Molasses left over from the processing of beets for sugar is typically the poor cousin to the molasses that results from making sugar from sugarcane. Cane-based molasses has superior nutritional qualities and has historically earned a premium. USDA pricing from more than a decade ago shows a 50 percent premium for that variety over its beet-derived cousin. Currently, molasses made from beets is carrying a 10.7 percent price advantage, largely due to its demand as an ethanol feedstock under the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive (RED). Cane molasses is preferred in animal feed rations and is thus imported by Europe for its livestock sector. Additionally, aversion to the “empty” calories in sugar and its higher price is causin...