ADM Donates $250,000 to North Dakota State University for Commodity Trading Room

DECATUR, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) today announced a $250,000 donation to North Dakota State University that will be used for the development of the Commodity Trading Room at Barry Hall. The Commodity Trading Room will be a teaching platform for commodity trading, risk and logistics, and will include advanced information sources, trading software and analytical tools.

“As a global agricultural business that connects crops with markets around the world, ADM relies on the acumen of our commodity merchandisers every day,” said Scott Nagel, president, ADM-Benson Quinn. “North Dakota State University has a long tradition of preparing students for the complex world of agricultural commodity trading, and we are pleased to help them continue this leadership with our investment in the Commodity Trading Room. We are confident it will help develop the next generation of industry leaders.”

“This is a continuation of NDSU agriculture investing, in collaboration with industry partners, to keep its research and teaching state of the art,” says Ken Grafton, NDSU College of Agriculture, Food Systems and Natural Resources dean and North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station director. “NDSU will have the ability to escalate the sophistication of training so our students are better prepared for their careers.”

The Commodity Trading Room will feature a trading room atmosphere with market information displays; 32 seats with computers and access to information and software; access to information from Thompson-Reuters and other information providers; trading/analytical software and trade simulation packages to allow direct trading on a live platform; position report software; commodity logistics software, such as EKA and Triple Point; and software for risk analysis, forecasting and logistics.

Work on the Commodity Trading Room will begin this summer, and it will be ready for students this fall.

ADM’s $250,000 contribution is being funded through ADM Cares, the company’s social investment program that directs funds to initiatives and organizations that drive meaningful social, economic and environmental progress worldwide. The program comprises three distinct focus areas: supporting the responsible development of agriculture, improving the quality of life in ADM communities and fostering employee giving and volunteer activities.

About ADM

Every day, the 30,000 people of Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) turn crops into renewable products that meet the demands of a growing world. At more than 265 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 75 countries. Our global headquarters is in Decatur, Illinois, and our net sales for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011, were $81 billion. For more information about our company and our products, visit www.adm.com.

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