Corn Demand Surges in July Ethanol Production

The use of corn in ethanol production rose in July, driven by strong demand for the nation's corn crop. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that nearly 475 million bushels of corn were used to produce fuel alcohol during the month, a 2% increase from June and a 4% increase from July 2025.

Dry-mill ethanol plants accounted for about 93% of the corn used for fuel production, while wet-mill plants accounted for the remaining 7%. The rise in corn use for ethanol is significant as it indicates that the biofuel industry continues to provide strong demand for U.S. corn.

Among ethanol co-products, dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) production declined by 1% from the previous year, while wet distillers grains containing at least 65% moisture increased by 9%. Wet-mill corn gluten feed production also decreased by 2%, but wet corn gluten production saw a 10% increase.