Factors Affecting Feed Efficiency of Dairy Cows

Feed efficiency (FE) is a concept that has gained popularity in recent years in the dairy industry. Monitoring FE is becoming a more common benchmark for monitoring the profitability of milk production relative to dry matter (DM) intake. In today’s markets, feeds and commodities are becoming more costly, which is driving the requirement for more efficient utilization to maintain profitability. The goal of the dairy operation should be to maximize the efficiency of converting feed into milk, which adds the caveat of reducing manure production as well. How efficiently a dairy cow converts feed into milk can affect the dairy operation’s bottom line, which during tough economic conditions, can be the difference between producing milk at a profit or a loss. Other livestock industries have used FE as a benchmark for profitability. Many articles have been written on what FE is, how to measure and calculate FE, and what factors influence FE. This presentation will be to focus the discussion on those biological mechanisms that control the efficient utilization of feeds by the dairy cow, especially DM and fiber digestibility. The understanding of these fundamental mechanisms will enable management decisions on the dairy operation to be implemented that will further improve or enhance FE. Introduction