Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Description of Business and Basis of Presentation

v3.3.1.900
Description of Business and Basis of Presentation
12 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2015
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Description of Business and Basis of Presentation
Description of Business and Basis of Presentation
 
Alico, Inc. (“Alico”), together with its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company", "we", "us" or our”), is a Florida agribusiness and land management company. We own approximately 121,000 acres of land throughout Florida inclusive of approximately 90,000 acres of mineral rights. We manage our land based upon its primary usage and review its performance based upon two primary classifications - Citrus Groves and Ranch and Conservation. Our principal lines of business are citrus groves and related support operations. In addition, we operate an Agricultural Supply Chain Management business that is not tied directly to our land holdings and Other Operations that include a citrus nursery, a leasing mine and oil extraction rights to third parties. We present our financial results based upon our five business segments (Citrus Groves, Improved Farmland, Ranch and Conservation, Agricultural Supply Chain Management and Other Operations).  As a result of the disposition of our sugarcane land, we are no longer involved in sugarcane and the Improved Farmland segment is no longer material to our business.

Common Control Acquisition between the Company and 734 Citrus Holdings, LLC

Effective February 28, 2015, the Company completed the merger (“Merger”) with 734 Citrus Holdings, LLC (“Silver Nip Citrus”) pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with 734 Sub, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Merger Sub”), Silver Nip Citrus and, solely with respect to certain sections thereof, the equity holders of Silver Nip Citrus. The ownership of Silver Nip Citrus was held by 734 Agriculture, 74.89%, Mr. Clay Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, 5% and an entity controlled by Mr. Clay Wilson owned 20.11%. Silver Nip Citrus entities include 734 Harvest, LLC, 734 Co-op Groves, LLC, 734 LMC Groves, LLC and 734 BLP Groves, LLC.

On November 19, 2013, 734 Agriculture and its affiliates, including 734 Investors, acquired approximately 51% of the Company’s common stock. 734 Agriculture is the sole managing member of 734 Investors. By virtue of their ownership percentage, 734 Agriculture is able to elect all of the Directors and, consequently, control Alico. 

734 Agriculture had control over both Silver Nip Citrus and the Company, and therefore the Merger was treated as a common control acquisition.

At closing of the Merger, Merger Sub merged with and into Silver Nip Citrus, with Silver Nip Citrus and its affiliates surviving the Merger as wholly owned subsidiaries of the Company. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, at closing, the Company issued 923,257 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $1.00 per share, to the holders of membership interests in Silver Nip Citrus. Silver Nip Citrus' outstanding net indebtedness at the closing of the Merger was approximately $40,278,000 and other liabilities totaled $6,952,000. The Company acquired assets with a book value of $65,739,000 and total net assets of $18,470,000. The shares of common stock issued were recorded at the carrying amount of the net assets transferred. The closing price of the Company's common stock on February 27, 2015 was $45.67.

In September 2015, the former holders of membership interests (the "Members") in Silver Nip Citrus received an additional 115,782 shares of the Company’s common stock pursuant to the Merger Agreement. The additional purchase consideration was based on the value of the proceeds received to date by the Company from the sale of citrus fruit harvested on Silver Nip Citrus’s citrus groves following the conclusion of the 2014-2015 citrus harvest season. The Members will receive additional Company common shares based on any additional proceeds received by the Company subsequent to September 2015 related to the 2014-2015 harvest season.

Basis of Presentation

The Company has prepared the accompanying financial statements on a consolidated and combined basis. These accompanying Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements, which are referred to herein as the “Financial Statements”, have been prepared in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). In the opinion of management, the accompanying Financial Statements reflect all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation of the Company’s results as of and for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2015, 2014 and 2013. All intercompany transactions and account balances between the consolidated and combined businesses have been eliminated.

