2009 US Ethanol Production Exceeds 10.7 Billion Gallons
02 March 2010
US ethanol production reached yet another all-time high in December 2009 at 787,000 barrels per day (bpd), according to data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). That is an increase of 131,000 bpd from December 2008.
Ethanol demand, as calculated by the Renewable Fuels Association, fell to 750,000 bpd in December. EIA also reports fuel ethanol imports of 504,000 gallons in December.
For calendar year 2009, ethanol production exceeded 10.75 billion gallons US (40.7 billion liters).
December production statistics:
- Fuel ethanol production: 1,025.8 million gallons (787,000 bpd)
- Use: 976.2 million gallons (750,000 bpd)
- Stocks: 701.9 million gallons (22.3-day reserve)
- Exports: 0
- Imports: 0.504 million gallons
That is a lot of corn grain and the futures market options can still be manipulated by people that neither grow corn nor use corn. Options were meant to stabilize markets when the corn comes to market all at the same time. They were never meant to be used by hedge funds to increase their money for nothing yields.
Posted by: SJC | 02 March 2010 at 10:33 AM
Agreed. My grandpa (a farmer) would occasionally trade corn futures if he thought prices were going to change. That is a great market way to stabilize prices for farmers. Maybe to trade corn futures, you should be forced to show the ability to take delivery of the corn.
Posted by: Bryan | 04 March 2010 at 06:15 AM
Good idea Bryan, it has its place and can do good, but in the hands of speculators it can do zero sum harm. I win, you lose.
Posted by: SJC | 06 March 2010 at 11:32 AM