Dr. Dwight Roseler, Adjunct Professor, Department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University.
The one-ton dairy cow is not a cow’s body weight but a measure of performance of a dairy cow’s ability to produce a ton (2000 pounds) of milk components in a single lactation. Historically, dairy farmers were paid for pounds of milk with little economic benefit from increased milk fat and milk protein. As consumer demand has shifted from drinking milk to eating cheese, ice cream, butter and protein drinks, the demand for milk protein and butterfat has increased. Dairy farmers have increased their herd component production as evidenced by Federal Order 33 regional component changes. In the past 25 years, milkfat percentage has increased from 3.65 to 4.30% in 2025. Milk protein percentage has increased from 2.98 to 3.28%. The dairy farmer’s milk check now is weighted to payment on pounds of milkfat and milk protein. Elevated milk components are attributed to improvements in genetics, nutrition, forages, feeding, and housing. This article highlights strategic opportunities with forages and nutrition that can yield a ton or more of milk components.
One Ton Milk Components
How does a dairy cow produce one ton of milk components? Some simple math will show evidence. A Holstein cow that produces 85 lb/day of milk (~27,000 lb yearly) at a 4.2% butterfat and 3.2% milk protein will make 6.3 lb/day of components. A lactation length of 320 days (45 dry days) will annually calculate to 2000 lb of combined milkfat and milk protein. A Jersey cow producing 67 lb/day of milk (~22,500 lb yearly) at a 5.5% butterfat and 3.7% milk protein over a 320-day lactation will generate 2000 lb of components. Several top performing Holstein herds are producing milk with 4.8% fat and 3.5% protein and producing in excess of a ton of yearly components. A high production 3800 cow NY Holstein herd with a 4.3% milk fat and 3.2% milk protein and a tank average of 100 lb/cow/day is producing 7.5 lb/day of components (2400 lb annually). This is proof that high milk volume and high components can occur. An average dairy herd producing 5.1 lb/day of components produces 1600 lb of components per year. What is the economic benefit to the dairy farmer of improved milk components? The economic value of 400 lb of additional components results in increased gross yearly revenue of around $100,000 per 100 cows based upon $2.50/lb for components. The increased revenue for a specific farm will depend on the pay price for components. The return on investment (ROI) to improve milk components can range from 10:1 to negative. Each farm must calculate their potential investment to increase components. Use the marginal return ROI with your farm advisory team to determine the best management practice to implement to increase milk components on your farm. The “lowest hanging fruit” concept for ROI is implementing the fastest, easiest, and most cost-effective investment for a return. Realize that genetic, housing, and nutrition investments require several months to realize the full return as milk components increase slowly. Dairy farmers, ask your management and trusted advisor team to evaluate the “lowest hanging fruit” on your farm.
Top Component Herd Nutrition
How do dairy herds achieve higher components? This article will review three nutrition factors that support high component herds. The primary factor is feeding high levels of highly digestible forage. Highly digestible forages not only reduce purchased feed but increase component yield when properly formulated in the ration. Highly digestible forage starts with correct soil fertility along with proper harvest techniques. For alfalfa and grass forages, important are wide swath mowing, correct chop length, dense bunker silo packing, timely bunker oxygen barrier covers, and prayers for proper harvest weather. That last one requires some hand folding and head bowing! Quality forage improves rumen microbial efficiency. Cows host a coliseum of billions of beneficial rumen microbes that digest quality forage. These microbes reproduce every few minutes and daily produce billions of “Kamikaze microbes” that get digested by the cow in her 4th stomach. These microbes contain all the essential and non-essential amino acids. The priority is always feed the rumen first.
High component farms segregate the high digestible alfalfa, grass, and triticale forages in storage. This highly digestible forage then exclusively is fed to early lactation and peak production cow groups. This forage is fed primarily during the summer months. High digestible forages fed in summer months minimize the normal component reduction that occurs during hot weather.
Highly digestible forage can be identified pre-harvest with scissor field cut or during harvest. A NIR lab test for 30-hour NDF digestibility (NDFd), undigested NDF at 240 hours (uNDF240), and 7-hour starch digestion can identify quality forage. Quality corn silage will have 30 hr NDFd above 63%, uNDF240 values below 9%, kernel processing above 78%, and 7 hr starch digestion over 70%. Small grain and triticale forages will have 30 hr NDFd over 70% and uNDF240 values below 8%. Alfalfa silage will have 30 hr NDFd above 55% and uNDF240 below 15%.
Amino Acid Nutrition
High yield component herds have amino-acid balanced diets. Amino acids are the building blocks for protein synthesis. Proteins are foundational for proper growth, milk production, reproduction, and health. Amino acid-balanced diets contain the proper levels of both non-essential (synthesized from another amino acid) and the required 10 essential amino acids. Essential amino acids must be supplied in the diet.
The first limiting amino acid is the essential amino acid that first becomes deficient in the animal and will be the limitation to the cow’s udder to produce additional milk protein. The three most limiting essential amino acids in US dairy cattle diets are typically lysine, methionine, and histidine. Recent research has shown that by providing a proper balance of amino acids, both milk protein and milk fat levels can increase.
Fatty Acid Nutrition
A third factor in high component herds is proper levels of dietary fat. Fats in forages, grains, and other ingredients contain various fatty acids which when properly balanced in the dairy cow diet improves butterfat. Butterfat is made up of a combination of three types of fatty acids – denovo, preformed, and mixed.
Denovo fatty acids are small fatty acids primarily manufactured from fiber digestion in the rumen in the form of acetate and butyrate. Preformed fatty acids from long fatty acids include corn or soy oil, feed fat, or body fat. The third milk component is mixed fatty acids that are medium size fatty acids and sourced from denovo and preformed fatty acids. The majority of milk processing plants test bulk tank milk for denovo, mixed, and preformed fatty acids. Consult your milk plant manager to gain access to milk fatty acid data. Milk fatty acid data are valuable information to improving milk components.
Forages contain low levels of fatty acids. A TMR formulated to increase components includes supplemental fatty acids from grains and other ingredients. Examples of ingredients that contain high levels of preformed fatty acids are roasted soybeans (Hi Oleic), whole cottonseed, prilled fats, palm fat, calcium salts of fatty acids, and animal tallow. Ingredients with moderate to lower levels of preformed fatty acids are distiller grains, extruded soymeal, solvent soybean meal, and canola meal. TMR diets balanced properly for the fatty acids of palmitic (C16), stearic (C18), oleic (C18:1), linoleic (C18:2), linolenic (C18:3) and omega 3, 6 fats will show improved butterfat content. High oleic (Plenish) roasted soybeans show high promise in improving butterfat.
Top Component Herds
The current genomic trends in US dairy cows with selection for improved milk fat and milk protein shows that what took decades to achieve genetically can now be achieved in a few short years. Modern dairy cows today have the genetic ability to produce in excess 9 lb/day of components (3000 lb yearly). Feeding and management is advancing rapidly where dairy farmers, forage agronomists, and qualified nutritionists must apply the advances in soil fertility, forage genetics, forage harvest management, proper bunker management, amino acid balancing and fatty acid nutrition to continue to achieve profitable outcomes. Consult with your qualified nutrition advisor for a complete evaluation of your herd rations.
Information for this article is summarized from recent university research and presentations hosted by Balchem Corporation at the October 2025 Cornell Nutrition Conference.