Standard&Poor's Ratings Services' ratings on Minnetonka, Minn.-based Cargill Inc. and its related entities reflect our assessment of its "strong" business risk profile and "intermediate" financial risk profile. Key credit factors we considered in Cargill's business risk profile include the company's global leadership position in agribusiness, the strength of its distribution footprint, strong geographic diversity, and generally prudent risk management practices, which should, on average, help mitigate periods of weaker earnings performance as is currently the case in fiscal 2012. Cargill operates in more than thirty countries, and continues to expand its global agribusiness footprint, which should further strengthen its market leading positions in its core operating businesses, given the industry's high barriers to entry. Cargill's global sourcing and
