KANSAS CITY/ CHICAGO, March 7- Short supplies of U.S. corn are causing ethanol makers to look at alternatives to the high-priced feedstock, with everything from wheat to sugar under consideration as a possible substitute. " You'd be crazy not to, "said Bob Dinneen, president and chief executive of the Renewable Fuels Association."
Jan 30- U.S. ethanol production has fallen to its lowest level since the government started collecting data more than two years ago, as poor demand and the high cost of corn prompt a series of plant closings. Gasoline demand is down and that is the big driver, "said R.J. O'Brien& Associates ethanol trader Julie Ward."