for required travel on the Corporations business to an extent substantially consistent with the Participants business obligations in effect immediately preceding the Change of Control;
(c) A reduction by the Corporation in the Participants Base Salary as in effect immediately preceding the Change of Control or as the same shall be increased from time to time;
(d) A material reduction in the Participants level of participation in any of the Corporations short-, mid- and/or long-term incentive compensation plans, or employee benefit or retirement plans, policies, practices, or arrangements in which the Participant participates from the levels in place during the fiscal year immediately preceding the Change of Control; provided, however, that reductions in the levels of participation in any such plans shall not be deemed to be Good Reason if the Participants reduced level of participation in each such program remains substantially consistent with the average level of participation of other participants who have positions commensurate with the Participants position;
(e) The failure of the Corporation to obtain a satisfactory agreement from any successor to the Corporation to assume and agree to perform the obligations under this Plan; or
(f) Any involuntary termination of Participants employment that is not effected pursuant to a Notice of Termination.
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The existence of Good Reason shall not be affected by the Participants temporary incapacity due to physical or mental illness not constituting a disability. The Participants continued employment shall not constitute a waiver of the Participants rights with respect to any circumstance constituting Good Reason.
(vi) Base Salary means a Participants annual rate of salary, excluding amounts received under incentive or other bonus plans, whether or not deferred.
(vii) Divestiture means a transaction in which (x) the entity that employs a Participant is sold, spun-off or otherwise disposed of by the Corporation with the result that such entity is no longer a 409A Affiliate, or (y) the business unit or division in which the Participant is employed is spun-off as a separate entity that is not a 409A Affiliate or is sold or otherwise transferred to a third party that is not a 409A Affiliate.
(viii) 409A Affiliate means any corporation that is included in a controlled group of corporations (within the meaning of Section 414(b) of the Code) that includes the Corporation and any trade or business (whether or not incorporated) that is under common control with the Corporation (within the meaning of Section 414(c) of the Code).
(e) For purposes of this Article VII, Change of Control Price means the highest price per share of Common Stock paid in any transaction reported on the New York Stock Exchange Composite Tape, or offered in any transaction related to a Potential or actual Change of Control of the Corporation at:
(i) the date the Change of Control occurs;
(ii) the date the Potential Change of Control is determined to have occurred; or
(iii) such other date as the Committee may determine at or after grant but before the Change of Control occurs or the Potential Change of Control is determined to have occurred;
or at any time selected by the Committee during the sixty (60) day period preceding such date.
Article VIII: Miscellaneous
8.1 Participant Agreement to Plan Provisions
The Participant shall notify the Director, Compensation and Benefits or the Secretary of the Corporation of any issues and disagreements regarding the terms and conditions of the Award within the number of days specified in the notice of the terms of the Award to the Participant. Upon resolution of such issues as determined by the Company or, no such notice having been received, upon the expiration of such number of days, the Participant (and the Participant on behalf of his legal representative and designated beneficiary) shall be deemed to have agreed to comply with all the terms and conditions of the Award and the Plan (including without limitation, the conditions of Section 8.2 below) and any agreements, certificates and records issued in connection herewith.
8.2 Conditions on Awards
In the event that the employment of a Participant holding any unexercised Option or SAR, any unearned Performance Award, any unearned shares of Restricted Stock, or any unearned Restricted Stock Equivalents shall terminate with the consent of the Committee or by reason of retirement or disability, the rights of such Participant to any such Award shall be subject to the conditions that until any such Option or SAR is exercised, or any such Performance Award, share of Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Equivalent is earned, the Participant shall (a) not engage, either directly or indirectly, in any manner or capacity as advisor, principal, agent, partner, officer, director, employee, member of any association or otherwise, in any business or activity which is at the time competitive with any business or activity conducted by the Company and (b) be available, unless the Participant shall have died, at reasonable times for consultations (which shall not require substantial time or effort) at the request of the Companys management with respect to phases of the business with which the Participant was actively connected during the Participants employment, but such consultations
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shall not (except in the case of a Participant whose active service was outside of the United States) be required to be performed at any place or places outside of the United States of America or during usual vacation periods or periods of illness or other incapacity. In the event that either of the above conditions is not fulfilled, the Participant shall forfeit all rights to any unexercised Option or SAR, Performance Award, shares of Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Equivalents held on the date of the breach of the condition. Any determination by the Board of Directors, which shall act upon the recommendation of the Chairman, that the Participant is, or has, engaged in a competitive business or activity as aforesaid or has not been available for consultations as aforesaid shall be conclusive.
8.3 Effect on Other Plans
(a) Participation in the Plan shall not affect a Participants eligibility to participate in any other benefit or incentive plan of the Company.
(b) Any Awards made pursuant to the Plan shall not be included in the Participants remuneration for the purposes of determining the benefits provided under any other plan of the Company unless specifically provided in such other plan.
(c) The adoption of the Plan shall not preclude the adoption by appropriate means of any other stock option or other incentive plan for employees of the Company.
8.4 Rights of Participants
Nothing in the Plan shall interfere with or limit in any way the right of the Company to terminate any Participants employment at any time, nor confer upon any Participant any right to continue in the employ of the Company for any period of time or to continue the Participants present or any other rate of compensation. No employee shall have a right to be selected as a Participant, or, having been so selected, to be selected again as a Participant.
