Maize: Relationships

Every element and industry that Maize is linked to, and how. Each pair has its own card explaining the relationships between the two.

Bioethanol: Maize is the main feedstock for US ethanol, with about a third of the 2025/26 US crop expected to go to distilleries, and India turned into a maize importer in 2024 as its distilleries switched to maize. Just under a third of each tonne returns to the feed market as distillers grains, so ethanol and livestock compete for, and share, the same grain. (researched)
Soybeans: Maize and soybeans compete for the same farmland, are grown in rotation, and are fed together as energy and protein, so their prices and acreages move as a pair. (researched)
Starch and cellulose derivatives: Maize is the main raw material for starch: wet milling turns a 56 lb bushel into about 31.5 lb of starch plus feed and oil co-products, and the starch goes on to food, paper, textiles and pharmaceuticals. In India, fast-growing maize demand from ethanol distilleries now competes directly with starch makers for the grain. (researched)
Sugar: Maize competes with sugar twice: as high-fructose syrup in US food and drinks, a use now in long decline, and as an ethanol feedstock that is taking share from cane in Brazil and India. (researched)
Urea: Maize is one of the three cereals that together take about half of the world's nitrogen fertiliser, and urea is the main form in which that nitrogen is bought. Fertiliser is a third or more of US maize operating costs, so the urea to maize price ratio shapes how much farmers apply and, over a season, feeds back into urea demand. (researched)
Nitrogen (ammonia): Maize is one of the most nitrogen-hungry crops, and fertiliser is the largest direct cost of growing it, so grain prices and nitrogen prices share a yearly cycle driven by planting decisions. (researched)
Poultry: Feed is the largest cost of raising chickens and maize is most of the feed, so maize prices set poultry margins; in India poultry takes the largest share of maize, now competing with ethanol plants. (researched)
Wheat: Maize and wheat compete in animal feed, so when wheat becomes cheap relative to maize it is fed to livestock; that switching, plus shared drivers such as world stocks and the dollar, makes them one of the tightest grain price pairs. (researched)
Antibiotic intermediates (6-APA, 7-ACA): Maize is a raw material for antibiotic intermediates (6-APA, 7-ACA); their prices have moved together.
Biomass: Biomass needs maize; their prices have moved together.
Vitamins: Maize is a raw material for vitamins; their prices have moved together.
Amino acids (lysine, methionine): Maize is a raw material for amino acids (lysine, methionine).
Ammonia: Their prices have moved together.
Barley: Their prices have moved together.
Beef: Their prices have moved together.
Biomass and biofuel stores: Their prices have moved together.
Citric acid: Maize is a raw material for citric acid.
Eggs: Their prices have moved together.
Energy in farming: Their prices have moved together.
Food and beverage processing: Food and beverage processing depends on maize.
Food and feed additives: Maize is a raw material for food and feed additives.
Furfural and furanics (FDCA): Maize is a raw material for furfural and furanics (FDCA).
Herbicides: Their prices have moved together.
Industrial enzymes: Maize is a raw material for industrial enzymes.
Lactic acid and PLA: Maize is a raw material for lactic acid and PLA.
Media and entertainment: Media and entertainment depends on maize.
Milk & dairy: Their prices have moved together.
Oats: Their prices have moved together.
Pharmaceutical excipients: Maize is a raw material for pharmaceutical excipients.
Pharmaceuticals: Pharmaceuticals depends on maize.
Pork: Their prices have moved together.
Potash: Their prices have moved together.
Sorghum: Their prices have moved together.
Water: Their prices have moved together.