Inventories

Major classes of inventories are as follows:



(in thousands)	September 30, 2015		December 31, 2014		September 30, 2014
Grain	$	325,536	$	570,916	$	227,014
Ethanol and by-products	8,365		13,154		9,696
Plant nutrients and cob products	161,562		181,136		128,573
Retail merchandise	26,079		23,810		25,647
Railcar repair parts	6,057		6,431		5,336
Other	190		208		198
	$	527,789	$	795,655	$	396,464

Inventories on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets at September 30, 2015, December 31, 2014 and September 30, 2014 do not include 3.2 million, 3.1 million and 2.0 million bushels of grain, respectively, held in storage for others. The Company does not have title to the grain and is only liable for any deficiencies in grade or shortage of quantity that may arise during the storage period. Management has not experienced historical losses on any deficiencies and does not anticipate material losses in the future.