8.5 Tax Withholding
(a) The Company shall have the power to withhold, or require a Participant to remit to the Company, an amount sufficient to satisfy any withholding or other tax due from the Company with respect to any amount payable and/or shares issuable under the Plan, and, to the extent permitted by Section 409A, the Company may defer such payment or issuance unless indemnified to its satisfaction.
(b) Subject to the consent of the Committee, due to (i) the exercise of a NSO, (ii) lapse of restrictions on a Restricted Stock Award, or (iii) the issuance of any other stock Award under the Plan, a Participant may make an irrevocable election (an Election) to (A) have shares of Common Stock otherwise issuable under (i) withheld, or (B) tender back to the Corporation shares of Common Stock received pursuant to (i), (ii), or (iii), or (C) deliver back to the Corporation pursuant to (i), (ii), or (iii) previously-acquired shares of Common Stock of the Corporation, in each case having a Fair Market Value sufficient to satisfy all or part of the minimum federal, state and local statutory withholding requirements applicable to the Participant.
(c) Such Election must be made by a Participant prior to or on the date on which the relevant tax obligation arises (the Tax Date). The Committee may disapprove of any Election, may suspend or terminate the right to make Elections, or may provide with respect to any Award under this Plan that the right to make Elections shall not apply to such Awards.
8.6 Foreign Alternatives
Notwithstanding the other provisions of the Plan, in the case of any Award (including any Deferred Amount) to any Participant who is an employee of a foreign Subsidiary or foreign branch of the Company or held by a Participant who is in any other category specified by the Committee, the Committee may specify that such Award shall not be represented by shares of Common Stock or other securities but shall be represented by rights approximately equivalent (as determined by the
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Committee) to the rights that such Participant would have received if shares of Common Stock or other securities had been issued in the name of such Participant otherwise in accordance with the Plan (such rights being hereinafter called Stock Equivalents). The Stock Equivalents representing any such Award may subsequently, at the option of the Committee, be converted into cash or an equivalent number of shares of Common Stock or other securities under such circumstances and in such manner as the Committee may determine. Stock Equivalents shall be applied against the limits on the maximum number of shares of Common Stock pursuant to Sections 1.4 and 1.5.
8.7 Non-Uniform Determinations
The Committees determinations under the Plan, including without limitation, (a) the determination of the Participants to receive Awards, (b) the form, amount and timing of such Awards, (c) the terms and provisions of such Awards and (d) agreements evidencing the same, need not be uniform and may be made by it selectively among Participants who receive, or who are eligible to receive, Awards under the Plan, whether or not such Participants are similarly situated.
8.8 Suspensions, Leaves of Absence, and Transfers
The Committee shall be entitled to make such rules, regulations and determinations as it deems appropriate under the Plan in respect of any suspension of employment or leave of absence from the Company granted to a Participant whether such suspension or leave is paid or unpaid and whether due to a disability or otherwise. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Committee shall be entitled to determine (a) whether or not any such suspension or leave of absence shall be treated as if the Participant ceased to be an employee of the Company and (b) the impact, if any, of any such suspension or leave of absence on Awards under the Plan. In the event a Participant transfers within the Company, such Participant shall not be deemed to have ceased to be an employee of the Company for purposes of the Plan.
8.9 Requirements of Law, Governing Law
(a) The granting of Awards and the issuance of shares of Common Stock shall be subject to all applicable laws, rules and regulations, and to such approvals by any governmental agencies or national securities exchanges as may be required. The Plan, and all agreements hereunder, shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of Illinois, excluding any conflicts or choice of law rule or principle that might otherwise refer construction or interpretation of such agreement to the substantive law of another jurisdiction.
(b) Each Award (including Deferred Amounts) shall be subject to the requirement that if at any time the Committee shall determine, in its discretion, that the listing, registration, or qualification of such Award, or any shares of Common Stock or other property subject thereto, upon any securities exchange or under any foreign, federal, or state securities or other law or regulation, or the consent or approval of any governmental body or the taking of any other action to comply with or otherwise with respect to any such law or regulation, is necessary or desirable as a condition to or in connection with the granting of such Award or the issue, delivery or purchase of shares of Common Stock or other property thereunder, no such Award may be exercised or paid in Common Stock or other property unless such listing, registration, qualification, consent, approval, or other action shall have been effected or obtained free of any conditions not acceptable to the Committee and the holder of the Award will supply the Corporation with such certificates, representations and information as the Corporation shall request and shall otherwise cooperate with the Corporation in effecting or obtaining such listing, registration, qualification, consent, approval or other action. In the case of officers and other persons subject to Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act, the Committee may at any time impose any limitations upon the exercise, delivery, or payment of any Award (including Deferred Amounts) which, in the discretion of the Committee, are necessary or desirable in order to comply with Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. If the Corporation, as part of an offering
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of securities or otherwise, finds it desirable because of foreign, federal, or state legal or regulatory requirements to reduce the period during which Options or SARs may be exercised, the Committee may, in its discretion and without the holders consent, so reduce such period on not less than 15 days written notice to the holders thereof.
(c) It is the intent of the Corporation that the Plan comply in all respects with Section 162(m), that any ambiguities or inconsistencies in construction of the Plan be interpreted to give effect to such intention and that if any provision of the Plan is found not to be in compliance with Section 162(m), such provision shall be deemed null and void to the extent required to permit the Plan to comply with Section 162(m).
