Farms.com Home  › News

New Study Reveals Powerful Economic Impact of Corn Refining Industry

A new study reveals the immense economic impact of the corn refining industry, featuring a $47 billion economic output in 2020, working to strengthen rural America while producing a wide variety of value-added products and materials. The report details the industry’s contributions to the U.S. economy in terms of sales, jobs, salaries, purchases, and taxes.

The economic power of the corn wet-milling industry results in:

  • $3.328 billion in state and federal taxes
  • 167,786 total jobs
  • $10.013 billion in total wages
  • $47 billion in total economic output

Corn is nature’s renewable building block and can be found in most products that comprise our everyday lives—shampoo, wallpaper, laundry detergent, yogurt, pharmaceuticals, packaging, pasta, and more. Annually, 10-15% of American corn farmers’ crops are refined in corn wet-milling facilities, where our nation’s cornerstone crop is converted into a valuable resource utilized all day, every day. For years, corn-related innovations in chemistry and technology have made food taste better, cosmetics last longer, pharmaceuticals easier to swallow and plastics environmentally friendly. Now, corn products are used in 3-D printing inks and studied by nanotechnology scientists as a method for delivering cancer treatments. From America’s corn fields to corn refining plants, new technology allows us to preserve resources for future generations.

“This report underscores the essential role America’s corn refiners play in our nation’s agricultural and economic value chain,” said John Bode, President & CEO of the Corn Refiners Association. “While our members represent some of the biggest names in value-added agriculture, they remain deeply rooted in rural America, where they serve as pillars of economic growth. They work to foster technological innovation, expand commercial opportunities, advance free trade, build the bioeconomy, and feed a hungry world.”

Click here to see more...

Trending Video

Will USDA 'Save the Day' in Corn + U S Post Midterm Election Ag Impact

Video: Will USDA 'Save the Day' + U S Post Midterm Election Ag Impact

Will the 2026 USDA November crop report redeem itself after a shocking higher U.S. 2026 corn yield in October?
The Democrats taking control of Congress and the Senate was not on anyone’s bingo card except ours!
The AI stock selloff knee jerk reaction over Dem’s looking to slow done the AI build out is a gift!
The Dems will now try to reign in Trump on the Iran war, tariffs (first 100 days tariffs on Canada could be removed), immigration and the corruption in the Trump administration. E15 and a new farm bill in 2027 may struggle with gridlock in Washington.
Does China walk away with U.S. ag trade as Trump has lost leverage? China to buy more U.S. ag but hinges on U.S. tariff reductions? Hang Tung Resources signs $600 million China agreement of U.S. wheat and sorghum.
Crude oil plunges 8%.
U.S. Midwest soil moisture profile is a concern.
Brazil looks wet in the next 10 days.
Hogs to new contract lows.
+ CFTC