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Archive 1

Okay...I understand the movie informant is about the price-fixing done by ADM, but I don't think details regarding the movie (its filming, the actors, etc) are relevant on THIS page. 128.189.218.123 ( talk) 02:21, 4 July 2009 (UTC)

I agree. I trimmed some of that out and linked to the movie article. Cool Hand Luke 08:53, 4 July 2009 (UTC)

Half of this article is about the recent controversy. Would it be possible to have some more focus on the company's history ? ADM ( talk)19:53, 9 March 2006 (UTC)

I have added {{npov}} to this article. It is written in exceedingly onesided, unencyclopedic, argumentative and blatant libertarian-type language. NTK 17:27, 3 June 2006 (UTC)

I have made several edits that have resolved some -- maybe all -- of the npov issues. It may be close enough now to remove the notice. -- TrustTruth 22:44, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

It still reads as NPOV to me. 160.39.111.79 23:46, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

I don't see the NPOV issue here; looks good to me. Not a lot of complaints here. If someone sees NPOV issues, why not fix 'em?  DavidDouthitt  ( Talk) 22:47, 9 October 2006 (UTC)

Looks NPOV to me. Criticism is clearly labelled as such. Danielsan1701 16:36, 10 October 2006 (UTC)

I'd have to agree, and also to mention that these anti-ethanol arguments aren't specific to libertarians or other partisan groups, it's a bit more spontaneous and neutral than just being some libertarian talking point. Abbenm 03:35, 27 January 2007 (UTC)

There is a lot of discussion of the problems that ADM had in 1996, but ten years later the article makes no mention of ADM's initiatives toward renewable fuels (ethanol, biodisel, etc.). This article is seriously flawed. I have made the appropriate changes.

This page provides very little information for all that the company really does. Is in need of some updates, I updated the slogan to the current one. - Jan 3, 2007

Quite a subjective article clearly lacking in broad perspective and depth. pdj

Clearly ADM has their snout deep in the government trough, but why is that section titled "Criticism of ADM"? Isn't it the subsidies themselves that are criticized? Instead how about "Controversy Over Subsidies: ADM's success at lobbying for and capturing federal agribusiness subsidies has brought these programs under criticism..." jrb 209.163.161.166 21:19, 23 February 2007 (UTC)

I am compelled to agree that this article is unencyclopedic, and fails to retain any semblance of balance. (Just consider the length of the criticism relative to the overall length.) I would hate for Wikipedia to devolve into a newsgroup-esque gallery of soapboxes. I suggest some serious trimming. Ares0524 00:57, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

Trim away!-- TrustTruth 21:32, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

Tres Bon! Ares0524 00:34, 4 March 2007 (UTC)

Okay, so I've snipped out some of the most egregiously outdated/erroneous material. I am leaving intact those things requiring citation still, so as to give their contributor the opportunity to provide these sources... Anyone know what the grace period is on this? I usually give about a month on articles I frequent... any thoughts? Ares0524 00:52, 4 March 2007 (UTC)

The neutrality notice has been up for several months, and I think the npov issues have been addressed. I am therefore removing the neutrality notice.-- TrustTruth 22:53, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

I added references for the Howard Buffet-Price fixing entry and the International Labor Rights Fund suit. Also, is it proper to say "100 percent or more of the costs are passed to consumers?" Carsonc ( talk) 16:22, 22 November 2007 (UTC)

Was the Bee Virus linked to Malathion? I hate watching television now and hope you just confirm or deny my hypothesis. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.170.104.41 ( talk) 23:13, 6 February 2009 (UTC)

The article now says, "Company divisions include: ADM Cocoa, ADM Corn Processing, ADM Specialty Food Ingredients, Food Additives, Lecithin, Protein, ADM Milling, ADM Natural Health & Nutrition Vitamin E & Sterolss [sic], ADM Food Oils. The American River Transportation Company along with ADM Trucking, Inc are subsidiaries of ADM." This is attributed to the annual report. A search of the 2009 annual report shows these company divisions mentioned in the section titled "DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.":

