Corn use for fuel alcohol and co-products held relatively steady in May 2025 compared to last year, according to USDA’s Grain Crushings and Co-Products Production report released July 1.
Total corn consumed for alcohol and other uses in May was 501 million bushels—up 6% from April 2025 but down 2% from May 2024. Of that total, 449 million bushels were used for fuel ethanol, also up 6% month-over-month but 1% below year-ago levels.
Dry milling accounted for 92% of fuel alcohol corn usage, with wet milling making up the remaining 8%.
Among key co-products, distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) totaled 1.78 million tons — up 9% from April but down 11% compared to May 2024. Distillers wet grains (65% or more moisture) reached 1.22 million tons, down 3% month-over-month but up 1% year-over-year.
Wet milling byproducts showed mixed results: corn gluten feed hit 265,970 tons, up 10% from April but 2% below 2024 levels. Wet corn gluten feed (40–60% moisture) came in at 200,541 tons, up 1% from April but down 4% from a year earlier.
The report is part of USDA’s Current Agricultural Industrial Reports (CAIR) program, based on mandatory survey data from ethanol-producing mills nationwide.
