Corn consumption for fuel alcohol production declined in April 2026, reflecting seasonal patterns in the ethanol industry, according to the latest Grain Crushings and Co-Products Production report from the National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Fuel alcohol production leads consumption
Total corn consumed for alcohol and other uses reached 478 million bushels in April 2026, down 9 percent from March’s 525 million bushels but up 1 percent from April 2025. Fuel alcohol production dominated consumption patterns, accounting for 428 million bushels or 89.5 percent of total usage during the month.
The decline from March reflected typical seasonal adjustments in ethanol production schedules. Corn consumed for fuel alcohol fell 10 percent month-over-month but maintained a slight 1 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
Dry mill operations continued to dominate fuel production, processing 92 percent of corn used for fuel alcohol, while wet mill facilities handled the remaining 8 percent. This distribution pattern has remained consistent with industry trends favoring dry mill ethanol production.
Beverage alcohol shows strong growth
Corn consumption for beverage alcohol totaled 4.27 million bushels in April, representing a notable 17 percent increase from March and a substantial 59 percent jump from April 2025. This growth reflects expanding demand in the distilled spirits sector.
Industrial alcohol production consumed an additional 7.85 million bushels during the month, while other wet mill products accounted for 39.2 million bushels of corn usage.
Co-product production declines
Distillers dried grains with solubles production totaled 1.61 million tons in April, down 10 percent from March and 1 percent below April 2025 levels. The decline aligned with reduced corn processing for fuel alcohol production.
Distillers wet grains production reached 1.30 million tons, falling 2 percent from March but increasing 3 percent year-over-year. The wet grains maintained 65 percent or higher moisture content, meeting standard specifications for livestock feed applications.
Wet mill co-products also showed mixed results. Corn gluten feed production totaled 242,839 tons, down 10 percent from March but essentially flat compared to April 2025. Wet corn gluten feed with 40 to 60 percent moisture reached 188,569 tons, declining 2 percent month-over-month and 5 percent year-over-year.
The production patterns reflect ongoing adjustments in corn processing as facilities balance ethanol output with co-product demand from livestock and feed industries.
