Moorhead, Minn. - Dan Younggren joined the American Crystal Sugar Company’s Board of Directors following the cooperative’s annual shareholders’ meeting last week.
Younggren farms with family in the Hallock, MN, area and will represent the Drayton factory district. Their farming operation includes crops of sugarbeets, wheat, soybeans, and canola.
Younggren’s previous leadership roles have included various positions within the Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association (RRVSGA), including serving on the Board of Directors for the Red River Valley Insurance Pool (now known as Agrasure), as President of the Drayton Factory District, and as President. Younggren also served as President of the American Sugarbeet Growers Association (ASGA).
At the same meeting, Neil Rockstad joined the Board of Directors representing the Hillsboro factory district. Rockstad is a fourth-generation farmer with operations near Ada, MN, where he raises wheat, soybeans, corn and sugarbeets. Rockstad served on the RRVSGA, most recently as President, and on the ASGA Board of Directors, holding positions on various committees and as Vice President. He also has held leadership roles with the Farm Bureau at local and state levels, as well as President of his local church. Rockstad had the honor of testifying for the sugar industry in front of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee, and this year was elected President of the ASGA.
The Board also elected Perry Skaurud from the Hillsboro factory district to return as Board Chairman, and Mark Nelson from the East Grand Forks factory district was elected Vice Chairman.
Also, this month Ryan Wall’s promotion to Vice President-Administration follows the retirement announcement of Lisa Borgen. As a member of the executive team, Wall will contribute to the overall strategic direction of the cooperative while providing strategic leadership in the areas of human resources, safety, labor relations, communications, workforce development and information technology.
Wall holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from North Dakota State University. He has over 19 years of experience with American Crystal Sugar and has held the positions of Factory Manager at East Grand Forks, Hillsboro, and Crookston. Prior to that, he held Superintendent roles in East Grand Forks in Production, Maintenance, and Engineering. He started with the company as a maintenance engineer at the Drayton factory. Wall previously served terms as a board member for the United Way in Crookston and the Crookston Chamber of Commerce.