North American Division-ADM Cocoa

ADM Bioproducts and Feed Division

ADM Corn Processing Division

ADM Bioproducts and Food Additives

Group Operations Oilseed Processing division

South American Oilseed Processing Division

North American Oilseed Processing Division

ADM Food Oils Division

This list is implicitly incomplete as it's just the divisions that directors and executive officers happened to have led. But this list is quite different from the divisions in the article. I recommend that unless the list of company divisions is confirmed, it should be omitted altogether. Anomalocaris ( talk) 07:01, 27 September 2009 (UTC)

I chose the username ADM because it matches the initials of my name, not because of the company ADM. It is just a coincidence if there is also a company named ADM, which also happens to hire my father as a consultant. I don't really have a conflict of interest here, my ties to the company are close to nil. ADM ( talk) 14:41, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

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The Wikimedia Foundation's Terms of Use require that editors disclose their "employer, client, and affiliation" with respect to any paid contribution; see WP:PAID. For advice about reviewing paid contributions, see WP:COIRESPONSE. ADM DavidW ( talk · contribs) has been paid by Archer-Daniels-Midland Company.

David here on behalf of ADM. I wanted to flag an error in the revenue number in the infobox. Our 2019 revenue was $64 billion, not $264 billion. The referenced source has the correct number.

Can someone please update the revenue number to $64 billion?

Thank you. ADM DavidW ( talk) 21:27, 25 October 2021 (UTC)

Someone else already did it. Graywalls ( talk) 17:52, 11 December 2021 (UTC)

This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered.

Hello! David here on behalf of Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, hoping to suggest some corrections and updates for editors to consider. I understand I should not update the page myself because of my conflict of interest, so I'll share requests here and thank editors in advance for helping to make updates on my behalf.

First, I propose removing mention of cocoa products from the Products section's first paragraph. As mentioned in the History section, the cocoa business was sold in 2015. If a non-ADM source is needed to verify the claim or replace the current citation, please see this Reuters article. Can someone please remove cocoa liquor, cocoa powder, and cocoa butter from the list of products? Thank you. ADM DavidW ( talk) 22:52, 28 August 2020 (UTC)

Since I've not received any feedback on this request to date, I've added Template:Request edit. User:QatarStarsLeague, since you've updated the article recently, would you be willing to review this update request? Thanks! ADM DavidW ( talk) 16:23, 1 October 2020 (UTC)

 Done Graywalls ( talk) 06:08, 2 October 2020 (UTC)

This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered.

Hello again! Thanks to User:Graywalls for helping above.

Similar to my last request, I propose removing mention of crop risk services from ADM_(company)#Insurance_services. As mentioned in the History section, the crop risk services unit was sold in 2017 ( source). Can someone please remove crop risk services from the list of products? Thank you. ADM DavidW ( talk) 01:13, 9 October 2020 (UTC)

 Done, but the products section looks quite promotional like an intro to the company given that its mostly based on sec.gov filing. Graywalls ( talk) 01:29, 9 October 2020 (UTC)

This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered.

Hello again! Thanks again to User:Graywalls for helping above. Feel free to remove the list of products and the tag which reads "This section needs additional citations for verification". I agree it's not particularly helpful and that readers would be better served by a more general description of the company.

For this request, I propose removing the following information about LDC from the Corruption section: Entanglement with government officials can even go a step further. In November 2017, in the wake of the revelations dubbed the Paradise Papers about dubious offshore schemes, the French TV broadcast Cash Investigation ^[1] reported on the problematic dealings of LDC in Brazil. In 2010, the Geneva-based trader joined forces with a subsidiary of the world's biggest soy producer Amaggi to form Amaggi & LD Commodities Ltda. Amaggi is owned by Blairo Maggi, former Minister of Agriculture and a large landowner known as the "king of soy" who was Governor of the state of Mato Grosso when the joint venture with LDC was established. Amaggi & LD Commodities Ltda opened a trust based in the Cayman Islands the same year. The beneficial owners of the trust were all members of the Maggi family. Blairo Maggi himself has claimed never to have received any money from the trust. But allegations against him should have raised a red flag: Maggi was under investigation by the Brazilian judiciary for corruption and money laundering for his time as Governor of Mato Grosso. The administration under Maggi "is suspected of having enforced a scheme of monthly bribes paid to state lawmakers in exchange for political support". ^[2] Brazilian prosecutors filed charges against Blairo Maggi in May 2018, accusing him of orchestrating a bribery scheme in 2009. ^[3] LDC thus knowingly relied on an individual classified as a PEP for its business activities in Brazil. ^[4] When it set up the joint venture in 2010, Blairo Maggi had an important role in government, which he had already mixed with his private-sector activities, creating clear conflicts of interest."

