Corn Ethanol Situation
Corn ethanol crush margins are favorable compared to most recent years except for 2022. Corn crush levels in the first 3 months of the 2024/25 crop year were up modestly from a year ago.The $.70 cent post harvest rally probably won’t slow down ethanol mill activity. However, a rally close to $5.00 basis Midwest cash corn might. Presently, the USDA’s corn crush projection seems safe.
| US Corn Crush Margins $/Bu. | |||||
| Week ending | Margin $/Bu. | Ethanol $/Gallon | 10 % Dist Grain $/ton | Corn $Bu | year |
| 1/4/2018 | $1.37 | $1.24 | $132 | $3.27 | 2018 |
| 1/4/2019 | $1.40 | $1.20 | $167 | $3.44 | 2019 |
| 1/4/2020 | $1.24 | $1.37 | $160 | $4.02 | 2020 |
| 1/3/2021 | $1.09 | $1.41 | $203 | $4.67 | 2021 |
| 1/4/2022 | $3.07 | $2.66 | $190 | $6.06 | 2022 |
| 1/4/2023 | $1.49 | $2.18 | $243 | $6.73 | 2023 |
| 1/4/2024 | $1.66 | $1.58 | $213 | $4.60 | 2024 |
| 1/3/2025 | $1.67 | $1.67 | $159 | $4.40 | 2025 |
| Price Data based on Central Illinois. | |||||