Spreads
DDGS vs soybean meal spread
Distillers dried grains (DDGS) 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
- Distillers dried grains (DDGS)
- Soybean meal
About this data
- Source
- Derived from USDA AMS feedstuffs board prices
- Series
- DDGS vs soybean meal
- Basis
- Two feeds differenced, as-fed $/ton
- Geography
- National
- Unit
- $/ton
- Calculation
- Weekly
- Last observation
- Aug 17, 2026
- Update frequency
- Weekly
Distillers dried grains (DDGS) is $169/ton under Soybean meal on a raw as-fed basis, but on the nutrient that matters here Distillers dried grains (DDGS) is the cheaper source of a pound of crude protein this week. A price screen, not a feeding recommendation.
Distillers dried grains (DDGS) is the cheaper source of crude protein this week, at $0.318 per pound against soybean meal's $0.355. The advantage widens sharply on energy, where DDGS costs $0.107 per pound of TDN versus $0.231 for soybean meal.
| Measure | Distillers dried grains (DDGS) | Soybean meal | Difference (Distillers dried grains (DDGS) − Soybean meal) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price, $/ton as-fed | $169 | $338 | -$169 |
| Price, $/ton dry matter | $188 | $379 | -$192 |
| Cost per lb crude protein | $0.318 | $0.355 | -$0.036 |
| Cost per lb TDN (energy) | $0.107 | $0.231 | -$0.125 |
Previous weeks
Week of Aug 10, 2026
Distillers dried grains (DDGS) at $0.310 per pound of crude protein is pricing below soybean meal at $0.341 per pound, making DDGS the cheaper protein source this week. DDGS also carries a significant energy advantage at $0.104 per pound of TDN against soybean meal at $0.223 per pound.
An earlier week
Distillers dried grains (DDGS) are priced 3.3 cents per pound under soybean meal on crude protein, with a 11.9-cent advantage per pound of total digestible nutrients. The raw spread favors DDGS by $161 per ton on an as-fed basis.
An earlier week
Distillers dried grains prices at 85 percent of soybean meal's cost per pound of crude protein this week. On energy, DDGS costs 44 percent of soybean meal's cost per pound of TDN. The raw spread is $206 a ton on a dry-matter basis.
About DDGS 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. As a protein source DDGS is not a straight swap for soybean meal. Its crude protein is lower, less lysine-rich, and heat during drying can bind some of it, so DDGS replaces only part of soybean meal's protein even when it looks cheaper per pound. University of Minnesota Extension covers its use and limits in cattle 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.