Hominy Feed Is Cheapest Energy at 76% of Corn

Hominy feed is this week's cheapest energy source on the USDA feedstuffs board at $0.076 per pound of TDN (dry-matter basis, book-value TDN coefficient from published feed composition tables), 76% of corn's cost per pound of TDN. Wheat middlings and soybean hulls follow at 93% and 94% of corn. Corn (US #2 yellow) fell to $4.31 per bushel (about $154 per ton, plant input cost) per USDA, off 2% on the week and 9% below its 5-year median.

• Protein board: Feather meal leads at $0.262 per lb of crude protein (77% of soybean meal's cost per lb of CP, dry-matter basis) per USDA. Sunflower meal is second at $0.266 per lb of CP (78% of soybean meal). Less than half a cent per pound separates them.
• DDGS, ~$164/ton: Protein at 90% of soybean meal and energy at 104% of corn on a cost-per-unit-of-nutrient, dry-matter basis per USDA. DDGS supply in summer tracks ethanol run rates.
• WDGS, Kansas, unspecified basis: $48/ton, up 1% week over week per USDA and 34% below the 5-year median. The wet form carries significant moisture and cannot be compared directly to dry feeds without a dry-matter adjustment.
• Wheat millrun, Pacific Northwest and Portland (OR), delivered: $155/ton, up 3% week over week per USDA and 33% below the 5-year median.
• Yellow grease, California (Central Coast), FOB plant: $65/ton, unchanged on the week per USDA but 91% above the 5-year median. San Joaquin Valley delivered is at $67/ton, 43% above the 5-year median.
• Safflower meal, California (San Joaquin Valley), FOB plant: $165/ton, 38% below the 5-year median per USDA. Not scored on the leaderboard; no verified dry-matter nutrient coefficient is on file from a primary feed table.

Benchmarks: Soybean meal is $326/ton FOB per USDA, the protein anchor. Corn is $154/ton (plant input cost), 9% under its 5-year median.

Data note: 39 series including alfalfa pellets, almond hulls and barley have not updated in over two weeks per USDA; treat any figure from those as stale.