Annual Report 2002 Land O'Lakes, Inc.
IntroductionHighlights of 2002Letter to the StakeholdersDairy FoodsAg ServicesBoard of DirectorsFinancial ReviewSenior Strategy Team
Financial Overview
Consolidated Statements of Operations
Consolidated Balance Sheets
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
Consolidated Statements of Equities
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Report of Management
Independent Auditor's Report
Ten Years in Review

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

11. Pension and Other Postretirement Plans

The Company has a defined benefit pension plan, which covers all eligible employees not participating in a labor negotiated plan. Plan benefits are generally based on years of service and employees' highest compensation during five consecutive years of employment. Annual payments to the pension trust fund are determined in compliance with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

The Company also sponsors plans that provide certain health care benefits for retired employees. Employees become eligible for these benefits upon meeting certain age and service requirements. The Company funds only the plans' annual cash requirements.

The measurement date for the pension and other postretirement benefit plans is November 30.

Reconciliation of the funded status of the plans and the amounts included in the balance sheets are as follows:

Other
Pension Benefits Postretirement Benefits
 
  2002 2001 2002 2001  

Change in benefit obligation:
Benefit obligation at
  beginning of year
$ 313,680 $ 288,267 $ 59,296 $ 51,530
Service cost 11,536 9,471 802 818
Interest cost 23,588 21,091 4,048 3,918
Plan amendments 3,377 750 - -
Transfer to other plans (3,062 ) - - -
Business combinations 26,390 - - -
Actuarial (gain) loss (5,517 ) 10,922 2,827 8,112
Benefits paid (18,169 ) (16,821 ) (6,050 ) (5,082 )

Benefit obligation at
  end of year
$ 351,823 $ 313,680 $ 60,923 $ 59,296

Change in plan assets:
Fair value of plan assets   at beginning of year $ 283,983 $ 304,506 $ - $ -
Actual loss on plan
  assets
(17,810 ) (5,702 ) - -
Company contributions 67,936 2,000 6,050 5,082
Transfer to other plans (3,062 ) - - -
Business combinations 21,259 - - -
Benefits paid (18,169 ) (16,821 ) (6,050 ) (5,082 )

Fair value of plan
  assets at end of year
$ 334,137 $ 283,983 $ - $ -

Reconciliation of prepaid (accrued) benefits:
Funded status $ (17,686 ) $ (29,697 ) $ (60,923 ) $ (59,296 )
Unrecognized net
  actuarial loss
107,545 65,591 28,946 28,190
Unrecognized
  transition obligation
- - 6,429 7,072
Unrecognized prior
  service cost
5,927 3,823 2,926 3,192

Prepaid (accrued)
  benefit cost
$ 95,786 $ 39,717 $ (22,622 ) $ (20,842 )

Weighted-average assumptions:
Discount rate 7.00 % 7.25 % 7.00 % 7.25 %
Expected return on
  plan assets
8.50 % 9.50 % N/A N/A
Rate of compensation
  increase
4.25 % 4.75 % N/A N/A

For measurement purposes, a 10.0% annual rate of increase in the per capita cost of covered health care benefits was assumed for 2003 and an annual rate of increase of 5.5% was assumed for all years thereafter. The health care cost trend rate assumption affects the amounts reported. For example, a 1% increase in the assumed trend rate for health care costs would have increased the service cost and the interest cost components of 2002 postretirement health care benefits expense by $0.2 million and the accumulated postretirement benefit obligation by $3.3 million as of December 31, 2002. In contrast, a 1% decrease in the assumed trend rate for health care costs would have decreased the service cost and interest cost components of 2002 postretirement health care benefits expense by $0.2 million and the accumulated postretirement benefit obligation by $2.8 million as of December 31, 2002.

Components of net periodic benefit cost are as follows:

Pension Benefits
 
2002 2001 2000

Service cost $ 11,536 $ 9,471 $ 9,749
Interest cost 23,588 21,091 $ 19,931
Expected return on assets (30,301 ) (28,428 ) (26,916 )
Amortization of prior service cost 1,273 814 814
Amortization of actuarial loss 419 - -

Net periodic benefit cost $ 6,515 $ 2,948 $ 3,578

Other Postretirement Benefits
 
2002 2001 2000

Service cost $ 802 $ 818 $ 794
Interest cost 4,048 3,918 $ 3,649
Expected return on assets - - -
Amortization of prior service cost 266 266 266
Amortization of actuarial loss 1,615 1,326 1,346
Amortization of transition
  obligation
643 643 643

Net periodic benefit cost $ 7,374 $ 6,971 $ 6,698

In addition to the defined benefit pension plan, the Company has a noncontributory, supplemental executive retirement plan (SERP), which is an unfunded, defined benefit plan. The projected benefit obligation of the unfunded plan was $15.3 million and $14.4 million at December 31, 2002 and 2001, respectively. The accumulated benefit obligation was $11.9 million and $13.2 million at December 31, 2002 and 2001, respectively.

Net periodic pension cost was $1.4 million, $1.2 million and $1.9 million for 2002, 2001 and 2000, respectively. The Company also has a discretionary capital accumulation plan (CAP), which is an unfunded, defined benefit plan. The projected benefit obligation and the accumulated benefit obligation of the unfunded plan were $26.8 million and $24.9 million at December 31, 2002 and 2001, respectively. The accrued discretionary CAP liability was $26.8 million and $24.9 million at December 31, 2002 and 2001, respectively. The expense for this plan was $1.7 million for 2002 and $0.0 million for 2001 and 2000.

Certain eligible employees are covered by defined contribution plans. The expense for these plans was $4.9 million, $4.9 million and $5.8 million for 2002, 2001 and 2000, respectively.

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INTRODUCTION | HIGHLIGHTS OF 2002 | LETTER TO THE STAKEHOLDERS | DAIRY FOODS
AG SERVICES | BOARD OF DIRECTORS | FINANCIAL REVIEW | SENIOR STRATEGY TEAM