# 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 17, 2026 · source last checked Aug 27, 2026 · page revised Aug 27, 2026_ > Lowest cost per pound of TDN this week is Hominy feed at $0.076 per lb of TDN, 72% of corn's cost. This is a price screen on a single nutrient, not a feeding recommendation. Data week of Aug 17, 2026, USDA feedstuffs board. Hominy feed prices at $0.076 per pound of TDN this week, 72 percent of corn's cost. Wheat middlings and soybean hulls follow at 91 and 94 percent of the benchmark. Corn prices the energy anchor at $163 per ton. Data through Aug 17, 2026 from the USDA feedstuffs board. ## 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 | 72% | $0.592 | Grain co-product | | Wheat middlings | $135 | $0.096 | 91% | $0.417 | Grain co-product | | Soybean hulls | $137 | $0.099 | 94% | $0.614 | Fiber and forage | | Corn (US #2 yellow) | $163 | $0.105 | 100% | $0.973 | Benchmark grain | | Distillers dried grains (DDGS) | $169 | $0.107 | 102% | $0.318 | Grain co-product | | Rice bran | $138 | $0.110 | 105% | $0.519 | Grain co-product | | Wheat millrun | $153 | $0.113 | 108% | $0.498 | Grain co-product | | Corn gluten feed | $203 | $0.144 | 137% | $0.473 | Grain co-product | | Sunflower meal | $155 | $0.149 | 142% | $0.266 | Plant protein meal | | Safflower meal | $165 | $0.162 | 154% | $0.378 | Plant protein meal | | Linseed meal | $242 | $0.174 | 166% | $0.353 | Plant protein meal | | Whole cottonseed | $375 | $0.217 | 206% | $0.886 | Plant protein meal | | Soybean meal | $338 | $0.231 | 220% | $0.355 | Plant protein meal | | Cottonseed meal | $300 | $0.231 | 220% | $0.365 | Plant protein meal | | Canola meal | $345 | $0.259 | 247% | $0.485 | Plant protein meal | | Corn gluten meal | $490 | $0.302 | 288% | $0.406 | Plant protein meal | | Feather meal | $435 | $0.333 | 317% | $0.269 | Animal by-product | | Meat and bone meal | $460 | $0.345 | 328% | $0.445 | Animal by-product | | Alfalfa meal | $410 | $0.373 | 355% | $1.231 | Fiber and forage | | Cottonseed hulls | $475 | $0.621 | 592% | $3.895 | Fiber and forage | | Blood meal | $1250 | $0.944 | 898% | $0.723 | 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 17, 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 17, 2026 (USDA feedstuffs board). The Ration. https://the-ration.com/leaderboard/cheapest-energy Canonical URL: https://the-ration.com/leaderboard/cheapest-energy