Archer Daniels Midland 2009 Annual Report Download - page 27

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21
Item 7.
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Company Overview
The Company is principally engaged in procuring, transporting, storing, processing, and merchandising agricultural
commodities and products. The Company’s operations are classified into three reportable business segments:
Oilseeds Processing, Corn Processing and Agricultural Services. Each of these segments is organized based upon
the nature of products and services offered. The Company’s remaining operations are aggregated and classified as
Other.
The Oilseeds Processing segment includes activities related to the origination and crushing of oilseeds such as
soybeans, cottonseed, sunflower seeds, canola, rapeseed, peanuts, and flaxseed into vegetable oils and protein
meals principally for the food and feed industries. In addition, oilseeds and oilseed products may be processed
internally or resold into the marketplace as raw materials for other processing. Crude vegetable oil is sold "as is" or
is further processed by refining, bleaching, and deodorizing into salad oils. Salad oils can be further processed by
hydrogenating and/or interesterifying into margarine, shortening, and other food products. Partially refined oil is
sold for use in chemicals, paints, and other industrial products. Refined oil can be further processed for use in the
production of biodiesel. Oilseed protein meals are primary ingredients used in the manufacture of commercial
livestock and poultry feeds. Oilseeds Processing includes activities related to the production of natural health and
nutrition products and the production of other specialty food and feed ingredients. This segment also includes
activities related to the Company’s unconsolidated affiliate in Asia, Wilmar International Limited.
The Corn Processing segment includes activities related to the production of sweeteners, starches, dextrose, and
syrups primarily for the food and beverage industry as well as activities related to the production, by fermentation,
of bioproducts such as ethanol, amino acids, and other food, feed and industrial products.
The Agricultural Services segment utilizes the Company’s extensive grain elevator and transportation network to
buy, store, clean, and transport agricultural commodities, such as oilseeds, corn, wheat, milo, oats, rice, and barley,
and resells these commodities primarily as food and feed ingredients for the agricultural processing industry. In
addition, the Agricultural Services segment includes activities related to edible bean procurement, rice milling,
formula feed, and animal health and nutrition. Agricultural Services’ grain sourcing and transportation network
also provides reliable and efficient services to the Company’s agricultural processing operations. Also included in
Agricultural Services are the activities of A.C. Toepfer International, a global merchant of agricultural commodities
and processed products.
Other includes the Company’s remaining processing operations, consisting of activities related to processing
agricultural commodities into food ingredient products such as wheat into wheat flour, cocoa into chocolate and
cocoa products, barley into malt, and sugarcane into sugar and ethanol. Other also includes financial activities
related to banking, captive insurance, private equity fund investments, and futures commission merchant activities.
Operating Performance Indicators
The Company’s Oilseeds Processing, Agricultural Services, and wheat processing operations are principally
agricultural commodity-based businesses where changes in selling prices move in relationship to changes in prices
of the commodity-based agricultural raw materials. Therefore, changes in agricultural commodity prices have
relatively equal impacts on both net sales and other operating income and cost of products sold and minimal impact
on the gross profit of underlying transactions. As a result, changes in gross profit of these businesses do not
necessarily correspond to the changes in net sales and other operating income amounts.