Spreads
Cottonseed hulls vs soybean hulls spread
Cottonseed hulls versus Soybean hulls: 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
- Cottonseed hulls
- Soybean hulls
About this data
- Source
- Derived from USDA AMS feedstuffs board prices
- Series
- Cottonseed hulls vs soybean hulls
- Basis
- Two feeds differenced, as-fed $/ton
- Geography
- National
- Unit
- $/ton
- Calculation
- Weekly
- Last observation
- Aug 17, 2026
- Update frequency
- Weekly
Cottonseed hulls is $338/ton over Soybean hulls on a raw as-fed basis, but on the nutrient that matters here Soybean hulls is the cheaper source of a pound of TDN (energy) this week. A price screen, not a feeding recommendation.
Soybean hulls is the cheaper energy source, costing $0.099 per pound of TDN against cottonseed hulls at $0.621. The price spread widens from $338 per ton as-fed to $370 per ton on a dry-matter basis. On protein, cottonseed hulls costs $3.895 per pound of crude protein versus $0.614 for soybean hulls.
| Measure | Cottonseed hulls | Soybean hulls | Difference (Cottonseed hulls − Soybean hulls) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price, $/ton as-fed | $475 | $137 | +$338 |
| Price, $/ton dry matter | $522 | $152 | +$370 |
| Cost per lb crude protein | $3.895 | $0.614 | +$3.282 |
| Cost per lb TDN (energy) | $0.621 | $0.099 | +$0.523 |
Previous weeks
Week of Aug 10, 2026
Soybean hulls is the cheaper source of energy this week at $0.094/lb TDN versus $0.621/lb for cottonseed hulls. Cottonseed hulls is $345/ton over soybean hulls on a raw as-fed basis, though the dry-matter split widens to $378/ton. On protein, cottonseed hulls costs $3.895/lb crude protein against $0.582/lb for soybean hulls.
About Cottonseed hulls vs soybean hulls 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. Cottonseed hulls are almost pure fiber, providing scratch factor rather than nutrients, while soybean hulls digest close to a grain and carry real energy value; substituting one for the other on a $/ton basis alone misleads because their fiber's fermentability is nothing alike. Mississippi State University Extension covers roughage and mill byproduct fiber sources for cattle. 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.