Silent Industry Soaring in the US -- Bakken Farmers Have Even More To Cheer About

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The boom times for US agriculture in 2011 have focused on soaring land and crop prices, bumper harvests and biofuels, but a recent deal has spotlighted a quiet industry that's booming: grain storage.

Agco, the world's third-largest farm equipment manufacturer, this week finalized its purchase of grain storage manufacturer GSI Holdings for $928 million.

Analysts estimate annual revenue of the global grain storage sector at $3.5 billion.

Some other data points:

• In recent years some big investors have begun playing in the grain storage business. Gavilon of Omaha, NE, has bought grain storage facilities from Oregon to Ontario ...
• US grain storage capacity has expanded 12 per cent since 2005, coinciding with the jump in ethanol.