Archer Daniels Midland Co.

After years of lying fallow on Wall Street, the stocks of companies catering to soaring worldwide demand for food and biofuels sprouted in 2007. A thirst for ethanol caused shares of Archer Daniels Midland Co. to jump 45 percent, while Deere & Co., the world's largest producer of farm equipment, saw its stock nearly double. The top winner: CF Industries Holdings Inc., a maker of fertilizer, with a stock that more than tripled. "The impact of food and fuel was enormous in 2007, and the momentum should continue this year," said Chicago investment manager William Hummer. Companies with huge exports, notably Deere and McDonald's, did especially well because of a weakening dollar, he said.