The amount of time that a ton of grain spends at an elevator depends on a number of factors including the demand rate (a model input), the minimum amount of grain needed to fill a railcar order, and the handling rate at which grain is loaded onto a train. Each of these factors are considered in the elevator time model component presented in this section. Long-term storage is implicitly captured in this model through the demand rate. A farmer’s decision to either sell grain to an elevator or put it in long-term storage directly affects the demand rate for grain transportation.