Spreads
Cottonseed meal vs soybean meal spread
Cottonseed 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
- Cottonseed meal
- Soybean meal
About this data
- Source
- Derived from USDA AMS feedstuffs board prices
- Series
- Cottonseed 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
Cottonseed meal is $38/ton under 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.
Cottonseed meal prices $38 per ton cheaper than soybean meal on a raw basis, but soybean meal is the cheaper protein source. Cottonseed meal costs $0.365 per pound of crude protein versus $0.355 for soybean meal. The feeds tie on energy at $0.231 per pound of TDN.
| Measure | Cottonseed meal | Soybean meal | Difference (Cottonseed meal − Soybean meal) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price, $/ton as-fed | $300 | $338 | -$38 |
| Price, $/ton dry matter | $333 | $379 | -$46 |
| Cost per lb crude protein | $0.365 | $0.355 | +$0.011 |
| Cost per lb TDN (energy) | $0.231 | $0.231 | +$0.000 |
Previous weeks
Week of Aug 10, 2026
Soybean meal is the cheaper source of a pound of crude protein this week, despite cottonseed meal's $33/ton discount on an as-fed basis. On a dry-matter basis, cottonseed meal trails by $41/ton. At the nutrient level, soybean meal costs $0.341 per pound of crude protein against cottonseed meal's $0.355, and $0.223 per pound of TDN against $0.225.
An earlier week
Soybean meal is the cheaper source of crude protein this week at $0.342 per pound, against cottonseed meal's $0.353. Raw prices show a different ranking, with cottonseed meal trading $36 a ton under soybean meal as-fed. The two feeds are pricing nearly identically on energy, with soybean meal at $0.223 per pound of TDN and cottonseed meal at $0.224.
An earlier week
Cottonseed meal is pricing $0.009 per pound cheaper than soybean meal on crude protein this week. The spread widens to $65 per ton on a dry-matter basis. Energy adds further advantage, with cottonseed meal $0.013 per pound of TDN below the benchmark.
About Cottonseed 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. Cottonseed meal substitutes for soybean meal protein in mature ruminants but not freely: its free gossypol makes it risky for swine, poultry and young calves. Oklahoma State University Extension documents gossypol toxicosis from overfeeding. Its lysine is also lower than soybean meal's. 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.