The story
CHS's history began in 1931 with the founding of the Farmers Union Central Exchange in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Later, the core cooperative company became Cenex, from the combination of the last two words in its previous name.
In 1998, Cenex merged with Harvest States Cooperatives. Harvest States was the product of a 1983 merger between North Pacific Grain Growers (formed 1929) and the Farmers Union Grain Terminal Association (formed 1938). The merged cooperative took the name Cenex Harvest States, adopting "CHS" as its brand name. In 2003, it changed its legal name to CHS Inc.
In 1963, the CHS unit formerly called Honeymead Products Company was involved in a major oil spill that reached the Mississippi River. 3.5 million gallons of crude soybean oil and processed salad oil from the Honeymead Mankato soybean oil processing plant and petroleum from the Richards Oil Plant in Savage spilled into the Blue Earth River and other nearby waterways, eventually diverting into the Mississippi River. Mass wildlife deaths and habitat destruction followed. Public outrage about the environmental devastation and inadequate government response led to state legislation to protect Minnesota waterways and the establishment of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency four years later. No state agency previously existed to set or enforce rules to preempt environmental disasters and water contamination.
Co-branding with Eagle Stop
Eagle Stop is a chain of convenience stores headquartered in Missouri. As of 2022, the chain has 49 locations, all in Missouri. All Eagle Stop locations are co-branded with Cenex gas stations.
From Wikipedia’s article on CHS Inc., shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.9