discussion

This information is about another company, not ADM. Thank you. ADM DavidW ( talk) 01:41, 17 October 2020 (UTC)

@ ADM DavidW:, This is extremely wordy. is it/are they related to ADM by ownership? If so what's the nature of relationship? I'm not really inclined to read through all that. Graywalls ( talk) 04:05, 18 October 2020 (UTC)

User:Graywalls, ADM is not related to LDC by ownership. I've been around ADM and privy to our major M&A and partnerships for more than 15 years, and to the best of my knowledge there is no ongoing ownership-type relationship between ADM and LDC (nor am I aware of any such relationship in the past). We are in the same industry. We both originate and sell crops and their derivative products, so there may be instances where we're buying, say, a cargo of corn from them at a market price. Also, we have collaborated with LDC and other peer companies in industry-wide partnerships, one of which, Covantis, is an industry-owned initiative created this year to develop global standards for digital trading. But I'm aware of no ownership relationship or other such connection between our two companies. I hope this helps explain why the LDC-related text should be removed. ADM DavidW ( talk) 01:23, 23 October 2020 (UTC)

 Done Graywalls ( talk) 01:30, 23 October 2020 (UTC)

This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest was declined.

Hello! Thanks again to User:Graywalls for helping above.

I propose removing the detail about jatropha from the Environmental record section: ADM is involved in a joint project with Daimler AG and Bayer CropScience to develop jatropha as a biofuel. ^[1]"

The source is Daimler's website. I cannot provide third-party sourcing confirming an ending, but nothing material ever came of this joint project aside from a Memorandum of Understanding. We never did any significant work together. I understand editors will have the ultimate say here, but I think the claim should be removed. Thanks, ADM DavidW ( talk) 22:32, 23 October 2020 (UTC)

It's properly sourced now and rephrased. I personally don't see removal is justified now. Graywalls ( talk) 02:41, 24 October 2020 (UTC)

This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered.

Above I received help to remove outdated information from the article (thanks again!), but I'd like to pivot and submit a request to add mention of products to the Products section and infobox. Specifically, I propose adding mention of natural flavors per "Acquisition adds natural flavors to Archer Daniels Midland portfolio" by The Post and Courier. There are other sources to verify the claim, but I think the title of this article makes the request especially easy to review. Thanks in advance, ADM DavidW ( talk) 01:46, 6 November 2020 (UTC)

Hi @ ADM DavidW: thanks for requesting an edit and using this template. Can you post below the exact text you want to add to the article, including all the sources you would like referenced? This helps us evaluate your request more quickly. You can find more instructions on requesting edits at this link: Template:Request edit/Instructions. If you have any questions or comments please post below or on my talk page. Z1720 ( talk) 02:00, 6 November 2020 (UTC)

@ Z1720: Thanks for your reply. The Products section already says, "Products include oils and meal from soybeans, cottonseed, sunflower seeds, canola, peanuts, flaxseed, Palm kernel and DAG oil, as well as corn germ, corn gluten feed pellets, syrup, starch, glucose, dextrose, crystalline dextrose, high fructose corn syrup sweeteners, chocolate, ethanol, and wheat flour", and the infobox also has a list of the company's products. I am trying to add to these lists using the source provided above. I'm also open to editors adding mention of natural flavors to the article as they see fit, but if I had to offer specific text, I think "Natural flavors were added to ADM's product portfolio with the 2014 acquisition of Wild Flavors" is a neutral update to the end of the first paragraph in the Product section. ^[1]

Thanks again! ADM DavidW ( talk) 17:09, 6 November 2020 (UTC)

