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How much milk does a cow produce during her life?

The dairy cow average milk production

The answer to the question: “how much milk does a cow produce during her life?” differs enormously between countries. The amount of milk per year a dairy cow on average produces varies enormously by country, whereas the variation in the average number of lactations is relatively small (see Figure 2). This makes it very hard to compare dairy cow average milk production.

Figure 1, dairy cow average milk production per year and average number of lactations per cow. Average milk yield per cow differs enormously between countries. If we want to compare the milk yield between countries or between dairy herds, it makes much more sense to compare the amount of milk a dairy cow on average produces per day during her entire life. This parameter is called: Lifetime Daily Yield (LDY). The LDY will tell you how much milk does a cow produce per day from birth to her last production day.

Improving Lifetime Daily Yield to make dairy farming more sustainable

The world population is still growing and most of the arable land available for farming is already being used. To make dairy farming more sustainable, it is estimated that by 2050, the production of food should double, while reducing the impact on the environment by 50%26. How to improve milk yield in cows?

Sustainable dairy farming comes with a number of challenges;

The impact on the environment and the use of natural resources should be limited to the absolute minimum, while increasing the average milk yield per cow.
To increase milk yield, health and welfare of animals in the dairy industry must be guaranteed.
Sustainable dairy farming should provide the farmer of today and future generations with a healthy income.

For the dairy industry there is only one way to meet these 3 challenges:

Improve feed conversion ratio for cattle to make use of existing resources more efficiently.

But how much milk does a cow produce? Increasing dairy cow average milk production and thus the Lifetime Daily Yield will help to reduce the environmental footprint, guarantee the health and welfare of animals and improve the financial performance of the dairy farmer.

Increasing Lifetime Daily Yield from a veterinary perspective

Increasing average milk yield per cow and Lifetime Daily Yield of dairy cows starts with metabolic programming of dairy calves during the early rearing phase. The next 2 phases in the production cycle that have a great impact are the dry cow period and the transition to lactation. Once animals are beyond 30 days in milk, the only factor with a significant impact on dairy cow average milk production is the quality of the roughage.

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Reduce the environmental footprint of dairy farming

The amount of milk a dairy cow on average produces is key to reduce the environmental footprint

Studies carried out by the ILVO in Belgium19 have shown that the environmental impact and the use of natural resources of a dairy farm will be reduced if the number of youngstock can be reduced. If the age at first calving and the involuntary culling rate go down, the number of youngstock on a farm can be reduced and more cows producing milk can be kept.

The amount of energy per cow required for maintenance is fixed and not depending on how much milk does a cow produce. Therefore, if the milk yield per cow goes up, less feed will be required per kg of milk produced.

Increasing the Lifetime Daily Yield and dairy cow average milk production will therefore reduce the environmental footprint of dairy farming.

Improve milk yield, health and welfare of dairy cows

Increasing the resilience of dairy cows

How much milk does a cow produce? Milk processors and consumers of milk show an increasing interest in the health and welfare of dairy cows. Many of the disease problems seen in modern dairy cows reduce the feed conversion ratio for cattle and are related to a sub-optimal transition to lactation7,27,28. The metabolic diseases, lameness and mastitis often seen in the period immediately after calving have a strong negative impact on the amount of milk a dairy cow on average produces. Next to the effect on milk yield, there is a negative impact on animal welfare.

The Selko programme for sustainable dairy farming helps you to improve health and welfare of dairy cows, resulting in a smooth transition to lactation and an increase of dairy cow average milk production.

Provide the farmer of today and future generations with a healthy income

Improving feed efficiency

Financial profitability of dairy farming is depending on the question: how much milk does a cow produce? Dairy farm profitability is under continuous pressure. Dairy farming can only be sustainable if farmers can earn a living, now and in the future.

One of the most important financial parameters on a dairy farm is income over feed costs. To improve this parameter, feed conversion ratio of cattle and dairy cow average milk production should be improved. German research suggests that for a farm to be profitable, the average milk per day cow for the entire life of a cow, also known as the Lifetime Daily Yield (LDY), should be above 15 litres milk yield per cow per day 20.

The Selko programme programme for sustainable dairy farming helps you to increase dairy cow average milk production and Lifetime Daily Yield of dairy cows.

