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Henry Oxnard and investors open a beet sugar factory in Grand Island, Nebraska, later opening factories in Norfolk, Nebraska; Chino and Ventura, California; and Rocky Ford, Colorado.
Just before the turn of the century in 1899, the Nebraska, California, and Colorado factories are combined under the American Beet Sugar Company name.
Crookston-area farmer Carl Wigand ships beets to Chaska, Minnesota, for processing. In the next few years, more Red River Valley farmers send beets to the Chaska plant, owned by the Minnesota Sugar Company.
American Beet acquires Minnesota Sugar Company, opens factory in East Grand Forks, Minnesota.
American Beet changes its name to American Crystal Sugar Company to closer align with its namesake Crystal Sugar brand.
Growers organize Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association to represent them in dealings with American Crystal.
American Crystal opens factory in Moorhead, Minnesota.
American Crystal dedicates factory in Crookston, Minnesota, its third in the Red River Valley.
American Crystal opens fourth Red River Valley factory, in Drayton, North Dakota.
Al Bloomquist, executive director of the Red River Valley Growers Association writes American Crystal president Charles Briggs, proposing that valley growers buy American Crystal.
Following an earlier vote by over 1,000 members of the Crystal Growers Corporation, the purchase of American Crystal Sugar Company was finalized for $86 million transforming the privately held company into one of the nation’s first and largest farmer-owned beet sugar cooperatives.
New corporate headquarters opens in Moorhead, Minnesota.
American Crystal adds its fifth Red River Valley factory in Hillsboro, North Dakota, after a merger with Red River Valley Cooperative.
American Crystal opens new research center near the Moorhead factory.
The company began using forced ventilation into sugarbeet piles to cool them more effectively. Other storage advancements included infrared monitoring, pile splitting, and large deep freeze sheds to extend factory operations.
Growers vote to implement a Quality Payment System, marking the first time a beet sugar company had paid on the basis of tons and sugar quality.
American Crystal joins Midwest Agri-Commodities Company, along with Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative and Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative, to jointly market beet pulp and molasses.
American Crystal, Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative and Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative form United Sugars Corporation to collectively market their sugar. In 1997, Florida based United States Sugar Corporation joined the marketing group as did Wyoming Sugar Company in 2018. (Now United Sugar Producers and Refiners Cooperative.)
American Crystal, Golden Growers and Minn-Dak construct ProGold high fructose corn syrup plant in Wahpeton, North Dakota, which later enters agreement with Cargill to manage the plant and market its products.
A $66 million Hillsboro expansion project is brought online significantly increasing factory capacity.
American Crystal purchases sugarbeet factories in Sidney, Montana; Torrington, Wyoming; and Hereford, Texas. Torrington is leased to a Denver-based sugar cooperative, Hereford is left idle, and Sidney is operated as a wholly owned subsidiary under the name Sidney Sugars Incorporated.
American Crystal’s Board of Directors authorizes planting Roundup® Ready sugarbeets for the 2008 crop year.
Financed by American Crystal, United Sugars opens Montgomery, Illinois, transloading facility. The nation’s first forward shipping sugar dome near the key Chicago market. A second dome is added in 2022. (United Sugars is now United Sugar Producers and Refiners Cooperative.)
American Crystal launches a multi-year $500 million plan to expand Drayton factory and improve other Red River Valley factories.
American Crystal’s beet seed division begins marketing a new purple-colored variety of their sugarbeet seed. This new product adds resistance to Cercospora, a fungi that causes the disease Cercospora Leaf Spot (CLS) in sugarbeets.
American Crystal marks 50-year anniversary as the nation’s first and largest grower-owned beet sugar cooperative. Celebrating a half-century of progress that continues to make life sweeter for customers, shareholders, employees, and communities.
American Crystal and their growers break multiple records in the 2024 harvest season. A total of 13.2 million tons of sugarbeets were harvested and a record piling day was set on October 6th with over 1.2 million tons piled. An estimated 15 billion sugarbeets were piled this season.
| 2023 | Perry Skaurud elected Chairman of the Board |
| 2021 | Kelly Erickson elected Chairman of the Board |
| 2019 | David Mueller elected Chairman of the Board |
| 2017 | Curt Knutson elected chairman of the Board. |
| 2016 | Tom Astrup appointed American Crystal’s eleventh president and CEO. |
| 2011 | Robert Green elected chairman of the Board. |
| 2009 | Neil Widner elected chairman of the Board. |
| 2008 | Francis Kritzberger elected chairman of the Board. |
| 2007 | David Berg named president and CEO. Michael Astrup elected chairman of the Board. |
| 2005 | David Kragnes elected chairman of the Board. |
| 2004 | Terry Stadstad elected chairman of the board. |
| 2001 | Robert Vivatson elected chairman of the board. |
| 1998 | James Horvath named president and CEO. |
| 1997 | Wayne Langen elected chairman of the Board. |
| 1996 | Daniel McCarty named president and CEO. |
| 1995 | Marcus Richardson named interim president. |
| 1994 | Robert Nyquist elected chairman of the Board. |
| 1993 | N. “Cactus” Warner elected chairman of the Board. |
| 1992 | Joseph Famalette named president and CEO. |
| 1990 | Al Bloomquist caps many years of service to by serving as president and CEO. |
| 1989 | Fred Born elected chairman of the Board. |
| 1987 | Clark Ewen elected chairman of the board for the second time. |
| 1986 | Ron Hayes chosen as president and CEO. |
| 1983 | Pat Benedict elected chairman of the Board. |
| 1978 | Freeman Winstanley named CEO for only a few months. Charles Shamel named president and CEO. Clark Ewen elected chairman of the Board. |
| 1974 | Arnet Weinlaeder elected chairman of the board. |
| 1973 | On February 15, area growers finalize American Crystal purchase and form one of the nation’s first and largest beet sugar cooperatives. Jack Tanner named cooperative’s first president. William Brekken serves as first chairman of the Board of Directors. |
| 1972 | On January 28, Bloomquist writes Briggs, proposing that valley growers buy American Crystal. |
| 1966 | Charles Briggs named president. |
| 1962 | Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association hires Al Bloomquist as executive director. |
| 1955 | Von Bergen named president. |
| 1934 | Claude Boettcher elected chairman of the Board. |
| 1928 | W. Sinsheimer becomes American Beet president. |
| 1899 | Henry Oxnard and investors form American Beet Sugar Company. |
