Ethanol production fell slightly for the week ending August 8, 2010 as compared to the week prior, yet remained strong totaling 866,000 barrels per day (b/d) or just shy of 36.4 million gallons per day. This according to Energy Information Administration (EIA) and reported by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). The four-week average ending August 6, 2010 shows ethanol production remains strong at 848,000 b/d.

Nationwide stocks of ethanol also dipped to 19.3 million barrels or 810.6 million gallons. This is down from 19.5 million barrels the previous week, and the lowest total since the week ending August 11, 2010.

Gasoline demand is down as well, landing just under 388 million gallons per day. As a percentage of daily gasoline use, daily ethanol production represents 9.38 percent – the highest percentage since weekly production reports began.

June ethanol exports (both denatured and un-denatured, non-beverage) came in 6 percent less than May numbers, totaling 16.07 million gallons. Overall, however, exports for the first six months of 2010 equaled total exports for all of 2008, the strongest export year in recent history. True to form, Canada and Mexico remained the top two markets for U.S. product.

U.S. ethanol producers consumed 13.131 million bushels of corn daily which produced 877,000 b/d of ethanol. In addition to ethanol, U.S. producers also supplied more than 97,000 metric tons of livestock feed daily, 86,300 metric tons of which was distillers grains. The industry also supplied 3.75 million pounds of corn oil daily.

Data from the federal government showed that 4.06 million metric tons of distillers grains had been exported in 2010 through June. This is down from 5.6 million metric tons exported in total during 2009 and 4.5 million metric tons exported in 2008. Not surprisingly, China is now the top importer of U.S. distillers grains, representing 25 percent of the market followed by Mexico and Canada.