CHS Expands South Dakota Grain Facility to Ease Storage Shortage

CHS Inc. is tackling a growing U.S. grain storage shortage with a major expansion of its Worthing, South Dakota, facility. The project, completed in early 2025, added 1.1 million bushels of storage capacity to the site, bringing the total to over 5 million bushels. The expansion included a new rail loop and streamlined loading process, allowing the facility to load a 450,000-bushel shuttle train in just six hours, nearly twice as fast as before.

The storage deficit has become a challenge across the U.S., as grain production has outpaced storage capacity over the past six years. While U.S. grain storage capacity grew by an average of 349 million bushels annually between 2000 and 2019, only 337 million bushels of new storage were built in the last six years. Meanwhile, corn yields increased from 171.4 bushels per acre in 2020 to 186.5 bushels per acre in 2025, with the 2025 corn crop reaching an all-time high of 17 billion bushels.

The Worthing facility’s expansion also included a second scale and a 60,000-bushels-per-hour receiving capacity, more than doubling the site’s previous receiving capacity. These improvements reduced farmer wait times and allowed the facility to handle larger harvest volumes efficiently. During the 2025 harvest, the facility moved five shuttle trains in October, helping local farmers manage record corn production amid limited capacity at other nearby elevators.

CHS evaluated its assets and supply chain to identify areas with the greatest need for additional storage and system improvements. The cooperative works with transportation and financial partners to invest in storage and handling facilities. The Worthing expansion, completed in just 18 months, now allows the facility to receive up to 110,000 bushels of grain per hour, unload 40 to 50 trucks per hour, and dry 7,500 bushels of corn per hour. The project enhances CHS’s ability to keep grain moving efficiently during high-production periods.