Hi @ ADM DavidW: Unfortunately, the Post and Courier article is behind a paywall for me so I cannot verify the information. If there's another source we can cite, please post it below. I'll also keep this request open and hope that another editor can access the P and C article to evaluate this request. I'm sorry I could not help more. Z1720 ( talk) 02:02, 7 November 2020 (UTC)

 Done - @ Z1720: Some seemingly paywalls are actually not paywalls. You can try disabling the javascript on the article (which I had done so) to display the whole article. I have verified the source and added the line as per requested by ADM DavidW and closed the edit request. -- Justanothersgwikieditor ( talk) 04:54, 9 November 2020 (UTC)

@ Z1720 and Justanothersgwikieditor: Thanks, both, for your help here. Do you think the infobox could be updated as well to match the article body? I've submitted a similar request below to add mention of flour milling. ADM DavidW ( talk) 22:11, 20 November 2020 (UTC)

Part of an edit requested by an editor with a conflict of interest has been implemented.

Above I received help to add mention of natural flavors to the list of products. I'd like to submit a similar request to add mention of flour milling, per this source.

The article currently mentions "wheat flour", but in order to bring the page up to date, I propose adding the following to the Products section:

• In 2019 in Mendota, Illinois, ADM opened the largest flour mill in North America to ever be built in a single construction project. The facility mills multiple varieties of wheat as well as two kinds of whole wheat. ^[1]

Related, could "flour milling" be added to the infobox in a "services" field? I see the template supports "services" as well as "products".

Finally, I propose removing some of the subheadings in the Products section and retitling this part of the article as Products and services. I understand editors will decide how to organize details but this seems like excessive subdividing for not a lot of content. Thanks again! ADM DavidW ( talk) 22:11, 20 November 2020 (UTC)

@ Z1720 and Justanothersgwikieditor: Might either of you be willing to review this request or respond re: the infobox in the natural flavors section above? Thanks again for the feedback you've provided thus far. ADM DavidW ( talk) 19:58, 30 November 2020 (UTC)

Hi @ ADM DavidW: this request is in the request edit queue. Editors are trying to clear the backlog but it will take some time. I am sorry for the long wait and thank you for your patience. Z1720 ( talk) 20:14, 30 November 2020 (UTC)

Oppose adding more to the list of products in the infobox as more general descriptions are ordinarily used (e.g. food and fuel products) rather than a comprehensive list of individual products that violates the "not a directory" policy.

Possibly Support adding a sentence or two on the mill. I couldn't access the full article quickly, but the headline appears to be saying it's the largest mill in the area, not in the U.S. and the "built in a single construction project" qualifier diminishes the significance. Claims of being the largest or first are naturally met with some skepticism and usually require very strong sources.

I have no connection to the article-subject. CorporateM ( Talk) 21:50, 14 February 2021 (UTC)

@ CorporateM: Thanks for taking a look at this request. To be honest, I don't disagree...a comprehensive list of our products and services would be painfully long. Is there a way we can migrate to some overarching categories or spaces that could accurately portray the breadth of our offering without going into unnecessary or unwieldy detail? Here's an overview of what ADM does:

Also, we leverage our own scale and expertise to provide value-added services to customers along our value chain and beyond:

To date, I've been proposing some updates to this page simply to bring information up to date. This has been a very slow process; I understand volunteer editors have a lot on their plate, and I appreciate whatever help I can get. I've not proposed specific structural changes because I assumed editors had a preferred framework, but I am open to how the updates are implemented. Based on the information I've provided, might you be able to update the Infobox and Products section appropriately? ADM DavidW ( talk) 19:24, 17 February 2021 (UTC)

I have implemented the specific edit requests regarding the infobox. I feel the product list you’re proposing is far too detailed per "not a directory" (see here)

This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered.

Similar to my above posts, I'd like to submit a request to add mention of vanilla to the Products section and infobox, per "ADM expands vanilla products with agreement to acquire Colorado-based company" by Herald & Review.

