USDA: Corn use for fuel alcohol at 431 million bushels in March

Source: By Erin Voegele, Ethanol Producer Magazine • Posted: Wednesday, May 4, 2016

The USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service has released the May edition of its Grain Crushing and Co-Products Production report, which shows corn consumed for fuel alcohol production was down slightly in March when compared to the same month of the prior year.

Total corn consumed for alcohol and other uses was 484.1 million bushels in March, up 3 percent from February but down 1 percent from March 2015. Approximately 90.9 percent of usage went to alcohol in March, with 9.1 percent utilized for other purposes. Corn for beverage alcohol was 2.97 million bushels, up 10 percent from February and 21 percent from the previous March. Corn for fuel alcohol was at 431 million bushels, up 2 percent from February but down 2 percent from March 2015. According to the report, 89 percent of that 431 million bushels went to dry milling fuel production, with the remaining 11 percent going to wet mill fuel production.

Dry mill condensed distillers solubles was at 137,541 tons, up from 122,291 tons in February but down from 163,796 tons in March 2015. Corn distillers oil was at 125,483 tons, up from 123,803 tons in February and 103,270 tons in March of the previous year. Distillers dried grains production was at 384,739 tons, up from 367,736 tons in February but down from 438,728 tons in March 2015. Distillers dried grains with solubles reached 1.92 million tons in March, up from 1.8 million tons in February and 1.78 million tons in March 2015. Distillers wet grains was at 1.32 million tons, up from 1.25 million tons in February but down from 1.4 million tons in March of last year. Modified distillers grains was at 456,256 tons, up from 401,370 tons in February, but down from 494,835 tons in March 2015.

Wet mill corn germ meal production reached 68,140 tons, up from 122,291 in February and 163,796 in March 2015. Corn gluten feed production was also up at 342,668 tons, compared to 312,012 tons in February and 331,547 tons in March of last year. Corn gluten meal production reached 91,945 tons, up from 83,643 tons in February, but down from 93,078 tons in March 2015. Corn oil production increased to 51,415 tons, up from 49,490 tons in February and 42,684 tons in March of the previous year. Wet corn gluten feed of 40-60 percent moisture was at 290,565 tons, up from 277,434 tons in February, but down from 308,444 tons in March 2015.

Dry and wet mill plant captured a combined 204,371 tons of carbon dioxide in March, up from 190,033 tons in February and 198,922 tons in March 2015.

Dry mill sorghum consumed for alcohol production was at 9.6 million hundredweight (cwt) (539,336 tons), down from 11.86 million ctw in February.

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