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Dairy · Milk yield · Output

Milk solids per cow

470 kg MS/cow

Kilograms of milk solids — butterfat plus protein — produced per cow across the lactation. Most processors pay on solids rather than litres, so this is the truer measure of what a cow returns.

Worked example · Fat + protein solids per cow
470 kg MS / cow Fat Protein Fat · 256 kg Protein · 211 kg
Fat + protein solids per cow
The benchmark

Australian herds average roughly 480–520 kg milk solids per cow; grain-based, high-input systems produce considerably more.

DataGene Herd Improvement ↗
What it signals

Solids reward both volume and concentration: a cow can milk a lot of thin milk or less of rich milk. Lifting components through feeding and genetics grows the pay-cheque without adding litres to the vat.

Data required to calculate
Butterfat producedkgProtein producedkgCows milkinghead

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

How to improve it
01

Feed for components — energy for protein, effective fibre for fat.

02

Select genetics on milk-solids breeding values, not litres alone.

03

Hold body condition so cows aren’t milking off their backs.

Questions & answers

What is milk solids per cow?

Kilograms of milk solids — butterfat plus protein — produced per cow across the lactation. Most processors pay on solids rather than litres, so this is the truer measure of what a cow returns.

What data do you need to calculate milk solids per cow?

You need: Butterfat produced (kg), Protein produced (kg), Cows milking (head). Silo pulls each of these from the sources the operation already uses and keeps the figure current automatically.

What is a good milk solids per cow benchmark?

Australian herds average roughly 480–520 kg milk solids per cow; grain-based, high-input systems produce considerably more.

How do you improve milk solids per cow?

Feed for components — energy for protein, effective fibre for fat. Select genetics on milk-solids breeding values, not litres alone. Hold body condition so cows aren’t milking off their backs.

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