USDA released the September Grain Crushings report today; total corn use for fuel alcohol was down 2 percent from August, but up 1 percent from September 2020, starting the marketing year off in the right direction. Moreover, ethanol production for the week ending 22 October hit 1.106 million barrels per day, its highest level since the record weekly output of the last week in November 2017. That follows a strong two prior two weeks of production over 1 million barrels per day, the first sustained 1 million barrels per day production level since the last week of July.

Ethanol production in October, based on data from the first three weeks, could be an estimated 15 percent higher month over month. 

If normal patterns of monthly p...