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Grain elevators anticipating possible acreage shift

Grain elevators are watching for potential acreage shifts this year to determine how much storage is needed for 2022 crops.  

Jeff Adkisson with the Grain and Feed Association of Illinois tells Brownfield their members are interested to see farmers planting intentions for this year considering commodity prices and high input costs.

“You’re getting roughly three times as much volume of corn as you do an acre of soybeans, so from an elevator perspective if there is a shift to more soybean acres then we may have some extra storage space. We just kind of have to wait and see how that all plays out.”

He says many of their members are impressed by how much grain has moved already this year.

“The marketplace is essentially saying ‘bring us your grain now.’ Because of that you do have more grain coming off the farm, more grain being moved this time of year. And for our members, here again, it comes back to making sure they have the capacity and do what they can to meet the farmers’ demands.”

Adkisson says while he hasn’t heard many complaints about long lines at elevators, if you are a farmer experiencing that- the increased movement of grain and labor shortages are likely the cause.

Brownfield interviewed Adkisson during the Grain and Feed Association of Illinois Convention in St. Louis.