8.10 Amendment, Suspension and Termination of Plan
The Committee may suspend or terminate the Plan or any portion thereof at any time and may amend it from time to time in such respects as the Committee may deem advisable in order that any Awards thereunder shall conform to or otherwise reflect any change in applicable laws or regulations, or to permit the Company or its employees to enjoy the benefits of any change in applicable laws or regulations, or in any other respect the Committee may deem to be in the best interests of the Company; provided, however, that no such amendment shall, without the approval of the stockholders of the Corporation to the extent required by law, agreement, or the rules of any exchange upon which the Common Stock is listed, (i) materially increase the number of shares of Common Stock which may be issued under the Plan (except as provided in Section 1.6), (ii) materially expand the class of employees eligible to participate in the Plan, (iii) materially expand the types of Awards available under the Plan, (iv) materially extend the termination date of the Plan, (v) materially change the method of determining the exercise price of Options under the Plan, or (vi) delete or limit any provision prohibiting repricing of Options under the Plan. No such amendment, suspension or termination shall materially and adversely affect the rights of Participants under outstanding Options, SARs, Performance Awards, awards of Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Equivalents, or Deferred Amounts without the consent of the Participants affected thereby.
8.11 Effective Date
The Plan shall become effective upon approval by the stockholders of the Corporation.
8.12 Duration of the Plan
The Plan shall remain in effect until all Awards under the Plan are free of all restrictions imposed by the Plan, but no Awards shall be made hereunder after December 31, 2015.
Article IX: Definitions and Other General Provisions
(a) The term Fair Market Value as it relates to Common Stock on any given date means (i) the mean of the high and low sales prices of the Corporations Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange during regular trading hours as reported by the New York Stock Exchange (or, if not so reported, as reported by a successor reporting service selected by the Corporation, or if not reported by any successor service, as reported on any domestic stock exchanges on which the Common Stock is then listed); or (ii) if the Common Stock is not listed on any domestic stock exchange, the mean of the high and low sales prices of the Corporations Common Stock as reported by the Nasdaq Stock Market on such date or the last previous date reported (or, if not so reported, by the system then regarded as the most reliable source of such quotations) or, if there are no reported sales on such date, the mean of the closing bid and asked prices as so reported; or (iii) if the Common Stock is listed on a domestic exchange or quoted in the domestic over-the-counter market, but there are not reported sales or quotations, as the case may be, on the given date, the value determined pursuant to (i) or (ii) above using the reported sale prices or quotations on the last previous date on which so reported; or (iv) if none of the foregoing clauses applies, the fair value as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors or the Committee.
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(b) The term fiscal year shall mean, the 12-month period beginning each November 1 and ending October 31 of the following year.
(c) The terms retirement and disability as used under the Plan shall be construed by reference to the provisions of the pension plan or other similar plan or program of the Company applicable to a Participant. Unless the Committee establishes otherwise, the terms retirement and disability mean normal retirement, early retirement, total and permanent disability each as defined in the John Deere Pension Plan for Salaried Employees and the John Deere Long-Term Disability Plan, and similar events under other similar plans of the Company applicable to the Participant. Unless the Committee establishes otherwise, the terms retirement and disability do not include Participants entitled only to a deferred vested pension as defined in the John Deere Pension Plan for Salaried Employees, and/or only salary continuance under the Companys salary continuance policy, and similar events under other similar plans and policies of the Company applicable to the Participants.
(d) The term Subsidiary shall mean, unless the context otherwise requires, any corporation (other than the Corporation) in an unbroken chain of corporations beginning with the Corporation if each of the corporations other than the last corporation in such chain owns stock possessing at least 50% of the voting power in one of the other corporations in such chain.
(e) The term Substitute Award shall mean an Award granted upon assumption of, or in substitution for, outstanding awards previously granted by a company or other entity in connection with a corporate transaction, such as a merger, combination, consolidation or acquisition of property or stock.
(f) Except when otherwise indicated by the context, words in the masculine gender when used in the Plan shall include the feminine gender, the singular shall include the plural, and the plural shall include the singular.
(g) Statements in the Plan that an action is permitted to the extent permitted by Section 409A, or similar expressions, shall mean that such action is permitted to the extent it will not result in a Participant being required to recognize income for United States federal income tax purposes before exercise, payment or settlement of an Award, as applicable, or in the Participants incurring additional tax or interest under Section 409A.
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APPENDIX C |
JOHN DEERE SHORT-TERM INCENTIVE BONUS PLAN |
(As Amended February 24, 2010) |
Section 1. Establishment and Purpose
1.1 Establishment of the Plan
Deere & Company, a Delaware corporation (the Company), hereby establishes an annual incentive compensation plan to be known as the John Deere Short-Term Incentive Bonus Plan (the Plan), as set forth in this document. The Plan permits the awarding of annual cash bonuses to Employees of the Company, based on the achievement of pre-established performance goals.
Upon approval by the Board of Directors of the Company, subject to approval by the shareholders, the Plan shall become effective as of November 1, 1994 (the Effective Date) and shall remain in effect until terminated by the Board or Committee as provided by Section 13 herein.
1.2 Purpose
The purpose of the Plan is to provide Participants with a meaningful annual incentive opportunity geared toward the achievement of specific performance goals.
