20 ADM Facts

Admired – ADM is the most admired company in the food production industry, according to Fortune’s 2011, 2010 and 2009 lists of most admired companies.
A Team effort – ADM employs 30,000 people in more than 75 countries throughout the world.
All in a day’s work – Each day, ADM processes 4 million bushels (100,000 metric tons) of oilseeds, including soybeans, flaxseed, cottonseed and canola. We also process 2.6 million bushels (66,000 metric tons) of corn and 1 million bushels (28,000 metric tons) of wheat per day. And, we grind about 17 percent of the world’s cocoa crop.
Using our ears – We produce more than 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 the starch in corn.
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.
Our daily bread – ADM has the capacity to process enough wheat to make 90 million loaves of whole-wheat bread per day.
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 oil used in soy inks. 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 –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 240 processing plants, and delivers finished products to customers – comprises 26,000 railcars, 1,700 barges, 2,300 trucks and trailers, and eight oceangoing vessels.
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 – Each year, ADM contributes millions of dollars to various civic and charitable causes, including groups working to eradicate hunger and improve education and relief services in our operating communities worldwide.
Green house – Made from crops like corn and soybeans, ADM’s line of Evolution Chemicals™ offers alternatives that can be used in common household products like toothpaste, laundry detergent, cosmetics and fragrances.
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 approximately 400 grain elevators and procurement facilities worldwide, capable of storing more than 620 million bushels of grain.
Making ethanol more efficiently: ADM has reduced water use at our corn wet mills by more than 35 percent since 2002. And we expect that our new dry mills in Nebraska and Iowa may produce a gallon of ethanol with just 1.5 gallons of water. 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 is partnering with the Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium, the Illinois State Geological Survey and Schlumberger Carbon Services on two U.S. Department of Energy-funded research projects to study the long-term effectiveness of storing carbon dioxide deep below the Earth’s surface. Together, the projects will capture and store 3.6 million metric tons of CO2 more than 7,000 feet underground.