# Sunflower meal price USDA sunflower meal board price per ton, national fob plant median, with its cost per unit of protein and energy _Data through Aug 17, 2026 · source last checked Aug 27, 2026 · page revised Aug 27, 2026_ > Now $155/ton (fob plant) as of Aug 17, 2026, USDA, up 11% on the week. Protein costs $0.266 per lb of crude protein (75% of soybean meal); energy $0.149 per lb of TDN (142% of corn). Sunflower meal's cost per pound of crude protein runs 75% of soybean meal's. The meal firmed 10.7% on the week to $155/ton fob plant as of Aug 17; year over year it is up 47.6%. Energy pricing at 142% of corn keeps it expensive on the energy axis. ## The numbers | Period | Current | Prior | Change | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Week over week | $155/ton | $140/ton | +10.7% | | Month over month | $155/ton | $155/ton | 0.0% | | Year over year | $155/ton | $105/ton | +47.6% | | vs 4-yr median | $155/ton | $174/ton | -10.8% | ## About Sunflower meal price Sunflower meal is a protein feed, fed to raise a ration's crude-protein content. On a dry-matter basis it runs about 32% crude protein and 57% TDN, roughly 0.57 Mcal of net energy for lactation per pound of dry matter, at about 91% dry matter as fed. Those figures come from Colorado State University Extension, Feed Composition for Cattle and Sheep (Fact Sheet 1.615). Solvent, with hulls (~28-34% CP grade); high fiber lowers energy. A dehulled grade runs much higher. The leaderboard uses them to convert this week's board price into a cost per pound of protein and per pound of energy, so it can be ranked against corn and soybean meal. Prices are quoted per ton, and the cheapest board price is not the cheapest fed price once freight and moisture are counted (see the FOB-vs-delivered guide). Sunflower meal is crushed from sunflower seed once the oil, much of it now the high-oleic type prized for cooking oil, has been pressed out. The Dakotas grow the great majority of the US crop, so supply is a northern Plains story more than a Corn Belt one. Whether the hull stays in is the biggest quality swing: a with-hull meal runs lower in protein and higher in fiber, and most of what trades commercially keeps the hull in. That fiber load is why cattle rations, which tolerate it, are the main buyer, while poultry and swine use stays limited. Price generally follows soybean meal, adjusted down for the fiber and lower lysine. ## About this data - Source: USDA AMS feedstuffs board - Series: Sunflower meal board price - Basis: FOB plant preferred, national cross-region median - Geography: National - Unit: $/ton - Calculation period: Weekly cross-region median - Last observation: Aug 17, 2026 - Update frequency: Weekly --- Cite: Sunflower meal price is $155/ton as of Aug 17, 2026 (USDA feedstuffs board). The Ration. https://the-ration.com/ingredient/sunflower-meal Canonical URL: https://the-ration.com/ingredient/sunflower-meal