Section 2. Definitions
Whenever used in the Plan, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below (unless otherwise expressly provided) and, when the defined meaning is intended, the term is capitalized.
(a) Award Opportunity means the various levels of incentive award payouts which a Participant may earn under the Plan, as established by the Committee pursuant to Section 5.1 herein.
(b) Base Salary shall mean the regular salary or salary continuance earned during the Plan Year before any salary reduction contributions made to the Companys Internal Revenue Code Section 401(k) Plan or other deferred compensation plans. Among other compensation, Base Salary shall not include awards under this Plan, any suggestions awards, pay for unused vacation, any bonus or profit sharing benefits, the Company matching contribution under any plan providing such, overtime or overtime premiums, relocation allowances, mortgage differential allowances, any premium allowances for overseas service, moving allowances, or any other special awards.
(c) Beneficial Owner shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Rule 13d-3 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act.
(d) Code means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the rules, regulations and guidance thereunder.
(e) Board or Board of Directors means the Board of Directors of the Company.
(f) Committee means a committee of two (2) or more individuals, appointed by the Board to administer the Plan, pursuant to Section 3 herein, who are not current or former officers or employees of the Company.
(g) Company means Deere & Company, a Delaware corporation (including any and all subsidiaries), and any successor thereto.
(h) Corporate shall mean Deere & Company and its subsidiaries.
(i) Disability shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in applicable disability or retirement plans of the Company.
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(j) Effective Date means the date the Plan becomes effective, as set forth in Section 1.1 herein.
(k) Employee means a salaried employee of the Company.
(l) Exchange Act means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time, or any successor act thereto.
(m) Executive Officers shall mean any executive officers designated by the Committee for purposes of qualifying payouts under the Plan for exemption from Section 162(m) of the Code.
(n) Final Award means the actual award earned during a Plan Year by a Participant, as determined by the Committee at the end of the Plan Year.
(o) Noncorporate shall mean a specified segment of Deere & Companys operations designated as such by the Chief Executive Officer and approved by the Committee for purposes of the Plan, such as a business unit, division, product line, or other such segmentation.
(p) Participant means an Employee who is actively participating in the Plan.
(q) Person shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(a)(9) of the Exchange Act and used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) thereof, including a group as defined in Section 13(d).
(r) Plan means the Deere & Company Short-Term Incentive Bonus Plan.
(s) Plan Year means the Companys fiscal year.
(t) Recoupment Policy means the Companys Executive Incentive Award Recoupment Policy, as amended from time to time, or any successor policy thereto.
(u) Retirement shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in the John Deere Pension Plan for Salaried Employees, or any successor plan thereto.
(v) Target Incentive Award means the award to be paid to a Participant when planned performance results are achieved, as established by the Committee.
Section 3. Administration
The Plan shall be administered by the Committee. It is intended that the Committee shall be composed exclusively of individuals who qualify as outside directors within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the Code), as amended. The failure of any member of the Committee so to qualify, however, shall not impair the validity of any action taken by the Committee. The Committee may delegate to the Company responsibility for day-to-day administration of, the Plan, following administrative guidelines approved from time to time by the Committee.
Subject to the limitations of the Plan, the Committee shall: (i) select from the Employees of the Company, those who shall participate in the Plan, (ii) grant Award Opportunities in such forms and amounts as it shall determine, (iii) impose such limitations, restrictions, and conditions upon such awards as it shall deem appropriate, (iv) interpret the Plan and adopt, amend, and rescind administrative guidelines and other rules and regulations relating to the Plan, (v) correct any defect or omission or reconcile any inconsistency in this Plan or in any Award Opportunity granted hereunder, and (vi) make all other necessary determinations and take all other actions necessary or advisable for the implementation and administration of the Plan. The Committees determinations on matters within its authority shall be conclusive and binding upon all parties.
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Section 4. Eligibility and Participation
4.1 Eligibility
All Employees (as defined in Section 2 herein) who are actively employed by the Company in any Plan Year shall be eligible to participate in the Plan for such Plan Year, subject to the limitations of Section 7 herein.
4.2 Participation
Participation in the Plan shall be determined annually by the Committee based upon the criteria set forth herein. Employees who are eligible to participate in the Plan shall be provided access to the performance goals and related Award Opportunities for the relevant Plan Year, as soon as is practicable.
4.3 Partial Plan Year Participation
In the event that an Employee becomes eligible to participate in the Plan subsequent to the commencement of a Plan Year, then such Employees Final Award shall be based on the Base Salary earned as an eligible Employee.
4.4 No Right to Participate
No Participant or other Employee shall at any time have a right or entitlement to be selected for participation in the Plan for any Plan Year, despite having previously participated in the Plan.
Section 5. Award Determination
5.1 Performance Goals
Prior to the beginning of each Plan Year, or as soon as practicable thereafter, the Committee shall establish performance goals for that Plan Year. Except as provided in Section 11, the goals may be based on any combination of Corporate, Noncorporate, and individual performance. After the performance goals are established, the Committee will align the achievement of the performance goals with the Award Opportunities (as described in Section 5.2 herein), such that the level of achievement of the preestablished performance goals at the end of the Plan Year will determine the Final Award amounts. Except as provided in Section 11, the Committee also shall have the authority to exercise subjective discretion in the determination of Final Awards, as well as the authority to delegate the ability to exercise subjective discretion in this respect.
