The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) most recent crop production report estimates corn production up by 11 percent over last year.
USDA also predicts 3 percent more soybeans this year, and crop producers will also have more grain to sell - but at lower prices.
With this news, storage might become tight, and University of Missouri Extension Agricultural Engineer Charlie Ellis said although not as big as 2014, this year's bumper crop will take longer to haul, dry and store than in past years.
The bad news is crop cash receipts-the cash income from crop sales-are expected to fall 3.7 percent as prices for cash crops continue to decline. Since hitting a record high in 2012, corn receipts are forecast to fall 37.7 percent over the last four years.
That motivates farmers to hold grain for feeding or a later sale.
In previous years, some agronomists and economists called for leaving corn in the field as a way to store it, but that is unlikely this year due to crop conditions in parts of the state.
"Moisture-related problems make storage even more challenging this year," said MU Extension Agronomist Bill Wiebold. "Excessive rain, coupled with high dew points, makes corn and soybean ripe for disease in much of the state. Scattered cases of corn ear rot, stalk rot and seed sprouting call for affected crops to be harvested and dried quickly."
MU Economist Ray Massey recommended farmers use MU Extension's "Grain Bin & Storage Cost" decision tool to look at the cost of commercial storage and drying when corn prices are low. Users input information from their operation to help with decision-making during changing agricultural markets. To download the free spreadsheet, go to bit.ly/2cRbaoK.