Feed Budgeting for Dairy Herds: Planning Forage Needs

By Dr. Zubair Khalid, DVM, MS, PhD · 2026-08-14

Key Takeaways

Dry Matter Intake (DMI) is foundational: Lactating cows require 3.5-4.0% of body weight in DMI, with forage comprising 40-60% of this, while dry cows and heifers need 2.0-2.5% of body weight in DMI, with forage making up 75-100%.
Account for "shrink" and a buffer: Factor in 5-15% loss for hay and 8-20% for silage due to storage and feeding, and add a 10-15% management buffer for unforeseen events like poor harvests or extended winters.
Forage quality dictates animal group allocation: High-quality forage is essential for lactating cows, while lower-quality forage can be utilized by dry cows and heifers, necessitating separate testing and inventory management by cutting and location.
Monthly monitoring is critical: Regularly compare actual feed disappearance against the budget, adjusting feeding rates or procurement plans to prevent shortages, as a deviation of over 10% for two consecutive months signals a problem.
Accurate recordkeeping is paramount: Maintain detailed records of forage harvest data (yield, DM, quality tests), storage location, and monthly inventory changes to refine future budgets and replace generic estimates with farm-specific data.

A dairy herd only produces as well as its feed program allows. Forage is the foundation of that program, and running out of quality silage or hay mid-winter is a costly crisis that no dairy producer wants to face. This guide covers the complete process of dairy feed budgeting, from estimating herd requirements to planning storage and monitoring inventory. It is written for dairy farm owners, herd managers, and anyone responsible for purchasing or growing feed for a dairy operation. You will learn how to calculate forage needs, account for storage losses, build a practical feed inventory, and adjust your plan when conditions change.

At a Glance

Calculate dry matter intake first. A mature Holstein cow producing 80 pounds of milk needs roughly 50 to 55 pounds of dry matter per day, with 50 to 60 percent of that coming from forage.
Know your herd's actual numbers. Use current milk production, body weight, and dry cow counts rather than generic averages for your dairy feed budgeting.
Account for shrink. Storage and feeding losses typically range from 5 to 15 percent for hay and 8 to 20 percent for silage depending on storage method and management.
Plan for at least 12 months of forage. A full year of inventory protects against drought, harvest delays, and unexpected herd growth.
Test your forage. Nutrient content varies by cutting, field, and harvest year. Feed budgets based on old test results will be wrong.
Build in a buffer. Keep a 10 to 15 percent reserve above calculated needs for weather events, poor harvests, or extended winters.
Monitor monthly. Compare actual disappearance against your budget and adjust feeding rates before you run short.
Store records by harvest date and location. Without clear identification, you cannot match forage quality to the right group of cows.

Understanding Dairy Feed Budgeting

Dairy feed budgeting is the process of matching the forage and feed you have on hand against what your herd will consume over a defined period, usually one year. It is a planning tool that answers one central question: do I have enough feed to get my cows through until the next harvest?

The consequences of getting this wrong are severe. A herd that runs out of forage in February faces three bad options. You can buy hay or silage at peak winter prices, which may be double the cost of homegrown feed. You can cut ration quality, which drops milk production and can cause metabolic disease. Or you can cull cows early to reduce demand, which shrinks your milking herd and future income. All three options cost more than the time spent planning correctly.

Forage planning for dairy is not just about total tons. It is about matching the right quality of forage to the right group of animals. Lactating cows need high-energy, high-protein forage. Dry cows and heifers can use lower-quality forage. A feed budget that only tracks total tons will fail if all you have is mature, stemmy hay when the milking herd needs leafy first-cutting silage.

This article treats feed budgeting as a year-round management system, not a one-time calculation. You build the budget before harvest, refine it as harvest data comes in, and monitor it through the feeding season. The system works for any herd size, from 50 cows to 5,000. The math scales up and down. What does not change is the need for accurate records and regular review.

Why Feed Budgets Fail

Before you build a budget, it helps to understand why they fail on many farms. The most common cause is guessing instead of measuring. A producer looks at the silo or the hay shed and estimates "that looks like enough." Visual estimates are almost always wrong. Piles settle, hay bales vary in weight, and towers hold more than they appear to.

Another common failure is using outdated numbers. Cow weights change, milk production shifts with genetics and management, and forage quality varies by year. A budget built on last year's numbers is a starting point at best. It is not a reliable plan.

Some budgets fail because they ignore storage and feeding losses. The silage that goes into the bunker is not the same weight that comes out the other end. Fermentation losses, surface spoilage, and feed refusal all reduce usable feed. A budget that does not account for shrink will overestimate available forage by a significant margin.

Finally, budgets fail when nobody updates them. A budget written in September and filed away until spring is a historical document, not a management tool. Herd size changes, cows eat more than projected, or harvest comes up short. Without monthly monitoring, you will not know you are off track until the feed is almost gone.

Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Dairy Feed Budget

Building a reliable feed budget follows a logical sequence. Work through these steps in order and write down every number. Do not rely on memory. A written budget that you can review and revise is the goal.

Step 1: Define the Planning Period

Your planning period should cover the gap between harvests. For most operations, that is a full 12 months. If you harvest corn silage in September and haylage through the summer, your planning year runs from one main harvest to the next.

