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Grain elevators concerned about logistics this crop year

The manager of an Illinois grain elevator says logistics are his top concern heading into the 2022 season.

Derrick Bruhn is with Topflight Grain Cooperative which has 14 locations in central Illinois. He tells Brownfield the rail and trucking sectors are struggling with labor shortages which could cause backlogs during their busy season.

“We always say we are all about trying to make the most money, but anymore it is all about how we can use the logistics we have in the best fashion. That is going to be a challenge.”

He says transportation backlogs will have financial implications on grain elevators.

“Currently whether it is corn or beans you’re looking at big inverted markets where the nearby is worth a lot more than the deferred, so any grain that we cannot logistically move whether that’s by truck or by rail, it has a financial impact on the company. So, the goal is, at whatever the cost, do what we can to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Brownfield interviewed Bruhn at the recent Grain and Feed Association of Illinois Convention. He currently serves as a director for the association.

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