SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
Current Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): November 23, 1999
CENEX HARVEST STATES COOPERATIVES
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
<TABLE>
<S> <C> <C>
Minnesota 333-17865 41-0251095
(State or other jurisdiction of (Commission (I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization) File Number) Identification No.)
</TABLE>
5500 Cenex Drive Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota 55077
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (651) 451-5151
<PAGE>
Item 5. OTHER EVENTS.
Reference is made to the Press Release issued to the public by the
Registrant on November 23, 1999 and attached hereto as an exhibit.
Item 7. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS.
(c) EXHIBITS
Exhibit Description of Exhibit
99.1 Press release dated November 23, 1999
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
the registrant has duly caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
Date: December 1, 1999
CENEX HARVEST STATES COOPERATIVES
/s/ Noel K. Estenson
---------------------------------------------
Noel K. Estenson
Chief Executive Officer
<PAGE>
EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit Description of Exhibit
99.1 Press release dated November 23, 1999
Exhibit 99.1
November 23, 1999----Members of Farmland Industries and Cenex Harvest
States Cooperatives voted today on the unification of the two cooperatives into
United Country Brands. Farmland members approved the consolidation, with 89
percent voting in favor. The Cenex Harvest States vote fell just short of the
two-thirds needed, at 64 percent.
Elroy Webster and Gerald Kuster, co-chairmen of Cenex Harvest States,
and Farmland chairman Al Shivley said in a joint statement, "Although a
significant majority of both memberships voted in favor of consolidation, the
unification was not approved by the needed two-thirds of Cenex Harvest States
members voting. These results do indicate, however, that the majority of our
memberships want the organizations to work more closely together and we will
continue to look for ways to do so."
Cenex Harvest States CEO Noel Estenson said, "It's important that we
take time now to analyze the vote and the concerns raised by our members before
determining how we might proceed. Our board and management remain committed to
our vision of creating an agricultural foods system that adds value for its
members and customers."
H.D. "Harry" Cleberg, Farmland president and CEO, said "We are pleased
with the outcome of the Farmland vote. And while the Cenex Harvest States vote
result is disappointing, it demonstrates the unique nature of the cooperative
business structure, and it does support the need for further efforts to continue
this process. Meanwhile, Farmland will continue to build our producer-owned
farm-to-table cooperative food system, linking the producer to consumers around
the world through a strong consumer food brand."
Farmland Industries, Inc., Kansas City, Mo., (www.farmland.com) is a
North American farmer-owned cooperative with sales in all 50 states and nearly
90 countries. Focused on meeting the needs of its 600,000 farmer-owners in the
United States, Canada and Mexico, Farmland is a highly diversified company with
major business lines in crop production and crop protection products, livestock
feeds, petroleum, grain processing and marketing, and the processing and
marketing of pork, beef and catfish products. Cenex Harvest States Cooperatives
(www.cenexharveststates.com), based at Inver Grove Heights, Minn., is a
producer-to-consumer cooperative system owned by farmers, ranchers and their
local co-ops from the Great Lakes to the Pacific Northwest and from the Canadian
border to Texas. This fully integrated agricultural foods cooperative operates
oil refineries/pipelines and provides a wide variety of products and services
ranging from grain marketing to food processing. Through a broad range of
working partnerships, Cenex Harvest States also markets and distributes
petroleum products, agronomic inputs and feed to rural America, as well as grain
and processed food products to customers around the world.
