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Dairy · Milk yield · Yield

Litres per head

24 L/cow/day

Milk volume produced per cow per day across the lactation. The shape of the curve — how high it peaks and how well it holds — tells you as much as the headline average.

Worked example · L/cow/day across lactation
32 L peak early late
L/cow/day across lactation
The benchmark

Subtropical Queensland herds average around 6,250 L/cow/year (≈24 L/day); high-input, grain-based herds run well above.

Subtropical Dairy ↗
What it signals

Peak yield sets the ceiling for the whole lactation; persistency (how slowly cows fall away from peak) is where feeding and genetics show up. Together they drive total litres and milk income.

Data required to calculate
Total litres in the vatLCows milkingheadDays in the perioddays

Silo pulls each of these from the sources the operation already uses, and keeps the figure current automatically.

How to improve it
01

Hit peak with high-quality feed and full transition-cow management.

02

Hold persistency by matching the ration to pasture quality through the season.

03

Cull chronic low-yielders and breed for production and persistency.

Questions & answers

What is litres per head?

Milk volume produced per cow per day across the lactation. The shape of the curve — how high it peaks and how well it holds — tells you as much as the headline average.

What data do you need to calculate litres per head?

You need: Total litres in the vat (L), Cows milking (head), Days in the period (days). Silo pulls each of these from the sources the operation already uses and keeps the figure current automatically.

What is a good litres per head benchmark?

Subtropical Queensland herds average around 6,250 L/cow/year (≈24 L/day); high-input, grain-based herds run well above.

How do you improve litres per head?

Hit peak with high-quality feed and full transition-cow management. Hold persistency by matching the ration to pasture quality through the season. Cull chronic low-yielders and breed for production and persistency.

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