The Committee also may establish one (1) or more Company-wide performance goals which must be achieved for any Participant to receive an award for that Plan Year.
5.2 Award Opportunities
Prior to the beginning of each Plan Year, or as soon as practicable thereafter, the Committee shall establish an Award Opportunity for each Participant. The established Award Opportunity shall vary in relation to the job classification of each Participant. Except as provided in Section 11, in the event a Participant changes job levels during a Plan Year, the Participants Award Opportunity may be adjusted to reflect the amount of time at each job level during the Plan Year.
5.3 Adjustment of Performance Goals
Except as provided in Section 11, the Committee shall have the right to adjust the performance goals and the Award Opportunities (either up or down) during a Plan Year if it determines that external changes or other unanticipated business conditions have materially affected the fairness of the goals and have unduly influenced the Companys ability to meet them. Further, in the event of a Plan Year of less than twelve (12) months, the Committee shall have the right to adjust the performance goals and the Award Opportunities accordingly, at its sole discretion.
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5.4 Final Award Determinations
At the end of each Plan Year, Final Awards shall be computed for each Participant as determined by the Committee. Except as provided in Section 11, each individual award shall be based upon (i) the Participants Target Incentive Award percentage, multiplied by his Base Salary, (ii) Corporate and Noncorporate performance, and (iii) individual performance (if applicable). Subject to Section 5.5, Final Award amounts may vary above or below the Target Incentive Award, based on the level of achievement of the preestablished Corporate, Noncorporate, and individual performance goals.
5.5 Limitations
The amount payable to a Participant for any Plan Year shall not exceed $5,000,000.
Section 6. Payment of Final Awards
6.1 Form and Timing of Payment
Final Awards shall be payable in cash, in one (1) lump sum, on or before the March 15 following the end of the relevant Plan Year.
6.2 Payment of Partial Awards
In the event a Participant no longer meets the eligibility criteria as set forth in the Plan during the course of a particular Plan Year, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, pay a partial Final Award for the portion of the Plan Year the Employee was a Participant, determined in accordance with Section 5.4 herein. Any such partial Final Award shall be evidenced in writing, and shall be paid in cash, in one (1) lump sum, on or before the March 15 following the end of the Plan Year to which it relates.
6.3 Unsecured Interest
No participant or any other party claiming an interest in amounts earned under the Plan shall have any interest whatsoever in any specific asset of the Company. To the extent that any party acquires a right to receive payments under the Plan, such right shall be equivalent to that of an unsecured general creditor of the Company.
6.4 Repayment of Final Awards
Final Awards paid under the Plan shall be subject to the terms of the Companys Recoupment Policy. The Company shall have the right to recover Final Awards paid under the Plan pursuant to the terms of the Recoupment Policy.
Section 7. Termination of Employment
7.1 Termination of Employment Due to Death, Disability or Retirement, or Transfer to Business Unit Not Included in the Plan
In the event a Participants employment is terminated by reason of death, Disability or Retirement, or if a Participant transfers to a business unit not included in the Plan, the Final Award determined in accordance with Section 5.4 herein shall be reduced to reflect participation prior to termination or transfer only. The reduced award shall be based upon the amount of Base Salary earned during the Plan Year prior to termination or transfer. In the case of a Participants Disability, the employment termination shall be deemed to have occurred on the date the Committee determines the definition of Disability to have been satisfied.
The Final Award thus determined shall be payable in cash, in one (1) lump sum, on or before the March 15 following the end of the Plan Year to which it relates.
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7.2 Termination of Employment for Other Reasons
In the event a Participants employment is terminated or gives notice of termination in either case prior to the last day of a Plan Year, for any reason other than death, Disability, or Retirement, all of the Participants rights to a Final Award for the Plan Year then in progress shall be forfeited. The Committees determination of whether a Participant has terminated employment or given notice of termination shall be final and binding for purposes of the Plan. However, the Committee, in its sole discretion, may pay a partial Final Award for the portion of that Plan Year that the Participant was employed by the Company, determined in accordance with Section 5.4 herein. Any such partial Final Award shall be evidenced in writing, and shall be paid in cash, in one (1) lump sum, on or before the March 15 following the end of the Plan Year to which it relates.
Section 8. Rights of Participants
8.1 Employment
Nothing in the Plan shall interfere with or limit in any way the right of the Company to terminate any Participants employment at any time, nor confer upon any Participant any right or entitlement to continue in the employ of the Company.
8.2 Nontransferability
No right or interest of any Participant in the Plan shall be assignable or transferable, or subject to any lien, directly, by operation of law, or otherwise, including, but not limited to, execution, levy, garnishment, attachment, pledge, and bankruptcy.
Section 9. Beneficiary Designation
Each Participant under the Plan may, from time to time, name any beneficiary or beneficiaries (who may be named contingently or successively) to whom any benefit under the Plan is to be paid in case of his or her death before he or she receives any or all of such benefit. Each designation will revoke all prior designations by the same Participant and will be effective only when filed by the Participant in writing with the Committee during his or her lifetime. In the absence of any such designation, or if the designated beneficiary is no longer living, benefits shall be paid to the surviving member(s) of the following classes of beneficiaries, with preference for classes in the order listed below:
(a) Participants spouse (unless the parties were divorced or legally separated by court decree);
(b) Participants children (including children by adoption);
(c) Participants parents (including parents by adoption); or
(d) Participants executor or administrator.
