MOORHEAD, Minn. - It's official: James Horvath, 62, chief executive officer for American Crystal Sugar Co., Aug. 13 notified the board of directors Aug. 13 that he will retire Oct. 18.
That's when David Berg, the company's president since March 2007, will assume the CEO duties, as previously announced.
Horvath's departure is no surprise. He will have served in that capacity for nine years, the longest in the co-op's history, serving since 1998. In a 2005 interview with Agweek, Horvath said he expected to retire after the next farm bill was in place and when trade matters were settled with Mexico.
"From my perspective, the majority of the farm bill is pretty well wrapped up," Horvath now says. "It's a matter of shepherding it through the conference committee. My guess is it'll be the November-December time frame before it's done. The majority of the lobbying is done, and that's done by the shareholders and the bargaining unit."
Horvath says he's largely happy with the sugar provisions in the bill, although the industry didn't get everything it wanted.
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"Everything I've heard from the folks on the Senate side indicates there's nothing there in the sugar provisions they're uncomfortable with."
Horvath also says he'd hoped for a resolution to the Mexican sugar trade policies before he'd retire. The North American Free Trade Agreement provides an opening of trade with Mexico in January 2008. Horvath was part of the negotiating team trying to iron out NAFTA sugar matters so there is a smoother landing.
"That continues to prove elusive," Horvath says of the NAFTA matters. "It's going to be difficult to get that done, so we're going to have to be prepared for competition and merged markets." The good news is that recent government production projections indicate there isn't a great surplus in the coming year, so that will provide some time for integration.
Horvath says he's agreed to serve as a consultant with the U.S. Beet Sugar Association on the Mexican issue. "They asked me to continue and see if we can come up with a negotiated settlement, and I intend to do that," he says.
An Aug. 24 event in Horvath's honor is set for the Crystal staff. A smaller event is planned Aug. 25 for the board, executive staff and invited former board members and staff.
Horvath says he and his wife, Carol, will keep their house in Fargo, N.D., for the time being and continue spending winters in Arizona, where they have a home, children and grandchildren.
