USDA: Corn use for fuel ethanol at 432 million bushels in August

The USDA recently released its Grain Crushings and Co-Products Production report for October, reporting that corn use for fuel ethanol production in August was down when compared to the previous month, but up when compared to August. 2021.

Total corn consumed for alcohol and other uses was 484 million bushels in August, down 3 percent from July, but up 3 percent from August of last year. Usage included 91.5 percent for alcohol and 8.5 percent for other purposes.

Corn consumed for fuel alcohol was at 432 million bushels, down 3 percent from the previous month, but up 4 percent from August 2021. Corn consumed for dry milling fuel production and wet milling fuel production was 93.5 percent and 6.5 percent, respectively.

The USDA withheld the volume of sorghum that went to fuel alcohol production in August to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. The agency also withheld data on sorghum consumption for the previous month, but reported that 295,000 hundredweight (cwt) (16,520 tons) of sorghum went to fuel alcohol production in August 2021.

At dry mills, condensed distillers solubles production was at 88,329 tons in August, down from 94,830 tons in July, but up from 76,361 tons in August of last year. Corn oil production was at 180,062 tons, down from 187,853 tons the previous month, but up from 168,224 tons in August 2021. Distillers dried grains production expanded to 335,885 tons, up from both 334,122 tons the previous month and 295,254 tons during the same month of last year. Distillers dried grains with solubles production was at 1.87 million tons, down from 1.93 million tons in July, but up from 1.83 million tons in August 2021. Distillers wet grains production reached 1.32 million tons, up from both 1.28 million tons the previous month and 1.17 million tons in August of last year. Modified distillers wet grains production reached 544,168 tons, up from both 495,386 tons in July and 395,054 tons in August 2021.

At wet mills, corn germ meal production reached 61,012 tons, up from both 57,800 tons the previous month and 54,576 tons in August 2021. Corn gluten feed production fell to 248,856 tons, down from both 271,334 tons in July and 274,358 tons in August of last year. Corn gluten meal production fell to 102,538 tons, down from 221,764 tons the previous month and 106,050 tons during the same month of last year. Wet corn gluten feed production fell to 189,203 tons, down from both 221,764 tons in July and 205,634 tons in August of last year.

At both dry and wet mills, carbon dioxide captured reached 247,075 tons, up from both 240,189 tons in July and 229,244 tons in August 2021.