Ethanol Export Numbers Good Despite COVID-19

Oct 13, 2021

The numbers for the most recent marketing year that ended on August 31 show there is good news for U.S. ethanol exports.

U.S. ethanol exports reached the fifth-highest total on record despite the market challenges brought on by COVID-19. Exports were down eight percent from the previous marketing year, reflecting the challenges that COVID restrictions had on fuel demand and trade. The first half of the year’s exports occurred before the widespread stay-at-home orders were issued that drastically lowered fuel demand around the world.

“The lingering effects of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders were reflected in the global ethanol trade in the most recent marketing year,” says Brian Healy, director of global ethanol market development for the U.S. Grains Council. “Looking forward, more aggressive blend rates that have already been set, or will need to be set, to meet emissions reduction goals, will support increased global ethanol demand and trade.”

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.