If specific text is helpful, I propose the adding following in the Products section, after mention of the Wild Flavors acquisition in 2014:

• ADM began producing and selling vanilla products following the 2018 acquisition of Rodelle Inc. ^[1]

Thanks in advance, ADM DavidW ( talk) 21:21, 18 December 2020 (UTC)

It reached an agreement, but hasn't happened yet, so it's a planned extension, correct? I'd say wait for it. Encyclopedia articles are not a place to showcase products. Graywalls ( talk) 00:22, 19 December 2020 (UTC)

@ Graywalls: The source I shared was published in 2018, and the deal actually closed a couple months after the announcement. Apologies for not having been clearer. Here are some sources to confirm the acquisition's completion:

• https://www.dairyfoods.com/articles/93141-adm-completes-rodelle-acquisition
• https://www.snackandbakery.com/articles/92038-adm-completes-rodelle-inc-acquisition
• https://www.powderbulksolids.com/wire-cloth/adm-expands-vanilla-offerings-rodelle-acquisition
• https://foodnewsinternational.com/2018/09/11/americas-adm-buys-vanilla-supplier/

Again, sorry for causing confusion there. Thanks! ADM DavidW ( talk) 21:25, 21 December 2020 (UTC)

 Done Graywalls ( talk) 13:07, 14 February 2021 (UTC)

This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered.

Hello again! I see the article has a banner which reads, "This article or section appears to be slanted towards recent events. Please try to keep recent events in historical perspective and add more content related to non-recent events." True, the History section has a 1902 fact, followed by a 1923 fact, before jumping to 1970. I propose adding the following well-documented facts to the article, specifically to address this banner:

• ADM was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1924. ^[1]
• ADM purchased control of the flour milling company Commander-Larabee Corp. in 1930. ^{[2] [3]}
• ADM's headquarters were relocated to Decatur, Illinois, in 1969. ^{[4] [5]}

These sources mention a few additional early acquisitions and operational details as well. There may be other claims worth adding, and I'm happy to provide more, but I don't want to share too much to consider in one request. I am hoping editors can update the History section appropriately and remove the banner. Also, perhaps there's a way to link Archer Daniels Midland Wheat Mill to this article? User:Graywalls and User:CorporateM, do either of you have a moment to review?

Thanks in advance! ADM DavidW ( talk) 20:47, 17 February 2021 (UTC)

This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered.

Hello! I'm still waiting for feedback on a few requests, but I wanted to go ahead and submit another request to update the article by adding mention of a few major acquisitions. Based on reliable news coverage, I propose adding the following text to the end of the History section:

• ADM agreed to purchase the British probiotic supplement company Probiotics International Limited--known under its umbrella brand, Protexin--in 2018 for $243 million. ^[1] In 2019, ADM agreed to purchase the remaining 50 percent stake in British grain and oilseed producer Gleadell from the French company InVivo, ^[2] and completed the acquisition of animal nutrition company Neovia for $1.54 billion euros (US$1.73 billion). ^{[3] [4]}

Thanks! ADM DavidW ( talk) 20:45, 11 March 2021 (UTC)

 Done Ferkijel ( talk) 15:40, 27 March 2021 (UTC)

This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered.

This is my first request on Wikipedia, so a short introduction to myself: I'm Dane and I'm the media relations contact for ADM. My financial conflict with ADM is also disclosed above in the template at the top of this page and I'll include a reminder in any future posts.

This is a short and sweet request, I hope! The Fortune ranking in the introduction is a couple of years old, can someone please edit this to the latest ranking? Here are the details and the 2022 Fortune citation:

ADM ranked No. 38 in the 2022 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations. ^[1]

Let me know if you can help, or if you have any questions for me. Thank you. ADMDane ( talk) 17:49, 13 April 2023 (UTC)

 Done Kpg jhp jm 15:30, 14 April 2023 (UTC)

Very much appreciate the help, User:Kpgjhpjm. ADMDane ( talk) 16:58, 24 April 2023 (UTC)

This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered.

Hello again, Wikipedians. This is Dane, the media relations contact for ADM, back with another request, this time about the History section.

When I was reviewing this article initially, I noticed that the company's early history — meaning everything from 1902 to 1969 — was covered in basically one paragraph + one short sentence. So I did some research and found several strong sources that provided detailed accounts of these sixty-some years. I then put together the following History draft that splits the History material into three sections: Early history (1902–1969), Dwayne Andreas period (1970–1997), and Recent history (1998–present).