Ethanol Blog

The public comment period for whether USDA should release weekly export data for dried distillers grains ended Thursday, according to an article by Reuters (http://reut.rs/…).

Sally Klusaritz, spokeswoman for USDA, said the USDA's decision could come within months.

So far, opinions in the industry have been mixed, as some believe more frequent reporting would provide more transparency in the market, while others think that access to more frequent numbers could result in price hikes.

A spokesman for Valero Energy Corp said it makes sense that DDG should be subject to the same type of weekly reporting as other commodities. However, one economist believes that sales are irregular, and that some weeks could have many transactions, with little the next week.

Renewable Fuels Association vice president of research Geoff Cooper said that RFA is opposed to weekly reporting, describing it as an unnecessary administrative burden with no clear benefit.

The USDA estimates that U.S. ethanol plants will produce 32.5 million tons of DDG this year, and projected exports at 6.9 million tons, down from the 7.5 million tons exported last year.

Cheryl Anderson can be reached at Cheryl.anderson@telventdtn.com.

© Copyright 2013 DTN/The Progressive Farmer. All rights reserved.