(SPRINGFIELD) Grain piles are starting to spring up across the Illinois countryside as grain elevators deal with an abundant harvest that could total a combined 21.5 billion bushels of corn, soybeans, and sorghum nationwide. In fact, extraordinarily tight storage space has spurred some merchandisers to start charging higher fees in some areas due to limited capacity and strained infrastructure. Some estimates show a 1.4 billion bushel shortage of upright grain storage this year, quite a contrast to last season when the top corn states, including Illinois, had a combined 361 million bushels of excess storage. Barge movement restrictions on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers are also adding to the storage problems.
