20 ADM Facts

A Team effort – ADM employs 28,000 people in more than 60 countries throughout the world.
Safety first – As a result of our continued focus on safety, ADM’s global improvement in our lost workday injury rate over the past five years has been two times the U.S. national average improvement rate, and our current lost workday injury rate is now less than half the U.S. national average for private industry.
All in a day’s work – Each day, ADM processes more than 3 million bushels of oilseeds, including soybeans, flaxseed, cottonseed and canola. We also process 2 million bushels of corn and 1 million bushels of wheat per day. And, we grind about 15 percent of the world’s cocoa crop.
Using our ears – We produce 24 different food and feed ingredients and industrial products from corn, including sweeteners, starches, fuel ethanol and animal feed. We are also developing, with a joint-venture partner, a line of renewable plastics made from corn sugar.
Life began with linseed – ADM began in 1902 as the Daniels Linseed Company, based in Minneapolis. The company’s first business was producing linseed oil, which is used for finishing furniture, and as a drying agent in paints, resins, varnishes, and inks.
Space age stripping – ADM’s EnviroStrip wheat starch media is used to remove paint, epoxy and other coatings from the surface of aircraft. It was used on the Space Shuttle Atlantis.
Say it in soy – Among the products ADM makes from soybeans is soy ink. Many of the nation’s leading newspapers, including the New York Times and USA Today use soy ink. Newspapers began using it as an alternative to petroleum-based ink in the late 1980s.
Stover-powered – ADM is currently working with ConocoPhillips to develop biocrude, a petroleum substitute, from biomass such as corn stover — the stalks, cobs and leaves of corn plants – as well as wood waste and switchgrass, that may prove to be a renewable alternative for gasoline production.
A major mover – ADM’s global transportation fleet, which brings crops to our more than 230 processing plants, and delivers finished products to customers – comprises 23,500 railcars, 1,700 barges, 1,600 trailers, 700 trucks, 58 tow boats, 29 line boats and five oceangoing vessels.
Soaking it up – Manufacturers of personal hygiene products – including diapers, adult incontinence aids and feminine hygiene articles – turn to ADM for our line of patented, superabsorbent polymers – hypoallergenic, non-toxic and made from wheat or corn starch.
Fueling feed production – A bushel of corn used to produce ethanol in a corn dry mill also produces about 18 pounds of distillers dried grains and solubles (DDGS). DDGS, which is rich in B vitamins, phosphorous and digestible fiber, can be fed to cattle and other animals.
Keeping kosher – ADM supplies kosher-certified food ingredients – including citric acid, high fructose corn syrup, corn starch and soy protein – to many of our food customers. The company’s Research Technical Services team serves as the conduit between ADM and the Orthodox Union, which oversees these products’ certification.
Water wise – Filtered and treated wastewater supplies one-third of the water required to operate ADM’s Decatur, Ill., corn plant – the largest corn wet mill in the world. This process allows ADM to conserve 1.5 billion gallons of water per year.
Great gifts – During our 2008 fiscal year, ADM contributed nearly $10 million to various civic and charitable causes, including groups working to eradicate hunger and improve education in our operating communities worldwide.
Biodiesel from a non-food source – At a pilot plant in Latur, Maharashtra, India, ADM and Tinna Oils & Chemicals Ltd., our joint-venture partner, manufacture biodiesel from a non-edible oilseed known as jatropha, a woody plant capable of growing on land too barren to support many other varieties of oilseeds.
Having it both ways – In 2006, in response to customers’ demand for a high-fiber, whole-grain flour that would look and taste similar to enriched and refined white varieties, ADM introduced Kansas Diamond® white whole-wheat flour.
More in store – ADM operates more than 325 grain elevators and procurement facilities worldwide, capable of storing more than 580 million bushels of grain.
Fewer barrels burned – Production of biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel in the U.S. and Europe has cut crude oil use by 1 million barrels per day, according to the International Energy Agency. ADM is a leader in biofuels production and can produce more than 1 billion gallons of ethanol annually.
Cleaner days for our waterways – ADM employees have dedicated thousands of volunteer hours to cleaning up the Mississippi River and other major U.S. waterways in collaboration with the nonprofit organization Living Lands and Waters. In the process, they’ve removed tires, barrels, bicycles, old furniture and other debris from the banks and bottoms of some of our nation’s most important commercial shipping channels.
Taking CO₂ Underground – ADM has partnered with the Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium and the Illinois State Geological Survey to study the long-term effectiveness of storing carbon dioxide deep below the Earth’s surface. The project, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, will capture and store one million metric tons of CO₂ more than 6,500 feet underground.