ST. LOUIS - In her first public speech since becoming the chief executive officer of Archer Daniels Midland Co., Patricia Woertz provided a glimpse of what she sees in the company's future.

Much of Woertz's vision centers on ethanol and other renewable fuels.

"We do know that the future of energy is not in a single feedstock or product, but it is in diversity of supply," Woertz said. "And at ADM, we intend to be at the forefront of practical, plentiful, renewable energy."

Woertz's 23-minute speech was delivered Wednesday to an audience of approximately 1,500 people at a U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy conference on renewable fuels at the America's Center.

President Bush, who announced in his State of the Union speech this year an initiative to use more alternative energy sources, is expected to address the conference today.

While alternative fuels have until recently slipped under the radar, Woertz said ADM has been in the ethanol business since 1978.

ADM has become the country's leading ethanol producer, making 1.1 billion gallons of the fuel additive each year. The company will add another 550 million gallons of production capability in the coming years.

The industry has grown so much that the U.S. ethanol capacity is 5 billion gallons annually and is expected to reach more than 7 billion gallons in 2008, Woertz said.

Woertz, a former executive of the oil company Chevron, expects a nationwide 10 percent ethanol blend in the fuel supply would take the market to 14 billion gallons.

The 53-year-old Woertz, who took over as CEO in April, sees the world needing more fuel and food as the population continues to grow.

"I believe we will address these issues best if we view the long-term development of this industry as an opportunity to produce more food and more fuel potentially at even better prices for consumers," Woertz said. "It is not food or fuel. It is 'and' or it is 'both.' Put simply, in the big picture, we will not meet the growing demand for food in this world unless we also supply the growing demand for energy."

ADM is working on ways to boost ethanol production without adding additional corn, Woertz said.

Woertz is expected to outline more of her vision for ADM's future in November, when the first ADM board of directors' annual meeting in her tenure is held.

While ADM is working largely on ethanol production, other companies are looking to additional forms of alternative energy as part of Bush's initiative.

"Ethanol is the highest profile renewable fuel, but there are others," said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns.

For example, Moline-based John Deere Co. is a leader in helping farmers produce wind energy.

U.S. Energy Secretary Sam Bodman estimates 20 percent of energy could soon be coming from the wind.

ON THE WEB

The full text of ADM CEO Patricia Woertz's speech can be found at www.admworld.com

Chris Lusvardi can be reached at clusvardi@herald-review.com or 421-7972.