Dilution of Maintenance and Feed Efficiency in Dairy Cows

Maintenance energy, also known as the fixed cost of survival, is the energy a cow needs for essential body functions such as breathing, muscle contraction, digestion, and hormone production. With genetic improvements, cows use feed more efficiently, allowing higher milk production without increasing maintenance energy. This principle is called “dilution of maintenance,” where a cow producing more milk spreads the fixed maintenance cost over a greater volume of output. Although she may eat more total feed, each unit of milk carries a smaller share of the maintenance cost.

For example, imagine two cows of similar weight.

Cow B eats more feed overall, but each pound of milk costs less feed. This demonstrates dilution of maintenance in action.

Feed accounts for about half of the costs on most dairy farms. Cows that need less feed per pound of milk are more profitable, use less land, and produce less manure and greenhouse gases like methane. Efficiency, however, is not only about feed intake; it also depends on how well the feed is digested and how much is wasted. Factors such as stress, illness, hot weather, and poorly balanced rations can all reduce feed efficiency.

Feed-efficient cows produce more milk from less feed, use less land, generate less waste, and emit less methane per pound of milk. The dilution of maintenance concept is a win-win: it reduces the cost per pound of milk, reduces the environmental footprint, and enhances overall farm sustainability.

References

 - Armentano, L. and Weigel, K., 2013. Considerations for improving feed efficiency in dairy cattle. In Proc. Cornell Nutr. Conf. Feed Manuf., East Syracuse, NY. Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (pp. 37-48).

 - Bauman, D.E., McCutcheon, S.N., Steinhour, W.D., Eppard, P.J. and Sechen, S.J., 1985. Sources of variation and prospects for improvement of productive efficiency in the dairy cow: a review. Journal of Animal Science, 60(2), pp.583-592.

 - Capper, J.L., Cady, R.A. and Bauman, D.E., 2008. Increased production reduces the dairy industry’s environmental impact. In Preceedings of the Cornell Nutrition Conference fot Feed Manufactturerst. Syracuse, New York.

 - National Research Council, Committee on Animal Nutrition and Subcommittee on Dairy Cattle Nutrition, 2001. Nutrient requirements of dairy cattle: 2001. National Academies Press.

 - VandeHaar, M.J. and St-Pierre, N., 2006. Major advances in nutrition: relevance to the sustainability of the dairy industry. Journal of dairy science, 89(4), pp.1280-1291.

 - Van Soest, P.J., 1994. Nutritional ecology of the ruminant. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, USA.

Credit

 - Photo by Cavalieri

 - Image created by Adeel Arshad with BioRender.com