For much of the twentieth century sugar beets were Utah's most important cash crop. Farmers grew beets under contract with a sugar company. Two large Utah based companies, Utah-Idaho and The Amalgamated Sugar companies, dominated the industry, processing beets throughout the state.
Growers organized in the 1920s through the American Farm Bureau Federation in order to bargain collectively with the companies for the sale of their crop. Growers association were organized on local, state and national levels. The state association negotiated a contract with company representatives every year. Farmers pressed for higher prices through their association. But the association was not limited to bargaining over prices. Grower representatives were present in the scale house insuring accurate weights and measures; they checked the tare; they were also present in the laboratory double checking chemical tests. The association looked out for the farmers' interests.
From the guide to the The Utah Beet Growers Association Papers, 1960-1980, (Utah State University. Special Collections and Archives)
