The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) reported an increase in corn consumption and co-product production for December 2025, reflecting steady demand in the ethanol and feed industries.
Total corn consumed for alcohol and other uses reached 534 million bushels in December, marking a 5 percent increase from November 2025 and a 1 percent rise compared to December 2024. Of this, 93.3 percent was used for alcohol production, with the remainder allocated to other purposes.
Fuel alcohol consumption accounted for 488 million bushels, up 5 percent from the previous month and 2 percent from the prior year. Corn used for beverage alcohol totaled 2.93 million bushels, down 15 percent from November and 8 percent from December 2024. Dry milling fuel production made up 92 percent of fuel alcohol, while wet milling contributed 8 percent.
Co-product production also saw gains. Distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) from dry milling rose 11 percent from November to 1.95 million tons and 4 percent compared to the previous year. Distillers wet grains (DWG) with 65 percent or more moisture increased 5 percent from November to 1.32 million tons and 3 percent year-over-year.
Wet mill corn gluten feed production grew 6 percent from November to 265,310 tons and 3 percent from December 2024. However, wet corn gluten feed with 40 to 60 percent moisture declined 7 percent from the previous year, totaling 188,185 tons in December.