Payments of benefits, in accordance with Section 7.1, shall be made exclusively to the member(s) of the first class, in the order listed above, which has surviving member(s). If that class has more than one (1) member, benefit payments shall be made in equal shares among members of that class.
Section 10. Deferrals
The Committee may permit a Participant to defer such Participants receipt of the payment of cash that would otherwise be due to such Participant at the end of a Plan Year. Any such deferral shall be made on terms and conditions established by the Committee from time to time and intended to comply, to the extent applicable, with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code.
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Section 11. Executive Officers
11.1 Applicability of Section 11
The provisions of this Section 11 shall apply only to Executive Officers. In the event of any inconsistencies between this Section 11 and the other Plan provisions, the provisions of this Section 11 shall control. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, Section 12 shall apply to Executive Officers.
11.2 Award Determination
Prior to the beginning of each Plan Year, or as soon as practicable thereafter, the Committee shall establish the Target Incentive Award percentage for each Executive Officer and performance goals for that Plan Year. Performance measures to be used shall be chosen from among the following factors, or any combination of the following, as the Committee deems appropriate: (a) total stockholder return; (b) growth in revenues, sales, settlements, market share, customer conversion, net income, stock price, and/or earnings per share; (c) return on assets, net assets, and/or capital; (d) return on stockholders equity; (e) economic or shareholder value added; or (f) improvements in costs and/or expenses. Performance measures may be defined on a Corporate or Noncorporate basis or any combination thereof, and may be measured either on an absolute basis or relative to selected peer companies or a market index. The Committee may select among the performance measures specified from Plan Year to Plan Year which need not be the same for each Executive Officer in a given year.
At the end of the Plan Year and prior to payment, the Committee shall certify in writing the extent to which the performance goals and any other material terms were satisfied. Final Awards shall be computed for each Executive Officer based on (i) the Participants Target Incentive Award multiplied by his Base Salary, and (ii) Corporate and Noncorporate (if applicable) performance.
Final Award amounts may vary above or below the Target Incentive Award based on the level of achievement of the pre-established Corporate and Noncorporate performance goals.
11.3 Non-adjustment of Performance Goals
Once established, performance goals shall not be changed during the Plan Year. Participants shall not receive any payout when the Company or Noncorporate segment (if applicable) does not achieve at least the minimum performance goals established by the Committee pursuant to Section 11.2.
11.4 Individual Performance and Discretionary Adjustments
A Final Award computed in accordance with Section 11.2 shall not be increased to reflect individual performance. However, the Committee retains the discretion to eliminate or decrease the amount of the Final Award otherwise payable to a Participant.
11.5 Possible Modification
If, on advice of the Companys tax counsel, the Committee determines that Code Section 162(m) and the regulations thereunder will not adversely affect the deductibility for federal income tax purposes of any amount paid under the Plan by applying one or more of Sections 4.3, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, or 5.4 to an Executive Officer without regard to the exceptions to such Section or Sections contained in this Section 11, then the Committee may, in its sole discretion, apply such Section or Sections to the Executive Officer without regard to the exceptions to such Section or Sections that are contained in this Section 11.
Section 12. Change in Control
12.1 Change in Control
In the event of a Change in Control of the Company, as defined below, a Participant who is an Employee as of the date of the Change in Control and who is not then a participant in the Companys change in control severance program or a change in control agreement with the Company, shall be entitled to, for the Plan Year in which the Change in Control occurs, the Participants Target Incentive Award times his actual Base Salary rate in effect on the date of the Change in Control.
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Final Awards shall be payable in cash to the Participant as soon as administratively possible, but no later than the March 15 following the end of the calendar year in which the Change in Control occurs.
12.2 Definition of a Change in Control
Change in Control means a change in control of a nature that would be required to be reported in response to Schedule 14A of Regulation 14A promulgated under the Exchange Act whether or not the Company is then subject to such reporting requirement, provided that, without limitation, such a Change in Control shall be deemed to have occurred if:
(i) any person (as defined in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act) (other than a Participant or group of Participants, the Company or a subsidiary, any employee benefit plan of the Company including its trustee, or any corporation or similar entity which becomes the Beneficial Owner of securities of the Company in connection with a transaction excepted from the provisions of clause (iii) below) is or becomes the beneficial owner (as defined in Rule 13(d-3) under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company (not including the securities beneficially owned or any securities acquired directly from the Company) representing thirty percent (30%) or more of the combined voting power of the Companys then outstanding securities;
(ii) the following individuals shall cease to constitute a majority of the Board: individuals who on the Effective Date constitute the Board and any new director(s) whose appointment or election by the Board or nomination for election by the Companys stockholders was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the directors then still in office who either were directors on the first day of the Plan Year or whose appointment or election or nomination for election was previously so approved but excluding, for this purpose, any such new director whose initial assumption of office occurs as a result of an actual or threatened election contest with respect to the election or removal of directors or other actual or threatened solicitation of proxies or consents by or on behalf of a person other than the Board;
(iii) there is consummated a merger, consolidation or similar business combination transaction of the Company (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any business combination structured as a forward or reverse triangular merger involving any direct or indirect subsidiary of the Company) with any other company, other than a merger, consolidation or similar business combination transaction which would result in the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity or any parent thereof) at least sixty percent (60%) of the combined voting power of the voting securities of the Company or such surviving entity or parent thereof outstanding immediately after such merger, consolidation or similar business combination transaction; or
(iv) the stockholders of the Company approve a plan of complete liquidation of the Company or there is consummated an agreement for the sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Companys assets.
