Total Grain Marketing (TGM) has completed a major expansion of its Lis facility with a new 115-car railroad loop track, a 60,000-bushel-per-hour rail loadout system, and 3.15 million bushels of additional grain storage, improving harvest efficiency for area farmers while expanding access to new grain markets.
The expansion increases storage capacity by adding:
- Four 760,000-bushel storage bins
- Two 50,000-bushel storage bins
- 3.15 million bushels of new storage capacity
The added storage brings total site capacity to just over 6.4 million bushels, helping the facility absorb more fall harvest volume and support year-round rail loading operations.
The project also improves grain receiving capacity by adding:
- Two 1,000-bushel dump pits capable of receiving 30,000 bushels per hour each
- One 500-bushel pit capable of receiving 20,000 bushels per hour
Combined with existing receiving capacity, the site can now receive more than 100,000 bushels per hour, helping reduce wait times and allowing customers to return to the field or farm more quickly.
Additional upgrades include:
- New inbound and outbound truck scales
- A new office
- An RFID kiosk
- A grain probe
The grain probe and RFID kiosk will be positioned before the inbound scale so grain grades and customer information can be uploaded before trucks reach the scale, further speeding up delivery.
The new rail loop track and loadout facility give the Lis location access to the 105-car CN unit train market, creating opportunities to serve southern poultry, feed mill, processing, and Gulf export markets. A new connection to the Indiana Rail Road also provides access to the CSX rail line and eastern rail markets, giving TGM additional flexibility to move grain efficiently and provide competitive year-round bids to customers.
A new bulk weigh rail loadout system loads rail cars at a rate of 60,000 bushels per hour, allowing the facility to load a unit train in about eight to nine hours. By comparison, the facility previously loaded 25 cars in about four hours. The Lis location is expected to be one of the fastest and most efficient rail loading facilities on the CN rail line in Illinois.
The expansion is expected to create three to four full-time jobs, along with an additional grain originator position to support the purchase of increased grain volumes.
Ken Meinhart, grain division manager for Total Grain Marketing, said the expansion positions TGM to become the first and best choice for farmers in the Lis area. “We’re investing in speed, efficiency and market access so farmers can move through the elevator quickly, get back to their fields and benefit from competitive year-round bids through access to CN, CSX and Indiana Rail Road markets,” Meinhart said.
The investment strengthens TGM’s ability to serve area producers during peak harvest periods while expanding long-term grain marketing opportunities for customers across the region.
Total Grain Marketing, headquartered in Effingham, Illinois, is a full-service grain company dedicated to providing comprehensive grain marketing solutions to meet the needs of both producers and consumers. Established in 2006 as a joint venture between South Central FS, GROWMARK, Inc., and Wabash Valley Service Company, TGM operates 25 elevators across Illinois and Indiana, including six MID-CO Commodities branch offices. With eight licensed brokers, TGM offers expert service and futures market recommendations to its customers.