Feed Cost Calculator
Enter your herd parameters and ration costs to calculate your feeding efficiency.
Total Herd Feeding Expenses
How to Use This Calculator
Choose Your Units
Select either the US System (pounds, US tons, hundredweights) or the Metric System (kilograms, metric tonnes, liters) using the toggle at the top.
Enter Intake Data
Input your average daily milk production per cow and the Dry Matter Intake (DMI). DMI is the amount of feed consumed minus its water content.
Set Forage & Costs
Use the slider to set your Forage-to-Concentrate ratio. Then enter the average cost per ton (Dry Matter basis) for your forages and your concentrates.
Analyze Efficiency
Review your Feed Cost per cwt (or liter) and Feed Efficiency ratio. The calculator color-codes these metrics to show if your ration is highly profitable (green) or needs attention (red).
The Economics of Dairy Feed
Feed is the absolute largest expense on any dairy farm, accounting for 50% to 70% of total operating costs. How efficiently you convert that feed into milk determines your farm's survival and profitability.
Why Feed Cost per cwt Matters
Looking at the total feed bill doesn't tell the whole story. If your total feed bill goes up, but your cows produce significantly more milk, your feed cost per unit of milk might actually go down. This is why we measure Feed Cost per cwt (Hundredweight) in the US, or Feed Cost per Liter in metric regions.
- Excellent: Under $9.00 / cwt
- Good/Average: $9.00 to $11.00 / cwt
- Danger Zone: Over $12.00 / cwt (Margins become very tight unless milk prices are exceptionally high)
Note: These benchmarks fluctuate based on global commodity markets like corn and soybean prices.
Understanding Feed Efficiency
Feed efficiency answers a simple question: How many pounds (or kg) of milk do you get for every pound (or kg) of dry feed the cow eats?
Feed Efficiency Formula
Example: A cow eating 50 lbs of DMI and producing 80 lbs of milk has a feed efficiency of 1.6.
📈 High Efficiency (1.5 - 1.8)
A higher number means the cow is highly efficient at converting feed to milk. This usually happens in early-to-mid lactation cows fed a highly digestible, perfectly balanced ration. In multi-parous cows (older cows), efficiencies of 1.6+ are excellent targets.
📉 Low Efficiency (< 1.3)
A lower number indicates poor feed conversion. This is common in late lactation cows, cows suffering from heat stress, or herds fed poorly digestible forage (high lignin/NDF). It means you are spending more money on feed to get the same amount of milk.
5 Proven Strategies to Lower Feed Costs
1. Reduce Feed Shrink
Shrink is feed you pay for but cows never eat. It blows away in the wind, gets ruined by rain in the bunker, gets eaten by birds/rodents, or gets tossed out of the feed bunk. Reducing shrink from 10% to 5% on a 100-cow dairy can save over $10,000 annually. Keep bunkers covered and face them neatly.
2. Maximize Forage Quality
High-quality forage is the cheapest energy and protein source on the farm. Harvesting corn silage and alfalfa at the exact right maturity increases digestibility. Highly digestible forage means you don't have to buy as much expensive corn or soybean meal to compensate.
3. Target Amino Acid Feeding
Instead of overfeeding crude protein (like expensive soybean meal) to ensure cows get what they need, modern nutritionists formulate for specific amino acids (Lysine and Methionine). This allows you to lower total dietary crude protein (saving money) while maintaining or increasing milk yield.
4. Utilize Byproduct Feeds
Depending on your region, alternative feeds like brewers grains, citrus pulp, almond hulls, or distillers grains can offer energy and protein at a lower cost per nutrient than standard corn and soy. Work with your nutritionist to price out alternatives.
5. Group Cows by Production Level
Feeding a "one-size-fits-all" Total Mixed Ration (TMR) means you are overfeeding expensive nutrients to late-lactation cows, wasting money. Grouping cows by production (high, medium, low/late) allows you to feed cheaper, higher-forage rations to cows that don't need the dense, expensive concentrates.
Learn More
Deep dive into the concepts behind this calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you calculate dairy cow feed cost per day?
To calculate daily feed cost per cow, multiply the daily dry matter intake (DMI) of each feed ingredient by its cost per unit (e.g., pound or kg). For example, if a cow eats 30 lbs of forage at $0.05/lb and 20 lbs of concentrate at $0.15/lb, the daily cost is (30 * $0.05) + (20 * $0.15) = $1.50 + $3.00 = $4.50 per cow per day.
What is a good feed cost per cwt of milk?
A profitable feed cost per hundredweight (cwt) of milk typically ranges between $8.00 and $11.00, depending on global commodity prices and regional forage availability. Keeping feed costs below 50% of your total milk check revenue is a standard benchmark for profitability.
How much feed does a lactating dairy cow eat per day?
A high-producing Holstein dairy cow typically consumes 50 to 60 pounds (22 to 27 kg) of Dry Matter (DM) per day. On an 'as-fed' basis (including the water weight in silages), this can equate to 100 to 120 pounds of actual feed per day.
What is Feed Efficiency in dairy cattle?
Feed efficiency is the ratio of milk produced to feed consumed. It is calculated by dividing pounds of energy-corrected milk by pounds of dry matter intake (DMI). A good benchmark for lactating dairy cows is 1.4 to 1.8. This means a cow produces 1.4 to 1.8 lbs of milk for every 1 lb of dry feed she eats.
Why is feed the highest cost in dairy farming?
Feed represents 50% to 70% of the total operating costs on a dairy farm because high-producing cows require massive amounts of energy and protein to sustain lactation. Purchasing concentrates, growing forage, and managing feed shrink all contribute heavily to this expense.
What is 'feed shrink' and how does it affect costs?
Feed shrink is the loss of feed from the time it is harvested or purchased until the cow actually consumes it. It occurs due to wind, birds, rodents, spoilage in the silo, and spillage at the feed bunk. Reducing shrink from 10% to 5% can save a medium-sized dairy tens of thousands of dollars annually.