American Crystal Sugar Company Announces Board Reorganization
MOORHEAD, MINNESOTA
Brent Baldwin, Greg Cotton, and Jared Sands were elected to the American Crystal Sugar Company’s Board of Directors following the cooperative’s annual shareholders’ meeting last week.
Brent Baldwin
Board Director – Drayton
Baldwin represents the Drayton factory district following the retirement of Jeff Whelan. Baldwin is a fourth-generation farmer near St. Thomas, ND, where he farms with his father and son. Their farming operation includes crops of sugarbeets, wheat, soybeans, and edible beans. His previous leadership roles include positions within the Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association (RRVSGA), where he most recently served as President. Baldwin serves on the Drayton Factory District Board of Directors, the Nash Grain Board of Directors, the St. Thomas Booster Club, the St. Thomas Fire District Board of Directors, and acts as the St. Thomas Piling Site chairman.
Greg Cotton
Board Director – Hillsboro
Cotton represents the Hillsboro factory district following the retirement of Board Chairman, Perry Skaurud. Cotton is a third-generation sugarbeet farmer with operations near Hillsboro, ND, where he farms with his wife and son. They grow wheat, barley, corn, soybeans, edible beans, and sugarbeets. Cotton is a graduate of North Dakota State University with a degree in Agricultural Economics. He serves on his local township board and has held leadership roles with the RRVSGA and the Hillsboro District Growers Association, where he most recently served as president.
Jared Sands
Board Director – East Grand Forks
Sands represents the East Grand Forks factory district following the retirement of James Nelson. Sands farms with his wife and seven children near Alvarado, MN. The family farm crops include spring wheat, dry beans, soybeans and sugarbeets. A fourth-generation farmer, Sands served the East Grand Forks Growers Association in various roles, including President. He also served on the Executive Committee of the RRVSGA, and currently serves on his local elevator board, township board, and watershed board.
Board elections last week also named Mark Nelson from the East Grand Forks factory district as Board Chairman, and Erik Bakke from the Moorhead factory district as Vice Chairman. Nelson joined the board in 2017, with previous leadership roles on the Executive Committee of the RRVSGA and serving as their Minnesota Legislative Liaison. He farms near Oslo, MN. Bakke joined the board in 2019, with previous leadership roles held on the RRVSGA and American Sugarbeet Growers Association boards of directors. He farms near Ulen, MN.
Mark Nelson
Board Chairman – East Grand Forks
Erik Bakke
Vice Chairman – Moorhead
About American Crystal Sugar Company
American Crystal Sugar Company is an agricultural cooperative owned by 2,550 shareholder entities in the Red River Valley involved in the growing and processing of sugarbeets. American Crystal is the largest beet sugar producer in the United States. American Crystal operates factories at East Grand Forks, Crookston, and Moorhead, Minnesota; and Drayton and Hillsboro, North Dakota. Its Corporate Headquarters and Technical Services Center are located in Moorhead.
