October another poor month for US ethanol producers

According to a new study by Iowa State University, US-based ethanol producers saw margins fall steeply in October.

The university, using its model, has only recorded one positive month of producers this year when they broke even in April. Distillers of the biofuel lost $0.12 (€0.09) a gallon in October, the most since June and $0.09 a gallon more than September.

The study uses corn, ethanol and dried grain prices reported by the US Department of Agriculture in Iowa and modelled them on margins for a 100,000 gallon a year facility constructed after 2007.

The report also had ethanol prices down from $2.40 a gallon in September to $2.30 a gallon in October.