After dropping in July to the lowest level since October 2013, August ethanol exports shot back up in August, increasing about 55 percent. However, the August exports were still down about 17 percent from last year and from the previous five-year average for the month.

Year-to-date exports (through the first eight months of the year) are at 19.1 million barrels, compared to 21.1 million barrels for the same period in 2020. Last year, exports started strong until the COVID pandemic, with 2020 ending as the second consecutive annual reduction in exports, down about 9 percent. The positive spin, there were 52 different markets in 2020, compared to 44 in 2019. Following that trend, the growth in August came not from some of the biggest tradi...