ADM Outlines Growth Strategy at CAGNY Conference

DECATUR, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a presentation to the annual meeting of the Consumer Analyst Group of New York, executives of Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) today outlined the Company’s strategy for growing its business through a combination of increasing its overall volume, expanding its geographic footprint, diversifying its inputs, and growing its product portfolio.

Profitable growth strategies tailored to geographic and market opportunities

Chairman, CEO and President Patricia Woertz said growth strategies for each of ADM’s four business units seek to leverage ADM’s current geographic footprint and expand to capitalize on future market opportunities.

Woertz noted that ADM has a leadership position in oilseeds processing in North America and Western Europe, and a smaller processing position in South America, where the Company is a leading originator of soybeans. She said, “Our strategy is to grow in South America, Central and Eastern Europe and in India. We will also grow in China with our strategic partner in the region.”

She continued, “We are the world’s largest corn processor, with primarily U.S.-based operations. We will increase the diversity of our product portfolio, and over the longer term, develop a global processing business using a variety of carbohydrate sources.”

And she said, “ADM is a world leader in the origination and transportation of grains and oilseeds. Our strategy here is to extend our origination footprint as we have in Canada and Eastern Europe, and to grow our destination opportunities in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.”

Executing growth strategy across business units

Steve Mills, executive vice president and chief financial officer, detailed ADM’s recent activities to fulfill those growth strategies.

Mills said that the Company’s oilseeds business has consolidated operations into more efficient processing facilities, expanded North and South American oilseed crushing capacities, expanded South American fertilizer blending capabilities, and acquired processing plants in Germany and Czech Republic.

In the corn business, Mills explained, ADM has expanded ethanol production capacity by adding a dry corn mill, ethanol capacity at a wet corn mill, and a joint-venture sugarcane ethanol facility in Brazil. The Company has also built two cogeneration plants that will reduce energy costs. And construction continues at a propylene and ethylene glycol plant and a bioplastics plant.

Strengthening the organization

Woertz also discussed steps ADM is taking to build a stronger company. “We are focused on four corporate priorities—Safety, Performance, Cost Management and Sustainability—and we are making important progress in each area.”

She noted five years of continuous improvement in lost workday incidents, a revised pay-for-performance compensation structure that aligns management compensation with stockholder interests, a cost-management program, and the formation of sustainability working groups to coordinate the Company’s efforts around water use, climate change and supply chain management.

Presentation available for download

A webcast of the presentation can be viewed, and the presentation document can be downloaded at www.adm.com/webcast.

About ADM

Every day, the 28,000 people of Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) turn crops into renewable products that meet the demands of a growing world. At more than 230 processing plants, we convert corn, oilseeds, wheat and cocoa into products for food, animal feed, chemical and energy uses. We operate the world’s premier crop origination and transportation network, connecting crops and markets in more than 60 countries. Our global headquarters is in Decatur, Illinois, and our net sales for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2009, were $69 billion. For more information about our Company and our products, visit www.adm.com.

ADM Media Relations
217-424-5413
media@adm.com