URBANA, Ill. (RFD NEWS) — Farmers may face wider basis swings and higher marketing risk as U.S. grain storage expansion has effectively stopped while crop production continues to grow. Economists at the University of Illinois warn that the imbalance could create bottlenecks across the supply chain from farm bins to export terminals.
From 2000 to 2019, national storage capacity increased about 350 million bushels annually, closely matching production growth. Since 2020, capacity has barely increased—only about 337 million bushels in six years—even as large crops returned. The 2025 harvest pushed storage utilization to some of the highest levels in decades, with on-farm bins about 80 percent full as of December.
Higher utilization increases the risk that transportation disruptions—such as low Mississippi River levels— will amplify local price discounts. Farmers are increasingly carrying more grain on-farm, shifting storage responsibility away from elevators while investment in new infrastructure slows.
Analysts point to higher construction costs, elevated interest rates, and uncertain returns as reasons expansion stalled.
Researchers out of the United Kingdom are using gene editing technology to help make High-Path Avian Flu less of a threat to poultry.
October 12, 2023 12:38 PM
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The failure of a grain elevator can cause large problems for farmers and for the local community it serves. A farmer who knows their rights and where they stand if an elevator fails can be in a better position than those farmers who aren’t as well informed. That is the topic of today’s blog post by RFD-TV Legal Contributor Roger A. McEowen.
October 04, 2023 02:46 PM
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A recent news story involving a group of farmers in Mississippi reveals the potential downside of selling grain under a deferred payment contract. The risk of deferred payment ag commodity sales and what can be done for protection—that is the topic of today’s blog post.
October 02, 2023 03:12 PM
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Seven out of the eight major fertilizers saw recent price decreases. However, one key type of fertilizer bucked the overall trend with an 11-percent rise.
September 21, 2023 11:02 AM
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Researchers at the Boyce Thompson Institute have constructed the perfect watermelon—returning “lost” genes from the domesticated fruit’s wild relatives that improve both taste and resilience during the growing process.
August 14, 2023 03:31 PM
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Researchers at Florida Atlantic University’s
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute found human sewage, not fertilizer, is mainly responsible for dangerous nitrogen levels in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon.
