ADM Essay Competition engages students in shaping the future of livestock

Wully Wahyuni, Country General Manager/Director of ADM, said the competition was ADM’s first essay competition specifically for students in Indonesia.

“This competition was born from a collaboration between the needs of the livestock industry, the company’s vision, and the potential and creativity of the younger generation in academia. Through this competition, students are given the opportunity to view various challenges in the livestock industry from a broader perspective while also proposing innovative and sustainable solutions,” she said during ADM Winner Inauguration 2026 at ADM Pasuruan Plant in Pasuruan, East Java.

Ms Wahyuni added that ADM aims to develop a program that delivers long-term impact for the development of human resources in the livestock industry.

“This competition is designed so that participants do not simply produce an essay, but also go through a broader process—from exploring ideas and developing concepts to working as a team and presenting their work. Teamwork is also an important value that ADM seeks to foster,” Ms Wahyuni explained.

The competition ran for several months, beginning in February and concluding in August 2026. The process included participant registration, preliminary selection, and judging of the 10 finalists.

In addition to ADM’s internal judges, the competition featured two guest judges from the industry:

• Bayu Sesarahardian, Senior Manager of Feed Technology at Sinta Prima Feedmill.
• Henri Eko Prasetyo, Nutritionist & Business Development Manager at Dinamika Megatama Citra.

The ADM Winner Inauguration 2026, held on August 11 at ADM’s Pasuruan Plant, marked the culmination of the program and brought together the winning students and their academic advisors.

The First Prize

The First Prize was awarded to a team from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) consisting of Anjeli Astriani, Dini Aruni Karunia Romadhoni, and Bangkit Setiyoko.

Their winning essay was titled ‘Meatsafe: Development of an Integrated Food Safety Application for Meat-Based Products Using Augmented Reality and Artificial Apps as a Step Toward Strengthening Public Health’.

The team also received the Best Presentation and Best Creative Video awards.

The Second Prize

The Second Prize went to Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) students Roihan M Iqbal, Zahran Putra Arganta, and Muhammad Rayhan Shadiq for their essay titled ‘CoolBarn: Smart Coating from Used Cooking Oil to Address Heat Stress and Emissions in Livestock Barns in Indonesia.’

The Third Prize

The Third Prize was awarded to a team from Universitas Lambung Mangkurat, consisting of Siti Yunita, Syafira Nabilah Azzahrah, and Bagus Setiyawan, for their essay ‘Buffalo Pack: An Innovation in Edible Film Made from Buffalo Hide Gelatin as a Plastic-Free Packaging Solution to Support the Circular Economy’.

The Special Recognition Award

The Special Recognition Award was presented to IPB University for their essay ‘BioChroma: Innovation in Smart Bio-Litter Microgranules Based on Ruminant Waste for Ammonia Neutralization and Visual Monitoring of Poultry House pH’, written by Ahmad Sabil Alifian, Bobi Setiawan, and Febrianti Galingging.

Participants and guests also had the opportunity to join a tour of ADM’s Pasuruan Plant, beginning with an overview of ADM’s laboratory, facilities, and services.

This was followed by an introduction to SINCRO, an integrated ecosystem of smart solutions and services built around three pillars: control, nutrition and performance.

Participants were subsequently guided through the plant to learn more about its technologies, automated machinery and production processes.

Sustainability and industry challenges take center stage

The event continued with an interactive talk show on industry outlook and careers. The speakers not only answered questions from participants but also shared insights into the livestock industry and practical advice for aspiring future leaders.

Sustainability was also a key topic during the talk show. Bayu Sesarahardian, highlighting the need to consider economic, environmental and social factors.

“When we talk about sustainability, there are three main pillars: economic, environmental, and social. Today, companies cannot focus solely on productivity, efficiency, and profitability. They also need to consider their impact on the environment and society,” he said.

According to Mr Sesarahardian, market demands are also increasingly encouraging the industry to produce safe products with sustainable value, particularly to meet export market requirements.

“Customers are increasingly paying attention to food safety and food hygiene. Therefore, the industry also needs to move toward more sustainable certifications,” he added.

Meanwhile, Henri Eko Prasetyo noted that current conditions are different from those of 5-10 years ago. Demand has evolved, and consumers of meat and eggs are increasingly aware of antibiotic-free products and are focusing on food products with higher added value.

In addition to highlighting current challenges in the livestock industry, Mr Prasetyo shared advice for future leaders.

According to him, a future leader must first possess learning agility—the willingness to continuously learn without limiting themselves to a single field or industry.

“By opening ourselves to different perspectives and new knowledge, we can view a problem more broadly. For example, I really appreciate our friends from ITB who come from different backgrounds but are willing to learn about the livestock industry. For me, that is one real example of learning agility,” he explained.

Mr Prasetyo added that future leaders must also have strong collaboration skills. “I believe collaboration among the government, academia or researchers, industry players, and farmers is extremely important. Research conducted at universities should not stop at becoming journals, theses, or dissertations. It should also be relevant to industry needs and provide solutions that can genuinely be implemented in the field,” he explained.

Mr Prasetyo viewed the competition as one example of an initiative that encourages such openness and collaboration.

Encouraging innovation that creates real impact

Yan Andria, Regional Director of Quality and Food Safety, Animal & Pet Nutrition at ADM, said that the innovation the industry needs today is not simply about creating something new, but about generating real impact and breakthrough solutions.

Drawing a parallel with ADM’s own approach to innovation, Mr Andria highlighted ADM’s focus on product regionalization, enabling products that were previously sourced from overseas to be developed and adapted to the needs of local markets.

He added that ideas generated through the competition could also provide inspiration for future business development.

“An idea does not always have to immediately become something big. One idea can generate other sub-ideas that we can explore further,” he said.

Ms Wahyuni said ADM greatly appreciates the enthusiasm, ideas, innovation, spirit, and teamwork demonstrated by the younger generation throughout the competition.

“Through this initiative, ADM hopes that students will not only gain competition experience, but also have the opportunity to understand industry challenges firsthand and develop solutions that are relevant,” she concluded.