NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RFD-TV) — Global sugar markets are seeing a shake-up, and it is all tied to ethanol production. Market analyst and friend of the show, Shawn Hackett, says Brazil’s shifting use of crops for biofuel production is a significant factor.
“One of the big demand factors in Brazil is ethanol from sugar, and in the last few years, because the price of corn got so undervalued that it’s actually much, much cheaper to produce ethanol out of corn than it is out of sugar,” Hacket said. “And so, all of the corn that they possibly can utilize to make ethanol is being utilized, so demand for corn-based ethanol is going through the roof.”
The dip in corn prices, followed by a rise in demand, is putting sugar in a pinch.
“The sugar processors are now trying to make as much sugar as possible, and they’re reducing that demand for ethanol, and that is significantly changing the equation of how much importable supplies they have to the open market,” Hackett explained. “That’s been really hitting sugar prices pretty hard, and that’s a big structural change that, until corn prices go up, sugar prices could be in an oversupply.”
David Klein with the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (ASFMRA) shares an end-of-harvest update and a peek at the farmland market in Central Illinois.
November 05, 2025 12:58 PM
·
Wed, 12/10/25 – 7:30 PM ET | 6:30 PM CT | 5:30 PM MT | 4:30 PM PT
November 05, 2025 11:59 AM
The Farm Bureau urges trade enforcement, biofuel growth, fair input pricing, and pro-farmer policy reforms to restore long-term certainty.
November 05, 2025 11:41 AM
·
A strong corn export pull is supportive of bids; soybeans need steady vessel programs or fresh sales to firm cash.
November 04, 2025 10:47 AM
·
Brooks York with Agri-Sompo discusses how this year’s pricing period played out and what it could mean for farmers heading into the end of the season.
November 03, 2025 12:54 PM
·
An import lag for ground beef will likely look different than last year’s egg shortage. The difference comes down to biosecurity and market flexibility.
November 03, 2025 12:07 PM
·
China’s crusher losses and Brazil tensions, Gale warns, could reopen critical soybean trade channels for U.S. producers.
November 03, 2025 11:13 AM
·
A rescheduled WASDE, China’s soybean squeeze, barge bottlenecks, and premium beef demand all collide this week — with cash decisions, basis, and risk plans on the line.
November 03, 2025 09:23 AM
·
China’s grain expansion model may be hitting its limit. Lower prices, high rents, and policy fatigue threaten future output — with ripple effects across global feed and oilseed markets.
November 02, 2025 05:06 AM
·
