American corn processors used 528 million bushels of corn in July 2026, with most of it going toward fuel production, according to Grain Crushings and Co-Products Production released September 1 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
The July figure represents a 2% increase from June 2026 and a 4% jump compared with July 2025, reflecting steady growth in the corn processing industry.
Fuel alcohol production dominated corn usage, accounting for 92.3% of the total volume. The fuel alcohol sector consumed 475 million bushels in July, rising 2% from the previous month and 4% from the same period last year. Dry milling operations handled 92.6% of fuel production, while wet milling facilities processed the remaining 7.4%.
Beverage alcohol production showed stronger growth. Corn used for beverage alcohol totaled 4.29 million bushels in July, marking a 12% increase from June and a 54% surge compared with July 2025.
The processing activity generated substantial co-product output. Distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), a livestock feed made primarily at dry mill facilities, reached 1.85 million tons in July, up 2% from June but down 1% from July 2025.
Wet milling facilities produced 250,692 tons of corn gluten feed in July, down 3% from June and 2% from the previous year.
2025 annual figures show decline
The USDA also released annual totals for 2025, showing total corn consumed for alcohol reached 5.56 billion bushels, down 2% from 2024.
Corn for fuel alcohol accounted for 5.43 billion bushels in 2025, a 2% decrease from the previous year. Beverage alcohol production used 39.6 million bushels, falling 17% from 2024.
Co-product output varied across categories in 2025. DDGS production totaled 21.6 million tons, down 4% from 2024, while distillers wet grains reached 14.8 million tons, up less than 1% from the prior year.
Carbon dioxide capture reached 2.96 million tons in 2025, up 8% from 2024, as more facilities installed equipment to capture CO2 from the fermentation process.
The agriculture department collects this information from corn processing facilities nationwide to help farmers, traders and policymakers monitor market trends and make informed decisions about production and pricing.
Corn remains one of America’s most important crops, with multiple uses ranging from livestock feed to fuel additives and food ingredients.
