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CHS Takes over St. Louis grain terminal, expanding farm-to-export network

CHS Incorporated is taking over operations at the COFCO grain terminal near St. Louis at the end of January.

John Griffith, the executive vice president of ag business at CHS, says the terminal completes a key link in the co-op’s farm-to-export supply chain.

“We’ve gone through St. Louis with grain for decades and we just felt it was time for us to find a spot we could call home for our business; consolidate the activity versus doing the activity at different locations.”

The Cahokia terminal sits along the Mississippi River, has access to all seven Class I railroads in North America and is a high-speed rail and truck-to-barge loading facility.

Griffith says the St. Louis facility will support the recent growth happening at the CHS export terminal in Louisiana, and continue to move grain from across the country.

“It could be dark northern spring wheat from North Dakota, hard amber durum wheat from Montana, corn and soybean trains from Nebraska, Iowa or Minnesota that need to find their way to the U.S. center gulf.”

Griffith tells Brownfield local farmers and cooperatives who use the St. Louis terminal will have direct access to CHS Inc. and would make them eligible for patronage.

“Which is where some of the earnings that we make in our grain business gets returned to those who do business with CHS.”

Griffith says farmers shouldn’t expect any major changes at the Cahokia facility when they deliver grain. The terminal takes corn, soybeans, wheat, soybean meal and DDGs.

This is the first facility in St. Louis that’s solely operated by CHS.