# Lowest cost per pound of TDN (energy) A nutrient-cost screening board: every feedstuff ranked by cost per pound of TDN on a dry-matter basis, against the corn benchmark. A price screen, not a feeding recommendation. _Data through Aug 24, 2026 · source last checked Sep 3, 2026 · page revised Sep 3, 2026_ > Lowest cost per pound of TDN this week is Hominy feed at $0.076 per lb of TDN, 67% of corn's cost. This is a price screen on a single nutrient, not a feeding recommendation. Data week of Aug 24, 2026, USDA feedstuffs board. Hominy feed leads the energy board at $0.076 per pound of TDN, 67 percent of corn's cost per pound on a dry-matter basis. Soybean hulls are second at $0.101 per pound of TDN (90 percent of corn) and rice bran is third at $0.110 per pound (97 percent of corn). No new USDA AMS feedstuffs readings have been published since the previous issue. These figures carry forward from the last data update. ## A nutrient-cost screening board. It ranks price per pound of a single nutrient (crude protein or TDN) on a dry-matter basis, not what to feed. The Category column separates plant protein meals, grain co-products and animal by-products, which are not interchangeable on crude protein alone: an animal by-product's amino-acid profile and digestibility do not match an oilseed meal's. Effective fiber, palatability and inclusion limits are the nutritionist's call. | Ingredient | $/ton | $/lb TDN | vs corn | $/lb protein | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Hominy feed | $123 | $0.076 | 67% | $0.592 | Grain co-product | | Soybean hulls | $140 | $0.101 | 90% | $0.627 | Fiber and forage | | Rice bran | $138 | $0.110 | 97% | $0.519 | Grain co-product | | Distillers dried grains (DDGS) | $175 | $0.111 | 98% | $0.330 | Grain co-product | | Wheat middlings | $157 | $0.111 | 99% | $0.484 | Grain co-product | | Corn (US #2 yellow) | $174 | $0.113 | 100% | $1.044 | Benchmark grain | | Wheat millrun | $153 | $0.113 | 100% | $0.498 | Grain co-product | | Corn gluten feed | $203 | $0.144 | 128% | $0.473 | Grain co-product | | Sunflower meal | $155 | $0.149 | 133% | $0.266 | Plant protein meal | | Safflower meal | $165 | $0.162 | 144% | $0.378 | Plant protein meal | | Linseed meal | $242 | $0.174 | 155% | $0.353 | Plant protein meal | | Whole cottonseed | $375 | $0.217 | 192% | $0.886 | Plant protein meal | | Cottonseed meal | $300 | $0.231 | 205% | $0.365 | Plant protein meal | | Soybean meal | $358 | $0.245 | 218% | $0.376 | Plant protein meal | | Canola meal | $345 | $0.259 | 230% | $0.485 | Plant protein meal | | Corn gluten meal | $491 | $0.303 | 269% | $0.407 | Plant protein meal | | Feather meal | $435 | $0.333 | 296% | $0.269 | Animal by-product | | Meat and bone meal | $498 | $0.373 | 331% | $0.481 | Animal by-product | | Alfalfa meal | $410 | $0.373 | 331% | $1.231 | Fiber and forage | | Cottonseed hulls | $475 | $0.621 | 552% | $3.895 | Fiber and forage | | Blood meal | $1300 | $0.981 | 871% | $0.752 | Animal by-product | ## About Lowest cost per pound of TDN (energy) This is the calculation a dairy or feedlot nutritionist does by hand. Each ingredient's board price is converted to a cost per pound of crude protein and per pound of TDN on a dry-matter basis, then ranked against corn (the energy benchmark) and soybean meal (the protein benchmark). A feedstuff below 100% of soybean meal on protein, or below 100% of corn on energy, is delivering that nutrient cheaper than the benchmark this week. Nutrient coefficients are verified against named extension and NRC feed-composition tables (see methodology); an ingredient without a verified coefficient is priced but not scored, never given a guessed number. This ranks the board; it does not tell you what to feed. Effective fiber, palatability, handling and inclusion limits are the nutritionist's call, not a price table's. ## About this data - Source: USDA AMS feedstuffs board; corn and soybean meal benchmarks - Series: Feedstuffs ranked by cost per pound of energy (TDN) - Basis: Dry-matter basis - Geography: National - Unit: $/ton - Calculation period: Weekly board - Last observation: Aug 24, 2026 - Update frequency: Weekly --- Cite: Lowest cost per pound of TDN (energy): hominy feed at $0.076 for energy (per lb of TDN) on a dry-matter basis, as of Aug 24, 2026 (USDA feedstuffs board). The Ration. https://the-ration.com/leaderboard/cheapest-energy Canonical URL: https://the-ration.com/leaderboard/cheapest-energy