Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative (S4962)

1950s-

Historical Sketch

Sugar beets have been grown in the Red River Valley since the 1920s. In August 1972, some 300 farmers living in some seven North Dakota and Minnesota counties formed a cooperative. This cooperative, subsequently incorporated as the Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative, allowed the members to diversify their farming operations by adding sugar beets to their crops. The Cooperative used funds provided by the members and by loans to build a sugar beet processing mill north of Wahpeton, North Dakota. The first crop of sugar beets was processed in 1974. Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative has become a major contributor to the prosperity of this agricultural region. In 1993, the Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative had 339 members who grew more than a million tons of sugar beets on some 66,000 acres of farmland. The Minn-Dak operation employs over 300 workers at its Wahpeton mill, and the Cooperative generates some 80-90 million dollars of revenue annually.

Collection Description

The collection consists of annual reports, correspondence, minutes, newspaper clippings, publications, and miscellaneous subject files.Most of the material is also available on microfilm.

Inventory

Box 1

  • Correspondence.1950s, 1960-76; 1983; 1990-
  • Minutes.1953-72; 1974

Box 2

  • Subject Files
    • American
    • Crystal.1972-73
    • Coalition for Ethanol
    • Bank of North Dakota.1972
    • BMA.1970-73
    • Germany/West Germany.1971- The History Makers Challenge Met: 1950-90
    • Holly Sugar.1970-73
    • James Link Diary (President of Red River Valley Sugarbeet Association).1969
    • Miscellaneous Materials.1950s; 1960-77; 1983; 1990-
    • Press Releases.1962-71
    • Proposed Beet Plant Study, Wahpeton, North Dakota.1971
    • Prospectus.1972, 1995- St. Paul Bank of Cooperatives.1972-74
    • Sugar Act Information.1955-74
    • Western Sugar.1962-64

Box 3

  • Newsletters
    • Beet Brief.1993
    • Minn-Dak Messenger. 2002-
    • Miscellaneous
    • UPBeet.1996-
  • Newspaper Clippings.1950-59; 1961-64; 1966-80; 1990-
  • Newspapers
  • Full Pages.1963-74; 1976-88
    • Special Editions
      • Back Forty. April 1979; August 1983
      • County Press.1974
      • Daily News.August 1973 and 1983; April 1991
      • Farmers Union Herald.1973
      • Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative.1978
      • Prairie West.1978
  • Reporter (older issues on microfilm) 1993-
  • Annual Reports.1961-72

Box 4

  • Annual Reports, continued.1973-
  • Sales and Revenue Ledger. 1974-75