Archer-Daniels-Midland Company and its subsidiaries (ADM) principally engage in merchandising and transporting agricultural commodities, and manufacturing products for use in food, beverages, feed, energy, and industrial applications, and ingredients and solutions for human and animal nutrition.
The company is an essential global agricultural supply chain manager and processor, providing food security by connecting local needs with global capabilities.
ADM is a premier human and animal nutriti...
Archer-Daniels-Midland Company and its subsidiaries (ADM) principally engage in merchandising and transporting agricultural commodities, and manufacturing products for use in food, beverages, feed, energy, and industrial applications, and ingredients and solutions for human and animal nutrition.
The company is an essential global agricultural supply chain manager and processor, providing food security by connecting local needs with global capabilities.
ADM is a premier human and animal nutrition provider, offering one of the industry's broadest portfolios of ingredients and solutions from nature. The company is a trailblazer in health and well-being, with an industry-leading range of products for consumers looking for new ways to live healthier lives. ADM is a cutting-edge innovator, guiding the way to a future of new consumer and industrial solutions. ADM is a leader in sustainability, scaling across entire value chains to help decarbonize the multiple industries it serves. Around the globe, the company's innovation and expertise are meeting critical needs while nourishing quality of life and supporting a healthier planet.
The company works with thousands of growers in the world’s most productive agricultural regions to purchase their crops. The company uses its integrated global network of elevators, trucks, railcars, barges and ships to move those crops from areas of supply to areas of demand, and transforms many of those raw commodities into a broad array of products serving customers spanning food, feed, fuel, industrial, and consumer products.
ADM is a pillar of the global food supply system, playing a critical role in helping billions of people to obtain access to the fundamental nutrition they need. From staple foods, such as flour, oils, and sweeteners, to innovative alternatives like plant-based meat and dairy and lower-sugar, fat and salt solutions, ADM offers the industry’s broadest portfolio of food and beverage solutions. The company is also a leader in animal nutrition, innovating in a world where more and more people want to feed their pets with the same kind of clean, simple, and healthy products that they eat themselves, and consumers expect livestock and poultry to be fed and raised naturally, humanely, and sustainably.
ADM is a global leader in health and well-being, with an industry-leading range of probiotics, enzymes, supplements, and more to meet the needs of consumers looking for new ways to live healthier lives.
The company is also leading the way to a future of new consumer and industrial solutions from nature. With unparalleled expertise and capacity in precision fermentation, ADM is reimagining the world of lubricants, adhesives, home and personal care products, and more.
ADM also has significant investments and joint ventures that aim to expand or enhance the market for its products or offer other benefits, including but not limited to, geographic or product-line expansion.
The continued demand from customers for sustainably sourced products is a growth driver for ADM, and the company invests in and supports sustainability efforts to enhance the long-term resilience of farmers, agriculture and critical supply chains, including the global food system.
The company’s globally-integrated footprint combines with local insights to give ADM capabilities few other companies have to meet critical global needs.
Segments
The company’s operations are organized, managed, and classified into three reportable business segments: Ag Services and Oilseeds, Carbohydrate Solutions, and Nutrition.
Ag Services and Oilseeds
The Ag Services and Oilseeds segment includes global activities related to the origination, merchandising, transportation, and storage of agricultural raw materials, and the crushing and further processing of oilseeds such as soybeans and soft seeds (cottonseed, sunflower seed, canola, rapeseed, and flaxseed) into vegetable oils and protein meals. Oilseeds products produced and marketed by the segment include ingredients for food, feed, fuel, and industrial customers. Crude vegetable oils produced by the segment’s crushing activities are sold ‘as is’ to manufacturers of renewable diesel and other customers or are further processed by refining, blending, bleaching, and deodorizing into salad oils. Salad oils are sold ‘as is’ or are further processed by hydrogenating and/or interesterifying into margarine, shortening, and other food products. Partially refined oils are used to produce biodiesel and glycols or are sold to other manufacturers for use in chemicals, paints, and other industrial products. Oilseed protein meals are principally sold to third parties to be used as ingredients in commercial livestock and poultry feeds. The Ag Services and Oilseeds segment is also a major supplier of peanuts and peanut-derived ingredients to both the U.S. and export markets. In North America, cotton cellulose pulp is manufactured and sold to the chemical, paper, and other industrial markets. The Ag Services and Oilseeds segment’s grain sourcing, handling, and transportation network (including barge, ocean-going vessel, truck, rail, and container freight services) provides reliable and efficient services to the company’s customers and agricultural processing operations. The Ag Services and Oilseeds segment also includes agricultural commodity and feed product import, export, and global distribution, and structured trade finance activities. The company engages in various structured trade finance activities to leverage its global trade flows.
