CHS: Farmer-owned cooperative elects directors

St. Paul / MN. (chs) The producer- and member-cooperative owners of CHS Inc. elected a Wisconsin farmer to a three-year term on the company’s board of directors and re-elected four other producers to new three-year terms as directors of the United States’ leading farmer-owned cooperative and global energy, grains and foods company.

The elections took place during the 2016 CHS Annual Meeting held December 02 in Minneapolis. CHS directors must be full-time farmers or ranchers to be eligible for election to the 17-member board.

Newly elected director Mark Farrell of Cross Plains, Wisconsin, succeeds Robert Bass who retired after 22 years. Farrell has served as a director for what is now Premier Cooperative of Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, since 1992, including four years as chairman. With his brother and son, he operates a 4’000-acre corn, wheat and soybean farm, along with a 6’000-head contract hog finishing operation. Farrell completed the short-course in agriculture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Re-elected to the CHS Board were Dennis Carlson, Mandan, North Dakota; Alan Holm, Sleepy Eye, Minnesota; Randy Knecht, Houghton, South Dakota, and Steve Riegel, Ford, Kansas.

Following the annual meeting, the CHS Board elected David Bielenberg of Silverton, Oregon, to a fifth one-year term as chairman. Other directors selected as officers for 2017 were Daniel Schurr, LeClaire, Iowa, as first vice chairman; David Johnsrud, Starbuck, Minnesota, as secretary-treasurer; C.J. Blew, Castleton, Kansas, second vice chairman, and Don Anthony, Lexington, Nebraska, as assistant secretary-treasurer.

Delegates also approved amendments to the CHS Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. The amendments created a new membership class structure and criteria.