USDA: Corn use for fuel ethanol at 410 million bushels in April

June 24, 2021

BY Erin Krueger

The USDA recently released its Grain Crushings and Co-Products Production report for June, reporting that corn use for fuel ethanol in April was down from the previous month, but up significantly when compared to April 2020.

Total corn consumed for alcohol and other uses was at 464 million bushels in April, down 2 percent from March, but up 55 percent from April 2020. Usage included 90.6 percent for alcohol and 9.4 percent for other purposes.

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Corn consumed for fuel alcohol was at 410 million bushels in April, down 2 percent when compared to March, but up 67 percent when compared to April 2020. Corn consumed for dry milling fuel production and wet milling fuel production was at 91.2 percent and 8.8 percent, respectively.

The volume of grains sorghum consumed for fuel alcohol production in April was withheld by the USDA to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. The agency reported no grain sorghum went to fuel alcohol production in March, but 2.716 million hundredweight (cwt) (152,096 tons) of the feedstock was used to produce fuel alcohol in April 2020.

At dry mills, condensed distillers solubles production was at 86,074 tons in April, down from 90,530 tons the previous month, but up from 78,229 tons in April 2020. Corn oil production was at 149,802 tons, down from 156,903 tons in March, but up from 89,174 tons in April of the previous year. Distillers dried grains production was at 342,870 tons, down from 368,075 tons the previous month, but up from 173,465 tons in the same month of the previous year. Distillers dried grains with solubles production was at 1.79 million tons, down from 1.8 million tons in March, but up from 1.01 million tons in April 2020. Wet distillers grains production was at 1.08 million tons, down from 1.11 million tons the previous month, but up from 712,857 tons in April 2020. Modified distillers wet grains production was at 373,330 tons, down from 391,913 tons in March, but up from 274,285 tons in April 2020.

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At wet mills, corn germ meal production increased to 63,568 tons, up from 20,088 tons the previous month and 51,929 tons in April 2020. Corn gluten feel production increased to 291,558 tons, up from 266,308 tons in March and 231,145 tons in April of the previous year. Corn gluten meal production increased to 113,905 tons, up from 113,365 tons the previous month and 76,897 tons in April 2020. Wet corn gluten feed production was at 202,491 tons, down from 206,831 tons in March, but up from 184,876 tons in April 2020.

At dry and wet mills, carbon dioxide captured was at 225,169 tons, down from 237,819 tons in March, but up from 161,926 tons in April 2020.

 

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