The company has a 22.5% equity interest in Wilmar International Limited (‘Wilmar’), a Singapore publicly listed company. Wilmar is a leading global agribusiness group headquartered in Asia engaged in the businesses of packaged oils and packaged foods, oil palm cultivation, oilseeds crushing, edible oils refining, sugar milling and refining, specialty fats, oleo chemicals, biodiesel and fertilizers manufacturing, and grains processing.
The company has a 32.2% equity interest in Pacificor. Pacificor owns and operates grain export elevators in Kalama, Washington and Portland, Oregon.
The company has a 50.0% equity interest in SoyVen, a joint venture between ADM and Cargill to provide soybean meal and oil for customers in Egypt.
The company has a 37.5% equity interest in Olenex Sarl (‘Olenex’), a joint venture between ADM and Wilmar that produces and sells a comprehensive portfolio of edible oils and fats to customers around the globe. In addition, Olenex markets refined oils and fats from the company’s plants in the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, and the U.K.
The company has a 50.0% equity interest in Stratas Foods LLC, a joint venture between ADM and ACH Jupiter, LLC, a subsidiary of Associated British Foods, that procures, packages, and sells edible oils in North America.
The company has a 50.0% equity interest in Edible Oils Limited, a joint venture between ADM and Princes Limited to procure, package, and sell edible oils in the United Kingdom. The company also formed a joint venture with Princes Limited in Poland to procure, package, and sell edible oils in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Austria.
The company has a 50.0% equity interest in Terminal de Grãos Ponta da Montanha S.A., a joint venture between ADM and Viterra, that provides grain receiving, storage, and shipping services for the Agribusiness segment in Brazil.
The company has a 50.0% equity interest in Gradable, LLC, a joint venture between ADM and Farmers Business Network, offering a digital grain procurement platform that enables farmers and buyers to confidently pursue and derive value from grain produced using sustainable and regenerative practices.
The company is a supplier of raw materials to Wilmar, Stratas Foods LLC, Edible Oils Limited, SoyVen, and Olenex.
Carbohydrate Solutions
The Carbohydrate Solutions segment is engaged in corn and wheat wet and dry milling and other activities. The Carbohydrate Solutions segment converts corn and wheat into products and ingredients used in the food and beverage industry, including sweeteners, corn and wheat starches, syrup, glucose, wheat flour, and dextrose. Dextrose and starch are used by the Carbohydrate Solutions segment as feedstocks in other downstream processes. By fermentation of dextrose, the Carbohydrate Solutions segment produces alcohol and other food and animal feed ingredients. Ethyl alcohol is produced by the company for industrial use in products such as hand sanitizers and ethanol for use in gasoline due to its ability to increase octane as an extender and oxygenate. Corn gluten feed and meal, as well as distillers’ grains, are produced for use as animal feed ingredients. Corn germ, a by-product of the wet milling process, is further processed into vegetable oil and protein meal. Other Carbohydrate Solutions products include citric acids, which are used in various food and industrial products. The Carbohydrate Solutions segment is a leader in carbon capture and sequestration. By continuing to advance additional carbon capture and sequestration initiatives and projects aimed at replacing coal power and steam generation with lower emissions power, the Carbohydrate Solutions segment is well positioned to benefit from the replacement of essential materials historically made from fossil fuels with plant-based alternatives.
The company has a 50.0% equity interest in Hungrana Ltd., which operates a corn wet milling plant in Hungary.
The company has a 50.0% equity interest in Almidones Mexicanos S.A., which operates a corn wet milling plant in Mexico.
The company has a 50.0% equity interest in Aston Foods and Food Ingredients, a Russian-based sweeteners and starches business.
The company has a 40.0% equity interest in Red Star Yeast Company, LLC, which produces and sells fresh and dry yeast in the U.S. and Canada.
The company has a 22.1% equity interest in LSCP, LLLP, which operates an ethanol plant facility in the U.S.
