Weekly brief
Issue archive
Every The Ration brief: what moved in the US feedstuffs market, week by week.
Corn Holds Energy Lead; No Feedstuff Prices Below Benchmark
No new USDA feedstuffs quotes arrived this week. Sunflower meal leads protein at 71% of soybean meal. No tracked feedstuff undercuts corn on energy. The board holds unchanged into late harvest.
Sunflower Meal, Feather Meal and DDGS All Price Under Soybean Meal
No new feedstuffs quotes since the previous issue. Sunflower meal leads at $0.275/lb crude protein, 69% of soybean meal. Feather meal and DDGS follow at 77% and 91%. Corn is the energy benchmark at $162/ton.
USDA Raises Feed Grain Supply; Board Holds Without New Quotes
No new USDA AMS feedstuffs prices since last week. Sunflower meal holds the protein lead at 68% of soybean meal. USDA ERS raised 2026/27 feed grain supply 10.1 million metric tons to 476.4 million, the second-largest on record.
DDGS Protein Cost Holds at 96% of Soybean Meal, No New Board Quotes
No new USDA feedstuffs readings have been published since last week. The substitution board is unchanged: sunflower meal leads protein at 72% of soybean meal, hominy feed leads energy at 67% of corn.
Sunflower Meal at 67% of Soybean Meal: Board Awaits Harvest Quotes
No new USDA feedstuff quotes have been published since last issue. Sunflower meal leads the protein board at 67% of soybean meal. Hominy feed leads energy at 65% of corn. Benchmarks: corn $179/ton, soybean meal $391/ton FOB.
Wheat Middlings Rally Broadens to Four Markets, Kansas at $272/Ton
Wheat middlings climbed 11 to 23% on the week across four markets, Kansas FOB plant at $272/ton. Sunflower meal leads protein at 69% of soybean meal cost per pound of crude protein.
Energy Board Quiet Into Harvest With Hominy at 66% of Corn
No USDA feedstuff quotes have been published since last week. The energy board holds with hominy feed as cheapest at 66% of corn's cost per pound of TDN. Sunflower meal leads protein at 70% of soybean meal.
Corn and DDGS at Price Parity as Board Holds Into Harvest
No new USDA feedstuffs readings since last issue. DDGS sits at $181/ton, matching corn's plant input cost, while pricing protein at 91% of soybean meal. Hominy feed leads energy at 65% of corn.
No New Readings, Protein Tie at 71% of Soybean Meal Holds
No new USDA AMS feedstuffs data has been published since the last issue. Sunflower meal and feather meal are tied for cheapest protein at 71% of soybean meal. Hominy feed leads energy at 67% of corn.
Feed Board Unchanged as USDA Trims 2026/27 Corn Ending Stocks
No new AMS feedstuff readings since last issue. Sunflower meal holds the protein lead at 75% of soybean meal; hominy feed tops energy at 72% of corn. ERS trimmed 2026/27 corn ending stocks to 42 MMT.
Wheat Middlings Rises 11% on the Week, Prices at 93% of Corn
Kansas wheat middlings rose 11% on the week to $152/ton FOB plant, the sharpest weekly gain on this week's USDA board. The ingredient still ranks second on energy at 93% of corn's cost per pound of TDN, dry-matter basis.
Hominy Feed Is Cheapest Energy at 76% of Corn
Hominy feed leads energy at 76% of corn's cost per lb of TDN; feather meal holds protein at 77% of soybean meal. Corn eased to $4.31/bu (-2% WoW), 9% below its 5-year median. Yellow grease in California sits 91% above its 5-year median.
Feather Meal Claims Protein Lead at 72% of Soybean Meal
Feather meal tops the USDA AMS protein leaderboard at $0.261 per pound of crude protein (72% of soybean meal), ending sunflower meal's multi-week run at the top. Wheat millrun in the Pacific Northwest trades 38% below its five-year median.
Sunflower Meal Deepens Protein Lead to 73% of Soybean Meal
Sunflower meal deepened its protein lead to 73% of soybean meal this week as corn and soybean benchmarks each gained more than 5%, repricing the full board.
Sunflower Meal Leads Protein Board at 75% of Soybean Meal
Sunflower meal leads the USDA AMS protein board at $0.245/lb of crude protein, dry-matter basis, 75% of soybean meal. Hominy feed leads energy at $0.076/lb TDN, 81% of corn. Both benchmarks are below their five-year medians.
Sunflower Meal Leads the Protein Board at 73% of Soybean Meal
Sunflower meal is the cheapest protein this week at $0.240/lb CP (dry-matter basis), 73% of soybean meal, per USDA. Hominy feed leads on energy at $0.076/lb TDN, 81% of corn. Fats are 45 to 80% above 5-year medians.
Sunflower Meal Leads Protein Board at 75% of Soybean Meal
Sunflower meal prices at $0.240/lb of crude protein (DM basis), 75% of soybean meal and cheapest on the USDA feedstuffs board this week. Hominy feed leads energy at 80% of corn. Both benchmarks are below their 5-year medians.
Sunflower Meal Is Cheapest Protein at 73% of Soybean Meal
Sunflower meal is the cheapest protein on the USDA feedstuffs board at $0.236/lb CP (73% of soybean meal's cost), with corn down 4% on the week to $4.06/bu pulling the full board lower.
Corn Drops 4% on the Week, Repricing the Energy Board
Corn fell 4% on the week to $4.23/bu (4% below its 5-year median per USDA), with sunflower meal leading protein at 71% of soybean meal's cost and hominy feed topping energy at 77% of corn.
Sunflower Meal Leads Protein Board at 67% of Soybean Meal
Sunflower meal prices at 67% of soybean meal on crude protein this week, leading the USDA feedstuffs board; hominy feed leads energy at 74% of corn; yellow grease is running 50-90% above 5-year medians across California and Midwest markets.
Sunflower Meal Leads Protein at 68% of Soybean Meal
Sunflower meal at $0.240/lb crude protein (68% of soybean meal) leads this week's protein board. Hominy feed leads energy at 73% of corn. Wheat middlings up 37% on the week. Yellow grease running 51-84% above its five-year median.