Ag Outlook 10-13-2020

We’ve all heard the story about lemons and lemonade. Ethanol producers have a similar story to tell in the wake of COVID-19 which forced many of them to drastically curtail or halt operations altogether. A Reuters report says a big part of the industry switched focus from turning out fuel to high-grade alcohol hand sanitizers. Some in fact are starting to view the hand sanitizer market as more than temporary. The last six months have seen companies shifting to capacity to turn out the product which is seen as more profitable than transportation fuel. Fuel ethanol production has risen from the low point in this year’s drop in April but the industry still puts it four percent below the same time last year.