U.S. corn consumption for alcohol and other uses totaled 505 million bushels in January 2026, marking a 5 percent decline from December 2025 and a 2 percent drop from January 2025, according to the latest USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Grain Crushings report released March 2.
The January figures show fuel alcohol production continuing to dominate corn usage, accounting for 461 million bushels or 91.3 percent of total consumption. This represents a 4 percent decrease from December 2025 and a 1 percent decline compared to January 2025.
Dry mill operations lead fuel production
Dry milling operations processed 91.8 percent of corn used for fuel alcohol production in January, while wet milling facilities handled the remaining 8.2 percent. This distribution reflects the industry’s continued reliance on dry mill facilities for ethanol production across the country.
Corn consumed for beverage alcohol showed stronger performance, totaling 3.47 million bushels in January 2026. This marked a 10 percent increase from December 2025 and a significant 22 percent jump from January 2025, indicating growing demand in the beverage sector.
Industrial alcohol production consumed 6.46 million bushels during the month, while other wet mill products accounted for 36.7 million bushels of corn usage.
Co-product production reflects processing trends
Distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) production from dry mill operations totaled 1.78 million tons in January 2026, down 8 percent from December 2025 and 4 percent below January 2025 levels. The decline in DDGS production directly correlates with reduced fuel alcohol processing volumes.
Distillers wet grains production with 65 percent or more moisture reached 1.34 million tons, showing a 1 percent increase from December 2025 and a 6 percent gain over January 2025. This co-product serves as valuable livestock feed, particularly for cattle operations near ethanol facilities.
Wet mill co-products show mixed results
Wet mill corn gluten feed production totaled 251,479 tons during January 2026, representing a 5 percent decrease from December 2025 and a 1 percent decline from January 2025. However, wet corn gluten feed with 40 to 60 percent moisture showed more resilience at 193,748 tons, up 3 percent from December 2025 despite being 5 percent below January 2025 levels.
The January data reflects typical seasonal patterns in corn processing, with facilities adjusting production schedules following peak harvest and holiday periods.
