Ethanol producers were already dealing with building inventories, lower blending rates and cheaper crude oil (U.S. crude production was up 17 percent in 2018). Now the recent flooding has impacted 10-15 percent of ethanol production in Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota. The biggest impact has been from the shutdown of rail lines that deliver corn and ship out ethanol production. Feedstock use is dropping further while ethanol inventories are building, depressing local hub prices. The lack of deliveries is driving up retail fuel prices, especially on the West Coast.
The bottleneck in the ethanol value chain comes as production was already slowing due to broader market and policy factors. Corn use by ethanol mills dropped 4 percent in Janua...
What You Need to Know Today: Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva secured reelection on Sunday, defeating right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro despite trailing in the first round of voting. The surprise victory triggered a sharp selloff in Brazilian financial market...
The 2026 midterm elections are a week from tomorrow, but early voting has been taking place for weeks. At stake is control of Congress, including the House of Representatives, where all 435 seats are contested, and the Senate, where approximately one-third of the seats are up for election. Farm...
Key Takeaways: Total U.S. crop acres (excluding hay) are forecast to expand fractionally this year due to greater oilseed crop and winter wheat plantings. One of the key drivers of this year’s crop outlook is input costs, and crops with a lower cost profile have an advantage in producers...
