Our growers are the heart and soul of Western Sugar Cooperative. Over 700 Shareholders/growers own 134,150 shares of our cooperative. Our 4th and 5th generation growers are an example of our Cooperative’s deep-rooted passion for making a positive impact within our communities. The commitment to provide exceptional quality crops has been passed down through families. Our growers’ experience, wisdom, obligation to their trade, and grueling hard work makes them experts in their field. Local growers are a large part of a community’s character and help preserve the agricultural heritage of that area. We are proud to be a part of our communities’ growth and to be grower owned. 

How the Cooperative Works

Individual Shareholders own Patron Preferred Shares which entitles them to raise an acre of beets per share. The Shareholder is then obligated to enter into a Shareholder Agreement with the Cooperative, which is the contract between the two parties. The Shareholder Agreement sets the standards for which the Shareholder will deliver the beets and how much will be paid for the beets delivered each year. The price of beets per ton is determined by the percent of sugar content of the beets delivered as well as the average net selling prices of the sugar marketed during the marketing year. The Shareholder Agreement is reviewed each year by the Board of Directors for any needed changes. It is the Shareholder’s obligation to raise and deliver the sugar beets to the Cooperative and the responsibility of the Cooperative to process and market the sugar and related by-products for the Shareholders. It is an interactive, give and take relationship between the two parties.

The Cooperative is governed by an elected Board of Directors. The board works alongside the Management team in order to sort the matters of business as per the Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation of the Cooperative.

How to Join the Cooperative

To become a member of the Western Sugar Cooperative a grower must first purchase one common share from the Cooperative. The common share also entitles the Shareholder to be a voting member. For each acre of beets a Shareholder elects to raise each year they must own or control one Patron Preferred Share. Since the Cooperative is a closed Cooperative, the Patron Preferred Shares can only be purchased from existing Shareholders on the open market. From year to year Shareholders may have extra Patron Preferred Shares due to rotational needs and may  lease those to other Shareholders on a temporary basis.

For further details contact a local Agriculturist or the Director of Shareholder Relations at the Denver office, please.

To buy or to sell Western Sugar Cooperative Patron Preferred Shares through FNC Ag Services please click: Share Transaction Services

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Board of Directors

  • Nick Lapaseotes

    CHAIRMAN
    Nebraska/SE Wyoming

    Mr. Lapaseotes is a 3rd generation beet grower in Western Nebraska, who after college came back to the family farm in 1982. He has been farming sugar beets for thirty three years. He and his brother have a farming, feed yard, and cow calf operation. He has served on the Nebraska Sugarbeet Growers Association for … Continued

  • Brett Nedens

    VICE-CHAIRMAN
    Montana

    Mr. Nedens graduated from Dickinson State University in 2000 with a degree in Business Administration and Agriculture. He returned home to the family farm in Hardin, Montana to work full-time after graduation. Along with sugar beets, Mr. Nedens’ farming operation consists of irrigated malt barley, winter wheat, and alfalfa. He also raises dry land winter … Continued

  • Ric Rodriguez

    SECRETARY
    Wyoming

    Mr. Rodriguez was raised on a sugar beet farm in Powell, Wyoming, following his father and grandfather as a sugar beet grower.  Mr. Rodriguez, has now been raising sugar beets of his own since 1981. Mr. Rodriguez represents the Lovell Factory District in Northern Wyoming.  He graduated from Montana State-Billings with a Bachelor of Science Degree … Continued

  • Kevin Hall

    Director
    Nebraska

    Mr. Hall grew up on the family farm near Bridgeport Nebraska and does not remember a year without sugar beets to irrigate and harvest. Kevin has grown sugar beets on his own for 37 years now.  He also raises corn, edible beans, wheat, alfalfa, has a small feed yard and a cow/calf herd.  Over the … Continued

  • Brian Armstrong

    Director
    NEB/CO

    Mr. Armstrong is a third generation farmer from Big Springs, Nebraska. He has served for six years on the NebCo Sugarbeet Growers Association, the past two as President. He is also serving as Sec/Tres for the Big Springs Fire District. He graduated from the University of Wyoming with a B.S. degree in Agricultural Economics. He … Continued

  • Alan Welp

    Director
    Fort Morgan, CO

    Mr. Welp and his family farm south of Wray Colorado.  He is a fourth generation farmer who has a passion for the sugarbeet industry. Alan has represented his local beet growers as a Director on the Colorado Sugarbeet Growers Association for the past 15 years. The past 14 years he has represented all of the Colorado Growers at … Continued

  • Cavin Steiger

    Director
    Montana

    Mr. Steiger is a fourth generation sugar beet grower from Forsyth, MT. He operates a diversified irrigated and dryland cropping system in Rosebud and Treasure Counties. He raises 17 different crops, 6 of which are for seed.  Mr. Steiger also maintains a custom pollination business which pollinates alfalfa seed with leafcutter bees. For a short … Continued

  • Erik Frank

    Director
    Colorado

    Erik Frank and his family farm in Northern Colorado around the Platteville/ Gilcrest. Mr. Frank is the fourth generation of his family to farm. Erik graduated from Colorado State University with a BS in Agricultural Business. He and his father operate an irrigated farm consisting of sugar beets, corn, alfalfa and wheat. Mr. Frank has … Continued