Falling corn prices and stronger ethanol prices spell out good news on margins

In Illinois, ethanol producers are getting an extra boost to their margins as Platts reports lower corn prices saw the margin jump to 34.41 cents/gal, more than 5 cents higher than last week. Corn prices have eased after concerns that a heat wave could negatively impact the bumper corn crop expected in the autumn when heavy rains helped to ease the water tension. Ethanol prices have also strengthened slightly which helped to boost the margin as well.