See references for this article

Make milk production more sustainable by increasing Lifetime Daily Yield

To increase milk yield in dairy cows to achieve a Lifetime Daily Yield of at least 20 kg of milk per day, the following milk yield targets must be reached19,21,22,23,24,25.

Heifers reaching a peak production of 70-73% of the herd average milk yield per cow

Cows reaching peak milk yield within 50-70 days after calving

Involuntary herd culling rate during first 100 days in milk of less than 5%

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At Selko we are committed to put our scientific insights to work in order to achieve sustainable dairy farming for farmers who are looking to transform their milk production processes and meet 3 critical demands: reducing the carbon dairy footprint, ensuring animal welfare and create an optimal financial performance.

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Latest updates on Lifetime Daily Yield

Selko Feed Additives

Making sustainable dairy farming more profitable

Selko IntelliBond

Selko IntelliBond’s increased bioavailability and the positive impact on fibre digestion and gut barrier function support well-being and optimizes lactational performance of dairy cows.A recent trial by Professor Santos at the University of Florida showed improved colostrum production, an increase of ECM production of 1.5 kg per day, an improvement of health and fertility and a reduction of the culling rate in animals fed Selko IntelliBond trace minerals for dairy cows.

Selko IntelliOpt Cr

Selko IntelliOpt Cr is a conveneient blend of Selko IntelliBond hydroxy trace minerals in and organic Selko Optimin trace minerals, combined with chromium propionate. Selko IntelliOpt Cr is the result of intensive research, resulting in a trace mineral blend that improves health and perfomance of cattle herds.

Selko LactiBute

Adding Selko LactiBute to the ration increases milk production while increasing fat and protein levels at the same time. This results in an increase of Energy Corrected Milk of 0.85-1 kg per head per day.

Selko Fytera Balance

Adding Selko Fytera Balance to the ration of dairy cows reduces systemic inflammation, resulting in an improvement of lactational performance

Selko TMR

Selko TMR® is a blend of organic acids that reduces the growth of yeasts, moulds and bacteria such as Enterobacteriaceae like Salmonella. As a result of the reduction in growth of micro-organisms, increases in temperature of the TMR are delayed by at least 6 hours in silages treated with Selko-TMR, resulting in a higher dry matter intake.

Selko Renergy®

Selko Renergy® is a blend of organic acids that modifies rumen fermentation by increasing propionate production. Propionate is a key source of energy for ruminants and is also the most efficient volatile fatty acid (VFA) produced in the rumen. More energy from propionate in the rumen increases production efficiency.

Selko TOXO HP-R

Discover the power of Selko TOXO HP-R, a mycotoxin mitigation product. Packed with a potent blend of bentonite, β-glucans, and antioxidants, this solution strengthens gut barrier function, boosts immunity, and reduces the impact of immune activation. Our trials prove it: Selko TOXO HP-R not only increases milk production but also enhances fertility in dairy cows exposed to high Fusarium mycotoxin levels.

Selko Vivalto

B vitamins play a vital role in carbohydrate, protein, and fat metabolism of dairy cows. In high yielding dairy cows, particularly those on rations that are high in fermetable carbohydrates, subacute rumen acidosis (SARA) can reduce rumen synthesis of B vitamins. As a result, dairy diets cannot always meet vitamin B requirements for dairy cattle. B Vitamin supplementation with rumen protected B vitamins in Selko Vivalto has been shown to increase milk production of dairy cows.

Selko TOXO-MX

Selko TOXO-MX is part of our Selko Mycotoxin Risk Management Programme and consists of smectite clays, which have shown to have a high binding capacity for aflatoxin B1. With the bioavailability of aflatoxin B1 reduced, the production of aflatoxin M1 is diminished, meaning lower levels are excreted into the milk.

Selko AOmix

Addressing oxidative stress in cattle with balanced diets rich in antioxidants like Selko AOmix, ensuring improved growth, immune function, and reproduction by offering optimal digestibility and full cellular delivery.

Selko | sharing scientific insights

Øg din mælkeproduktion!

En sund tarm er mere effektiv til at optage næringsstoffer i kosten, hvilket understøtter et højere produktivitetsniveau. Ved at tilsætte Selko LactiBute til foderrationen øges mælkeproduktionen, hvorved fedt- og proteinniveauet samtidig øges. Resultatet er en stigning i den energikorrigerede mælk på 0,85-1 kg pr. hoved pr. dag.

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