By Steve Richter TRADING Providing market access for its country customers, CHS moves 1.8 billion bushels of grain a year. One-third of that volume involves domestic trading. CHS grain merchandisers balance price, quality and delivery needs to fi ll U.S. pipelines and prime the export pump. These matchmakers between sellers and buyers create customer value with effective price discovery, timely logistics and seamless connections. Noisy pits crowded with arm-waving traders wearing gaudy jackets once symbolized U.S. grain marketing. Not anymore. Today’s computer-and phone-driven grain dealing takes place mostly in quiet offi ces and on calm trading fl oors. On the surface, domestic grain dealing certainly appears more orderly these days. But headphones and number-fi lled screens give little hint of the complex process CHS Senior Corn Merchandiser Rick Romer calls “controlled and managed chaos.” That’s the nature of dynamic domestic grain trading today. Romer and other commercial traders shuffl e “decks,” which is what grain marketers call their available sources of buyers, sellers and distribution. They deal and redeal hands made up of dozens of unit trains each week. When ferrying corn, every unit train carries 400,000 bushels worth millions of dollars. Trains in 110-car units shuttling back and forth across the country are another latter-day effi ciency affecting day-to-day trading. “When you buy and sell in the U.S. domestic market, you could sell one unit train 10 times,” says Rick Dusek, CHS vice president of grain marketing. “Our merchandisers are true traders.” >>> Your CHS Connection 7