Washington: Corn consumption for fuel ethanol production in the United States rose slightly in February 2026, even as output declined on a monthly basis, according to the latest report from the United States Department of Agriculture.
Data showed that 425 million bushels of corn were used for fuel ethanol production during the month, marking a 1 percent increase compared to February last year. However, this was down 8 percent from January levels.
Overall corn use for alcohol and other purposes stood at 469 million bushels in February, reflecting a 7 percent drop from the previous month but a 1 percent rise year-on-year. Dry milling accounted for the bulk of ethanol production, using 92.2 percent of the corn, while wet milling contributed 7.8 percent.
At dry mills, several co-products recorded declines. Output of distillers dried grains fell to 334,592 tonnes, lower than both January and the same month last year. Production of distillers dried grains with solubles dropped to 1.63 million tonnes, also below previous levels. Corn oil output stood at 180,042 tonnes, down from January but higher than February 2025.
Other co-products showed mixed trends. Condensed distillers solubles output declined from the previous month but remained higher than a year ago. Distillers wet grains production fell on a monthly basis but increased compared to last year, while modified distillers grains also showed a similar pattern.
At wet mills, most outputs declined compared to January. Corn gluten feed stood at 242,146 tonnes, lower than the previous month but above year-ago levels. Corn gluten meal and corn germ meal both declined compared to January and February last year, while wet corn gluten feed also registered a drop.
Meanwhile, carbon dioxide captured across both dry and wet mills rose to 228,866 tonnes in February, showing an increase over both the previous month and the same period last year.
The data indicates steady annual demand for ethanol, despite a slowdown in production activity compared to January.
