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Prices soften as ethanol campaigns strengthen

Posted: April 12, 2010 at 11:33 AM CST

It’s a good thing the corn supply is big, keeping a lid on corn prices, since ethanol margins have tightened. There’s probably enough supply and prospects for enough acres to be planted, that the impact of weather scares in the season ahead should be dampened. Prices have been soft for the other big ethanol input— natural gas.

I hope the weak markets for inputs means that this time as the ethanol margin weakens, ethanol plants will be able to ride it out better than the last round. After all, it wasn’t long ago that we were hearing quiet reports from ethanol plants that they were making good money, although nobody wanted to broadcast that information perhaps because they knew too well the window for healthy margins would be short lived.

Friday’s USDA crop reports had no new impacts on the corn markets, but USDA leaders were talking about the impact of the approaching E10 blend wall. It appears the weak gasoline market has ethanol use approaching the blend wall sooner than later.

The news cycle has been full of other reports this past week, as ethanol boosters roll out reports on the potential impact of losing the blenders credit. This week, there are new initiatives from Growth Energy and Poet who are both launching television advertising campaigns promoting ethanol. Brazil’s UNICA is launching a campaign to touting sugarcane ethanol as well.

It is good to see proactive action on several fronts at once. Let us hope that the efforts of all gain some traction, to put a positive face on ethanol to the American public.

-Susanne Retka Schill