Combined Financial Statements

As the Company and Silver Nip Citrus were under common control at the time of the Merger, we are required under U.S. GAAP to account for this common control acquisition in a manner similar to the pooling of interests method of accounting. Under this method of accounting, our Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2015 and 2014 reflect Silver Nip Citrus’ historical carryover basis in the assets and liabilities instead of reflecting the fair market value of the assets and liabilities. We have also retrospectively recast our financial statements to combine the operating results of the Company and Silver Nip Citrus from the date common control began, November 19, 2013.

Silver Nip Citrus’ fiscal year end is June 30. The Company’s financial condition as of September 30, 2015 and 2014 includes the financial condition of Silver Nip Citrus as of June 30, 2015 and 2014, and the Company’s results of operations for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2015 include the Silver Nip Citrus’ results of operations for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015. The Company’s results of operations for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2014 includes Silver Nip Citrus’ results of operations from November 19, 2013 (the initial date of common control) through June 30, 2014.

Principles of Consolidation

The Financial Statements include the accounts of Alico, Inc. and the accounts of all the subsidiaries in which a controlling interest is held by the Company. The Financial Statements represent the Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets, Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income, Statements of Changes in Equity and Statements of Cash Flows of Alico, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Under U.S. GAAP, consolidation is generally required for investments of more than 50% of the outstanding voting stock of an investee, except when control is not held by the majority owner. The Company’s subsidiaries include: Alico Land Development, Inc., Alico-Agri, Ltd., Alico Plant World, LLC, Alico Fruit Company, LLC (formerly “Bowen Brothers Fruit Company, LLC”), Alico Citrus Nursery, LLC, Alico Chemical Sales, LLC, 734 Citrus Holdings LLC and Citree Holdings 1, LLC. The Company considers the criteria established under the Financial Accounting Standards Board - Accounting Standards CodificationTM (“FASB ASC”) 810, “Consolidations” in its consolidation process. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities as of the date of the accompanying Financial Statements, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities in the Financial Statements and the accompanying Notes, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses and cash flows during the periods presented. Actual results could differ from those estimates based upon future events. The Company evaluates estimates on an ongoing basis. The estimates are based on current and expected economic conditions, historical experience, the experience and judgment of the Company’s management and various other specific assumptions that the Company believes to be reasonable. The Company evaluates its assumptions and estimates on an ongoing basis and may employ outside experts to assist in the Company’s evaluations.

For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2014, the Company recognized a $6,000,000 gain on settlement of contingent consideration arrangement, recorded in other income, net, in the accompanying Consolidated and Combined Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2014. The contingent consideration arrangement relates to a Silver Nip Citrus asset purchase agreement. In fiscal year 2014, the Company estimated that no portion of the liability was expected to be earned or paid out in the future, resulting in the gain on settlement in fiscal year 2014.

 Noncontrolling Interest in Consolidated Affiliate
 
The Financial Statements include all assets and liabilities of the less-than-100%-owned affiliate the Company controls, Citree Holdings I, LLC (“Citree”). Accordingly, the Company has recorded a noncontrolling interest in the equity of such entity. Citree had a net loss of approximately $64,000 for the year ended September 30, 2015, of which 51% is attributable to Alico.

Reclassifications
 
Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified in the accompanying Financial Statements for consistent presentation to the current period. These reclassifications had no impact on working capital, net income, equity or cash flows as previously reported.

The Company manages its land based upon its primary usage and reviews its performance based upon two primary classifications – Citrus Groves and Ranch and Conservation.  In addition, it operates an Agricultural Supply Chain Management business that is not tied directly to its land holdings and Other Operations that include leasing mines and oil extraction rights to third parties.  The Company presents its financial results and the related discussions based upon these five segments (Citrus Groves, Improved Farmland, Ranch and Conservation, Agricultural Supply Chain Management and Other Operations).  In the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2013, the Company changed its internal operations to align with the way it manages its business operations. As a result, the Company has realigned its financial reporting segments to match its internal operations.

References to U.S. GAAP in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are to the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), Accounting Standards CodificationTM , (the “Codification” or “ASC”).