Section 13. Amendment and Modification
The Committee, in its sole discretion, without notice, at any time and from time to time, may modify or amend, in whole or in part, any or all of the provisions of the Plan, or suspend or terminate it entirely, subject to any requirement for shareholder approval imposed by applicable law, including Section 162(m) of the Code, or the listing requirements of the New York Stock Exchange; provided, however, that no such modification, amendment, suspension, or termination may, without the consent of a Participant (or his or her beneficiary in the case of the death of the Participant), reduce the right of a Participant (or his or her beneficiary, as the case may be) to a payment or distribution hereunder to which he or she is otherwise entitled.
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Section 14. Miscellaneous
14.1 Governing Law
The Plan, and all agreements hereunder, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware.
14.2 Withholding Taxes
The Company shall have the right to deduct from all payments under the Plan any Federal, state, or local taxes required by law to be withheld with respect to such payments.
14.3 Gender and Number
Except where otherwise indicated by the context, any masculine term used herein also shall include the feminine, the plural shall include the singular, and the singular shall include the plural.
14.4 Severability
In the event any provision of the Plan shall be held illegal or invalid for any reason, the illegality or invalidity shall not affect the remaining parts of the Plan, and the Plan shall be construed and enforced as if the illegal or invalid provision had not been included.
14.5 Costs of the Plan
All costs of implementing and administering the Plan shall be borne by the Company.
14.6 Successors
All obligations of the Company under the Plan shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of any successor to the Company, whether the existence of such successor is the result of a direct or indirect purchase, merger, consolidation, or otherwise, of all or substantially all of the business and/or assets of the Company.
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APPENDIX D |
DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE CATEGORICAL STANDARDS |
OF |
DEERE & COMPANY CORPORATE GOVERNANCE POLICIES |
NYSE Standards of Independence
A director may not be considered independent if the director does not meet the criteria for independence established by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and applicable law. A director is considered independent under the NYSE criteria if the board finds that the director has no material relationship with the Company. Under the NYSE rules, a director will not be considered independent if, within the past three years:
Categorical Standards of Independence
The Board of Directors has established the following additional categorical standards of independence to assist it in making independence determinations:
Business Relationships. Any payments by Deere to a business employing, or 10% or more owned by, a director or an immediate family member of a director for goods or services, or other contractual arrangements, must be made in the ordinary course of business and on substantially the same terms as those prevailing at the time for comparable transactions with non-affiliated persons. The following relationships are not considered material relationships that would impair a directors independence:
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For purposes of these standards, Deere shall mean Deere & Company and its direct and indirect subsidiaries, and immediate family member shall have the meaning set forth in the NYSE independence rules, as may be amended from time to time.
Relationships with Not-for-Profit Entities. A directors independence will not be considered impaired solely for the reason that the director or an immediate family member is an officer, director, or trustee of a foundation, university, or other not-for-profit organization that receives from Deere or its foundation during any of the prior three fiscal years, contributions in an amount not exceeding the greater of $1 million or two percent of the not-for profit organizations aggregate annual charitable receipts during the entitys fiscal year. (Any automatic matching of employee charitable contributions by Deere or its foundation are not included in Deeres contributions for this purpose.) All contributions by Deere in excess of $100,000 to not-for-profit entities with which the director is affiliated shall be reported to the Corporate Governance Committee and may be considered in making independence determinations.
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DIRECTIONS TO THE DEERE & COMPANY WORLD HEADQUARTERS |
One John Deere Place, Moline, Illinois 61265-8098 |
The annual meeting will be held in the auditorium of the Deere & Company World Headquarters, which is located at One John Deere Place, Moline, Illinois. John Deere Place intersects the north side of John Deere Road east of 70th Street, Moline. The entrance to the World Headquarters and parking are on the east side of the building.
From Chicago (or the east) | |
Take I-290 (Eisenhower Expressway) west to I-88 West (East-West Tollway) which turns into IL5/ John Deere Road. Follow IL5/John Deere Road to John Deere Place. Turn right onto John Deere Place. Follow for about 1/4 mile. Turn left onto the World Headquarters grounds. Follow the signs to parking on the east side of the building. |
From Des Moines (or the west) | |
Take I-80 east to exit number 298. Exit onto I-74 East. Follow for about 9 1/4 miles to the IL5 East/John Deere Road exit (Exit number 4B). Exit onto IL5 East/John Deere Road. Follow IL5/John Deere Road east for 3.3 miles to John Deere Place. Turn left onto John Deere Place. Follow for about 1/4 mile. Turn left onto the World Headquarters grounds. Follow the signs to parking on the east side of the building. |
From Peoria (or the south) | |
Take I-74 west to the I-280 West exit. Exit onto I-280 West. Follow for about 10 miles to exit number 18A. Exit onto I-74 West. Follow for about 1/2 mile to the IL5 East/John Deere Road exit (Exit number 4B). Exit onto IL5 East/John Deere Road. Follow IL5/John Deere Road east for 3.3 miles to John Deere Place. Turn left onto John Deere Place. Follow for 1/4 mile. Turn left onto the World Headquarters grounds. Follow the signs to parking on the east side of the building. |
Dear Stockholders:
It is a pleasure to invite you to the 2010 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Deere & Company. The meeting will be held at 10 A.M. Central Time on Wednesday, February 24, 2010, at the Deere & Company World Headquarters, One John Deere Place, Moline, Illinois.
