County bins overflow in record year

Farmers across Moody County and much of eastern South Dakota are finishing the 2025 harvest, capping what USDA statisticians say could be the states first billion-bushel corn crop.
With yields stronger than expected, many producers have been scrambling to find storage. Some growers without contracts in place were left searching for any facility willing to take grain, while others resorted to temporary piles or hauling farther than usual as elevators worked to free up space, ship out product, or hold what they have.
Were a small facility, said Brad Wiskur with CHS in Elkton.
Theres just no place to go with it. Our bins hold only 100,000/piece. And then weve got 600,000 or some on the ground. Mother Nature is now also playing a role. You dont want to pile on top of snow, but the weather is supposed to warm a bit this week so I dont think itll bother it too much.
Local growers scrambling to find someone who can take grain have been largely understanding, he said. Many have been steered to Ruthton or Pipestone facilities that handle a majority of the areas corn but those sites are full as well. Theyve still been taking grain, it appears, but its a tight season for everyone given the incredible yield.
The 2025 corn crop, well be talking about this for a long time, said Cullen Wilson, general manager of the Madison Farmers Elevator a resource used primarily by growers along the western edge of the county.
Trucks have been steady on rural roads for weeks, though the busiest push is past. Most growers say weather held long enough to bring the crop in cleanly, and combines across the region are largely idle again.
If estimates hold, the 2025 harvest will go down as the largest corn crop in South Dakota history.