> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.investigatemidwest.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# GRAPHIC: A third of U.S. corn is used to produce ethanol
- URL: https://www.investigatemidwest.org/graphic-a-third-of-u-s-corn-is-used-to-produce-ethanol/
- Published: 2024-01-24T11:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2024-01-24T11:00:00.000Z
- Description: The nation’s corn is used in animal feed, alcohol and artificial sweeteners, but a major portion is used for biofuels.
- Author: Sky Chadde, Investigate Midwest
- Tags: Agribusiness, Data Harvest, Corn, Ethanol, TP::Explainer, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-06-18 04:56

Corn is used in hand sanitizer, soft drinks and [plastic](https://www.farmprogress.com/vegetables/13-ways-corn-is-used-in-our-everyday-lives?ref=investigatemidwest.org). But now, more than half of the corn produced in the U.S. is turned into biofuel or alcohol, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.

In the 1990s, a larger share of the nation’s corn crop went into sweeteners, such as high-fructose corn syrup, than into [ethanol](https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/44564/6905%5Feib79.pdf?v=5514.1&ref=investigatemidwest.org) or alcohol. But that changed in the mid-2000s after Congress enacted the [Renewable Fuel Standard](https://www.epa.gov/renewable-fuel-standard-program/overview-renewable-fuel-standard?ref=investigatemidwest.org), which included a mandate to mix gasoline with corn-based fuel.

After the new policy went into effect, the amount of corn devoted to biofuels skyrocketed. Since then, about a third of all U.S. corn has been used for ethanol.

Recent research has indicated ethanol might be worse for the environment than plain gasoline, [according to Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/us-corn-based-ethanol-worse-climate-than-gasoline-study-finds-2022-02-14/?ref=investigatemidwest.org). The ethanol industry called the research “completely fictional.”

The [USDA divides](https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2019/07/29/corn-americas-largest-crop-2019?ref=investigatemidwest.org) the corn harvest into roughly three uses: 1) ethanol, 2) animal feed, and 3) products for human consumption, such as alcohol, artificial sweeteners or chips.

[![Made with Flourish](https://www.investigatemidwest.org/content/files/public-flourish-studio/resources/made_with_flourish.xml) ](https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/16540468/?utm%5Fsource=embed&utm%5Fcampaign=visualisation/16540468)