# Hominy Feed Is Cheapest Energy at 76% of Corn _Aug 10, 2026_ > 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. _Numbers as of Aug 10, 2026 pull._ 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 **$154 per ton**, plant input cost) per USDA, off **2%** on the week and **9% below its 5-year median**. [Chart: Safflower meal price ($/ton, as-fed)](https://the-ration.com/ingredient/safflower-meal) ([data](https://the-ration.com/ingredient/safflower-meal.md) — chart image: https://the-ration.com/charts/issues/feed/2026-08-10/ingredient/safflower-meal.png) - **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. --- Canonical URL: https://the-ration.com/issues/2026-08-10