The enclosed Notice of the Meeting and Proxy Statement covers the formal business of the meeting, which includes election of the named Directors, three company proposals, the ratification of the independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal 2010, three stockholder proposals and any other business that properly comes before the meeting. The rules of conduct for the meeting include the following:
1. |
No cell phones, cameras, sound equipment or recording devices may be brought into the auditorium. | |
2. |
There will be a discussion period at the end of the meeting. If you wish to present a question or comment, please wait for an attendant to provide a microphone, then begin by stating your name, indicating the city and state where you reside, and confirming that you are a stockholder. | |
3. |
The Chairman is authorized to impose reasonable time limits on the remarks of individual stockholders and has discretion to rule on any matters that arise during the meeting. Personal grievances or claims are not appropriate subjects for the meeting. | |
4. |
Voting results announced at the meeting by the Inspectors of Voting are preliminary. Final results will be included in the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the second quarter of fiscal 2010. | |
5. |
Pagers and similar devices should be silenced. |
Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Stockholder Meeting to be Held on February 24, 2010: The proxy statement and annual report to security holders are available on Deere's Internet site at www.JohnDeere.com/stock.
Detach Proxy Card
Here |
DEERE & COMPANY
PROXY-
ANNUAL MEETING / 24 FEBRUARY 2010
Solicited by the Board of Directors for use at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Deere & Company on February 24, 2010.
The undersigned appoints each of Robert W. Lane and Gregory R. Noe, attorney and proxy, with full power of substitution, on behalf of the undersigned, and with all powers the undersigned would possess if personally present, to vote all shares of Common Stock of Deere & Company that the undersigned would be entitled to vote at the above Annual Meeting and any adjournment thereof.
The shares represented by this proxy will be voted as specified and, in the discretion of the proxies, on all other matters.
Please mark, date and sign your name exactly as it appears on this proxy and return this proxy in the enclosed envelope. When signing as attorney, executor, administrator, trustee, guardian or officer of a corporation, please give your full title as such. For joint accounts, each joint owner should sign.
THIS PROXY IS CONTINUED ON THE REVERSE SIDE.
PLEASE SIGN ON THE
REVERSE SIDE AND RETURN PROMPTLY.
Address
Changes/Comments: |
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DEERE & COMPANY
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VOTE BY TELEPHONE AND INTERNET
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VOTE BY TELEPHONE - 1-800-690-6903 |
Use any touch-tone telephone to transmit your voting instructions up until 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time the day before the meeting date. Have your proxy card in hand when you call and then follow the instructions. |
VOTE BY INTERNET - www.proxyvote.com |
Use the Internet to transmit your voting instructions and for electronic delivery of information up until 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time the day before the meeting date. Have your proxy card in hand when you access the web site and follow the instructions to obtain your records and to create an electronic voting instruction form. |
VOTE BY MAIL |
Mark, sign and date your proxy card and return it in the postage-paid
envelope we have provided or return it to Deere & Company, c/o
Broadridge, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717. |
If you have submitted your proxy by telephone or the Internet there is no need for you to mail back your proxy. |
TO VOTE, MARK BLOCKS BELOW IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS FOLLOWS: | |
M18655-P87363 | KEEP THIS PORTION FOR YOUR RECORDS |
DETACH AND RETURN THIS PORTION ONLY | |
THIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN SIGNED AND DATED. |
DEERE & COMPANY
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Vote on Directors | ||||||
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For | Against | Abstain | |||
1a. | Election of Director: Samuel R. Allen | o | o | o | ||
1b. | Election of Director: Aulana L. Peters | o | o | o | ||
1c. | Election of Director: David B. Speer | o | o | o | ||
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Vote on Proposals |
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For | Against | Abstain | |||
2. |
Company Proposal #1 - Amend Restated Certificate of Incorporation to Provide for Annual Election of all Directors |
o | o | o | |
3. |
Company Proposal #2 - Amend the John Deere Omnibus Equity and Incentive Plan |
o | o | o | |
4. |
Company Proposal #3 - Re-approve the John Deere Short-Term Incentive Bonus Plan |
o | o | o | |
5. |
Ratification of the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal 2010 |
o | o | o | |
The Board of Directors recommends a vote AGAINST the following proposals: |
For | Against | Abstain | ||
6. |
Stockholder Proposal #1 - CEO Pay Disparity |
o | o | o | |
7. |
Stockholder Proposal #2 - Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation |
o | o | o | |
8. |
Stockholder Proposal #3 - Separation of CEO and Chairman Responsibilities |
o | o | o | |
For address changes and/or comments, please check this box and write them on the back where indicated. |
o | ||||
(Please sign, date and return this proxy in the enclosed postage prepaid envelope.) | |||||
To receive your materials electronically in the future, please go to www.icsdelivery.com/de to enroll. |
Signature [PLEASE SIGN WITHIN BOX] | Date | Signature (Joint Owners) | Date |