Spreads
Canola meal vs soybean meal spread
Canola meal versus Soybean meal: the raw $/ton spread, on a dry-matter basis, and on cost per pound of protein and energy
Data through Aug 17, 2026 · source last checked Aug 27, 2026 · page revised Aug 27, 2026
Cite
- Canola meal
- Soybean meal
About this data
- Source
- Derived from USDA AMS feedstuffs board prices
- Series
- Canola meal vs soybean meal
- Basis
- Two feeds differenced, as-fed $/ton
- Geography
- National
- Unit
- $/ton
- Calculation
- Weekly
- Last observation
- Aug 17, 2026
- Update frequency
- Weekly
Canola meal is $7/ton over Soybean meal on a raw as-fed basis, but on the nutrient that matters here Soybean meal is the cheaper source of a pound of crude protein this week. A price screen, not a feeding recommendation.
Soybean meal is cheaper on protein at $0.355 per pound of crude protein versus canola meal's $0.485, a $0.131 per pound spread. On energy, soybean meal runs $0.231 per pound of TDN against $0.259 for canola meal. Canola meal prices $7 per ton higher on an as-fed basis, but only $4 per ton higher on a dry-matter basis.
| Measure | Canola meal | Soybean meal | Difference (Canola meal − Soybean meal) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price, $/ton as-fed | $345 | $338 | +$7 |
| Price, $/ton dry matter | $383 | $379 | +$4 |
| Cost per lb crude protein | $0.485 | $0.355 | +$0.131 |
| Cost per lb TDN (energy) | $0.259 | $0.231 | +$0.028 |
Previous weeks
Week of Aug 10, 2026
Soybean meal costs $0.144 per pound less on crude protein than canola meal this week. On energy, soybean meal runs $0.036 per pound lower on TDN. On a raw as-fed basis, canola meal is $20/ton over soybean meal.
An earlier week
Soybean meal is the cheaper source of crude protein at $0.342 per pound versus $0.450 for canola meal, and cheaper on energy at $0.223 per pound of TDN versus $0.240. Canola meal quotes $6 a ton under soybean meal on a raw-feed basis, but its nutrient-cost disadvantage erases the discount.
An earlier week
Canola meal prices $25 a ton under soybean meal on an as-fed basis, but soybean meal is the cheaper protein source this week at $0.362 per pound of crude protein to canola meal's $0.450. On energy, the two run nearly even, with soybean meal at $0.236 per pound of TDN and canola meal at $0.240.
About Canola meal vs soybean meal spread
A raw $/ton spread is the starting point, not the answer. Two feeds at the same $/ton can deliver very different amounts of protein and energy per ton of dry matter, so the table above also shows each feed on a dry-matter basis and as a cost per pound of crude protein and per pound of TDN, the same math the nutrient-cost screening board runs.
Basis: both are quoted fob plant, so the raw $/ton gap is a like-for-like comparison before freight.
Nutritional limits. Canola meal runs lower in crude protein and energy than soybean meal, so more is needed to match its protein, and its fiber limits use in young monogastrics. Modern canola is bred low in the glucosinolates that constrained older rapeseed meal; NDSU Extension covers oilseed meals in ruminant diets. This is a price screen on one or two nutrients, not a feeding recommendation: inclusion rates, amino-acid balance, effective fiber and palatability are the nutritionist's call, not a price table's.