Nutrition
The Nutrition segment serves various end markets, including food, beverages, and nutritional supplements for humans, and complete feed, feed premix and additives, pet food and pet treats for livestock, aquaculture, and pets. The segment engages in the creation, manufacturing, sale, and distribution of a wide array of ingredients and solutions, including plant-based proteins, flavors and colors derived from nature, flavor systems, emulsifiers, soluble fiber, polyols, hydrocolloids, probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics, enzymes, botanical extracts, and other specialty food and feed ingredients and systems. The Nutrition segment also includes activities related to the procurement, processing, and distribution of edible beans, the processing and distribution of formula feeds and animal health and nutrition products and the manufacture of contract and private label pet treats and foods.
The company has a 45.3% equity interest in Vimison S.A. de C.V., a leader in the animal nutrition industry in Mexico.
The company has 50% equity interests in ADM Matsutani LLC and Matsutani Singapore Pte. Ltd., joint ventures for the worldwide sales and marketing of Fibersol.
The company has a 50% equity interest in ADM Vland Biotech Shandong Co., Ltd., which manufactures and commercializes human probiotics in Greater China. As of December 31, 2024, this joint venture ceased operations and has started liquidation actions.
The company has a 42.8% equity interest in Dusial S.A., a leader in the complete feed industry in Southwest of France.
The company has a 34.3% equity interest in Vitafort ZRT, a leading company in the Hungarian animal feed market.
Corporate
Corporate includes the activities related to equity method investments in early-stage start-up companies within ADM Ventures. In addition to identifying companies to invest in, ADM Ventures also works on select high-potential, new product development projects and alternative business models, all with the intention of supporting the company’s strategic objectives.
Other Business
Other Business includes the company’s remaining operations as described below.
ADM Investor Services, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the company, is a registered futures commission merchant and a clearing member of all principal commodities exchanges in the U.S. ADM Investor Services International Limited, a member of several derivative and commodity exchanges and clearing houses in Europe, ADMIS Singapore Pte. Limited, a clearing member of the Singapore exchange, and ADMIS Hong Kong Limited, are wholly owned subsidiaries of ADM offering brokerage services in Europe and Asia.
Insurance activities include Agrinational Insurance Company (Agrinational) and its subsidiaries. Agrinational, a wholly owned subsidiary of ADM, provides insurance coverage for certain property, casualty, marine, medical, and other miscellaneous risks of the company. Agrinational also participates in certain third-party reinsurance arrangements.
Methods of Distribution
The company’s products are distributed mainly in bulk from processing plants or storage facilities directly to customers’ facilities. The company has developed a comprehensive transportation capability to efficiently move both commodities and processed products virtually anywhere in the world. The company owns or leases trucks, trailers, railroad tank and hopper cars, river barges, towboats, and ocean-going vessels used to transport the company’s products to its customers.
Status of New Products
The company continues to expand its market footprint and business growth through the continuous development of its portfolio and optimization of production systems. Internal capabilities and acquisitions expand the company’s ability to unlock the potential of nature and serve customers’ evolving and expanding needs through its offerings of innovative ingredients for all segments.
Seasonality
There is a degree of seasonality in the growing cycles, procurement, and transportation of the company’s principal raw materials: oilseeds, corn, wheat, and other grains. The company has seasonal financing arrangements with farmers in certain countries around the world. Typically, advances on these financing arrangements occur during the planting season and are repaid at harvest.
Because the company has a higher portion of its operations in the northern hemisphere, principally North America and Europe, relative to the southern hemisphere, primarily South America, inventory levels typically peak after the northern hemisphere fall harvest and are generally lower during the northern hemisphere summer months.
Research, Creation, Design, and Development (R&D)
The company’s R&D expense, net of reimbursements of government grants, was $269 million for the year ended December 31, 2024.
Strategy
ADM’s strategic plan of sustainable growth leverages the trends and technologies in sustainability to help the company grow and create value for its stakeholders. Agricultural Services and Oilseeds is focused on traceability of sourcing and differentiation and working with growers on low carbon agricultural practices and products. Carbohydrate Solutions is focused on decarbonization efforts that increasingly position the segment to offer low-carbon intensity feedstocks for biosolutions and biomaterials, including fuel solutions, to replace petroleum-based products. Nutrition is working with suppliers and customers to identify nature positive solutions that can reduce environmental impact in supply chains.
Moreover, ADM has a large industrial footprint and believes it is important to reduce GHG emissions related to its business activities and the entire agricultural supply chain. The company continues to use internal and external resources to identify opportunities and take action to reduce its GHG emissions globally to meet its continued commitment to mitigate the effects of climate change.
History
Archer-Daniels-Midland Company was founded in 1902. The company was incorporated in Delaware in 1923.