1920s
1929 – North Pacific Grain Growers, Inc. (NPGG) is organized as a regional cooperative, with 60 affiliated local cooperatives
1930s
1931 – Cenex, originally the Farmers Union Central Exchange, is founded
1932 – In conjunction with other regional cooperatives, National Cooperatives (later named Universal Cooperatives) is organized
1938 – Farmers Union Grain Terminal Association (GTA) opens for business in St. Paul, Minn.
1940s
1942 – GTA moves into wheat milling
1943 – An oil refinery at Laurel, Mont., is purchased and a one-third interest in the National Cooperative Refinery Association at McPherson, Kan., is acquired
1945 – Cenex enters the feed, plant food and seed business
1946 – Cenex expands plant food operations by becoming a major stockholder of CF Industries
1960s
1960 – A 424-mile petroleum products pipeline from the Laurel refinery to a terminal at Minot, N.D., is completed
1960 – GTA purchases the Honeymead soybean processing plant and the Archer Daniels Midland elevator line in southern Minnesota
1970s
1971 – Cenex begins supplying cooperatives in the Pacific Northwest
1972 – Cenex enters the transportation business
1975 – GTA adds a branch office in Portland, Ore., opens two barge-loading terminals on the Mississippi River
1978 – Cenex introduces pay-at-the-pump technology
1980s
1981 – Cenex becomes one of the top 10 U.S. propane suppliers
1983 – North Pacific Grain Growers and GTA merge to form Harvest States Cooperatives
1987 – Cenex joins with Land O’Lakes to form the Cenex/Land O’Lakes Ag Services marketing joint venture
1988 – First CENEX convenience store opens
1990s
1992 – Cenex acquires majority ownership of the 75,000-barrels-per-day National Cooperative Refinery Association at McPherson, Kan.
1992 – Cenex completes 256-mile pipeline extension in North Dakota
1992 – Harvest States and Continental Grain enter a joint venture, the Tacoma Export Marketing Co. (TEMCO) at Tacoma, Wash.
1994 – Harvest States acquires an export facility at Myrtle Grove, La., and river terminal at Davenport, Iowa
1995 – Cenex constructs 302-mile crude oil pipeline near Cut Bank, Mont.
1995 – Harvest States and Wilsey Foods, a subsidiary of Mitsui & Co. Ltd., form joint venture Ventura Foods
1995 – Harvest States annual grain volume tops 1 billion bushels
1998 – Cenex and Harvest States unite
2000s
2001 – CHS announces a joint venture, Horizon Milling, LLC, in flour milling with Cargill, Inc.
2002 – CHS acquires Agway’s Grandin, N.D.-based sunflower business
2003 – CHS announces wholly owned subsidiary originating and marketing soybeans from Brazil
2003 – The company adopts CHS Inc. as its legal name
2005 – CHS announces $325 million coker project at Laurel, Mont., refinery
2005 – Ventura Foods acquires Marie's® and Dean's® dressings and dips
2007 – CHS opens grain marketing offices in Switzerland and China
2008 – CHS begins Black Sea operations in Ukraine
2009 – CHS expands global presence with grain export venues in Australia and Ukraine and grain marketing office in Argentina
2010s
2010 – CHS opens grain trading office in Argentina and grain and crop nutrients office in Jordan
2011 – NCRA buyout agreement takes place
2012 – CHS enters Canada with Alberta agronomy acquisition
2013 – CHS opens Taiwan and Uruguay offices
2014 – CHS acquires Rochelle, Ill., ethanol plant
2014 – CHS issues CHSCN, Class B, Series 2 and CHSCM, Class B, Series 3 Preferred Stock
2014 – CHS joins Cargill and ConAgra Foods to create Ardent Mills, a flour milling company
2014 – CHS returns record $637 million to its owners
2016 – CHS completes investment in CF Industries Nitrogen, LLC
2017 – Jay Debertin named president and CEO
2019 – CHS fully acquires West Central Distribution
2020s
2020 – CHS Agronomy Levesol® products receive patent
2021 – CHS announces expansion of Myrtle Grove, La., export facility
2021 – CHS announces Mankato, Minn., soybean refinery expansion
2021 – Growmark and CHS announce Cooperative Ventures
2022 – CHS announces intention to return $1 billion to owners
2022 – CHS Foundation celebrates 75 years
2023 – TEMCO export facilities expand to include Texas Gulf
2023 – CF Industries and CHS to produce, distribute low-carbon nitrogen fertilizer
2023 – FFA receives largest gift in CHS Foundation history
2023 – CHS Broadbent to build grain export terminal in Victoria, Australia