MOORHEAD, MINN. - American Crystal Sugar Company Board of Directors today authorized the planting of Roundup Ready sugarbeet varieties for the 2011 growing season.
The decision was made after a large amount of analysis and consideration of possible legal and financial impacts on individual shareholders and also on the Company. While American Crystal has informed shareholders it is appropriate to plant either Roundup Ready varieties they must do so under the very specific conditions of the compliance agreement between the Company and USDA.
Shareholders may also choose to plant conventional varieties depending on the individual circumstances of their farms.
American Crystal has authorized the planting of approximately 425,000 acres for the 2011 crop which is similar to its 2010 crop plantings of which nearly 95% of acres were planted with Roundup Ready sugarbeet seed varieties.
American Crystal Sugar Company is an agricultural cooperative owned by nearly 2,800 shareholder entities in the Red River Valley (Northwestern Minnesota and eastern North Dakota) involved in the growing and processing of sugarbeets. American Crystal employs about 1,800 full and part time employees and is the largest beet sugar producer in the United States. American Crystal operates sugar factories at Crookston, East Grand Forks, and Moorhead, Minn., Drayton and Hillsboro, N.D.; and Sidney, Mont., under the name Sidney Sugars Incorporated. American Crystal’s corporate headquarters and technical services facilities are located in Moorhead.
