Archer Daniels Midland 2009 Annual Report Download - page 5

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05
operations at a cocoa processing plant that gives us an expanded presence in a key cocoa
growing area.
Taken as a whole, our actions this year will help build ADM’s capacity and capabili-
ties as the world looks to agriculture to meet more and more of its needs. Going forward,
we believe that a more diverse base of feedstocks, enhanced geographic reach, and a
broader mix of renewable products will provide our company with new opportunities and
competitive advantages.
Measurable results from key corporate priorities
To build our organizational capability to achieve these strategic objectives, ADM focuses
on four corporate priorities: safety, performance, cost management and sustainability. In
2009, we made substantial progress on each.
In addition to the safety improvements noted earlier, we began the companywide rollout
of our Values-Based Safety® program. VBS encourages safe behavior in the workplace by
training employees and contractors to make practical, constructive observations about
their colleagues’ safety behaviors, and to provide feedback about those behaviors in a
collaborative, collegial way. We believe the program holds great potential to help us
achieve additional safety improvements in the months and years to come.
To further strengthen performance companywide, ADM revised our compensation
structure and deployed a new program of professional goals and development plans
that will more closely align colleagues’ efforts with corporate strategy and priorities.
To strengthen ADM’s position as a low-cost producer, we took additional steps to reduce
operating costs. We see opportunity to make further reductions and are working to
significantly improve cost management throughout the organization.
We also made notable strides building sustainability into our business processes. We
completed the first phase of a global water analysis, which is the foundation of an effort
to develop and institute water-management guidelines for all ADM facilities globally. In
Decatur, Illinois, we began a project to store, deep underground, carbon dioxide generated
by our ethanol production, reducing overall carbon-dioxide emissions. We partnered with
major non-governmental organizations to address important issues facing agricultural
communities around the world. And, we extended our commitment to the moratorium on
soybeans grown in recently deforested regions of the Amazon biome.
ARCHER DANIEL S MIDL AND COMPANY 2009 FORM 10 - K AND LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN