Spreads
Sunflower meal vs soybean meal spread
Sunflower 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
- Sunflower meal
- Soybean meal
About this data
- Source
- Derived from USDA AMS feedstuffs board prices
- Series
- Sunflower 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
Sunflower meal is $183/ton under Soybean meal on a raw as-fed basis, but on the nutrient that matters here Sunflower meal is the cheaper source of a pound of crude protein this week. A price screen, not a feeding recommendation.
Sunflower meal is $0.088 per pound of crude protein under soybean meal, the cheaper protein source this week. On raw pricing, sunflower meal runs $183 per ton lower, a gap that widens to $209 on a dry-matter basis. Energy favors sunflower meal as well, at $0.149 per pound of TDN against soybean meal's $0.231.
| Measure | Sunflower meal | Soybean meal | Difference (Sunflower meal − Soybean meal) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price, $/ton as-fed | $155 | $338 | -$183 |
| Price, $/ton dry matter | $170 | $379 | -$209 |
| Cost per lb crude protein | $0.266 | $0.355 | -$0.088 |
| Cost per lb TDN (energy) | $0.149 | $0.231 | -$0.082 |
Previous weeks
Week of Aug 10, 2026
Sunflower meal prices at $0.240 per pound of crude protein this week versus soybean meal's $0.341, a $0.101 advantage for sunflower on a protein basis. On energy, sunflower meal at $0.135 per pound of TDN undercuts soybean meal's $0.223 per pound by $0.088. The as-fed price gap favors sunflower meal by $185/ton.
An earlier week
Sunflower meal is 7.6 cents cheaper per pound of crude protein this week and 7.4 cents cheaper per pound of TDN. The spread on a dry-matter basis is $196 per ton in sunflower meal's favor.
An earlier week
Sunflower meal is 73.5 percent of soybean meal's cost on crude protein this week and 63.1 percent on energy. Dry-matter prices stand at $170 per ton for sunflower meal and $388 per ton for soybean meal as of July 20.
About Sunflower 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. Sunflower meal is lower in protein and much higher in fiber than soybean meal, which lowers its energy and limits it in monogastric diets. South Dakota State University Extension positions it as a rumen-degradable protein for cattle, where the fiber is tolerated; its lysine is 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.