Set specific start and end dates. Write them down. A common approach is to plan from October 1 to September 30, matching a typical corn silage harvest. Your dates will depend on your region and cropping system. The key is to have a defined period so you can track progress against the plan.

Step 2: Inventory Your Current Herd

List every animal group on the farm and count the animals in each group. Your groups should include:

Lactating cows, split by production level if you feed multiple rations
Dry cows in the far-off period
Dry cows in the close-up period
Springing heifers
Growing heifers by age group
Bulls or other animals that eat forage

For each group, record the average body weight. If you do not have scale weights, use breed averages from your dairy records or a reputable breed association. Body weight drives dry matter intake estimates, so accurate numbers matter.

Also record current milk production for the lactating herd. Use the actual rolling herd average or current tank weights, not the breed average or a genetic potential figure. The cows in your barn right now are the ones you are feeding.

Step 3: Estimate Dry Matter Intake

Dry matter intake is the foundation of all feed budgeting. Cows eat a certain amount of dry matter per day, and forage makes up a predictable share of that total.

A reasonable starting estimate for a mature Holstein cow is:

Dry matter intake of 3.5 to 4.0 percent of body weight for lactating cows
Dry matter intake of 2.0 to 2.5 percent of body weight for dry cows
Dry matter intake of 2.0 to 2.5 percent of body weight for growing heifers

For a 1,400-pound Holstein producing 80 pounds of milk, dry matter intake will be roughly 52 to 56 pounds per day. A 1,300-pound cow producing 60 pounds of milk will eat about 46 to 50 pounds of dry matter. Higher-producing cows eat more per pound of body weight because their energy demand is greater.

You can use a more detailed approach that adjusts for production level. A common formula for lactating cows is:

Dry matter intake in pounds = (0.372 x fat-corrected milk) + (0.0968 x body weight to the 0.75 power)

This formula accounts for both maintenance and production needs. For most planning purposes, the simpler percentage-of-body-weight method with a production adjustment is accurate enough.

Forage intake is not the same as total dry matter intake. Forage makes up 40 to 60 percent of the ration for lactating cows, depending on whether you feed byproducts, grains, and other concentrates. High-producing herds often run at the lower end of that range because they need more energy-dense concentrates. Dry cows and heifers should get 75 to 100 percent of their dry matter from forage.

Step 4: Calculate Daily Forage Needs Per Group

For each animal group, multiply the number of animals by the average dry matter intake to get total group dry matter intake. Then multiply by the forage percentage to get daily forage dry matter need.

Example for a lactating group:

100 cows at 1,400 pounds average body weight
Dry matter intake at 3.8 percent of body weight = 53.2 pounds per cow per day
Total group dry matter intake = 5,320 pounds per day
Forage at 50 percent of ration = 2,660 pounds of forage dry matter per day

Do this calculation for every group. Write each group's daily forage dry matter need in a table so you can refer to it throughout the year.

Step 5: Convert Dry Matter to As-Fed and As-Stored Basis

Forage is not all dry matter. Silage runs 30 to 40 percent dry matter, haylage runs 40 to 60 percent, and baled hay runs 85 to 90 percent. Your feed budget must work in as-fed or as-stored tons because that is what you handle and store.

The conversion is simple:

As-fed weight = dry matter weight divided by dry matter percentage

If you need 2,660 pounds of forage dry matter per day and your corn silage is 35 percent dry matter, you need:

2,660 / 0.35 = 7,600 pounds of as-fed corn silage per day

That is 3.8 tons per day for that one group. Over 365 days, that group alone needs 1,387 tons of corn silage as stored.

Do this conversion for every forage type you feed. A typical ration uses multiple forages, so calculate each one separately.

Step 6: Add Storage and Feeding Losses

No feed system delivers 100 percent of what goes into storage. Losses happen at harvest, during fermentation, at feedout, and at the bunk. Your feed budget must include these losses or you will come up short.

Typical shrink factors by storage method are:

Bunker silo with good management: 8 to 12 percent loss
Bunker silo with poor management: 15 to 25 percent loss
Upright silo: 5 to 10 percent loss
Silage bags: 5 to 10 percent loss
Hay stored inside: 3 to 5 percent loss
Hay stored outside uncovered: 10 to 20 percent loss
Round bales stored outside: 15 to 30 percent loss

Apply the shrink factor to your total as-stored tons. If your calculated need is 1,387 tons of corn silage and you expect 12 percent shrink, you need to store:

1,387 / (1 - 0.12) = 1,576 tons as-stored

The difference of 189 tons is your buffer against losses. If you skip this step, you will run out of feed before the next harvest no matter how carefully you feed.

Step 7: Add a Management Buffer

Beyond physical shrink, add a management buffer of 10 to 15 percent. This buffer covers:

A wetter-than-normal harvest that reduces dry matter per ton
A dry year that cuts yields
A longer-than-normal winter that extends the feeding period
Cows eating more than projected
An unexpected increase in herd size

Add this buffer on top of the shrink-adjusted total. Using the example above:

1,576 tons x 1.10 = 1,734 tons of corn silage to store

This number is your target for harvest. If you cannot store that much, you know now, in advance, that you need to buy feed or reduce herd size. That is the value of planning.

Step 8: Calculate Forage Production Needs

If you grow your own forage, convert storage needs to acres. This step requires yield estimates from your fields and your cropping history.

Divide the tons needed by the expected yield per acre. If you expect 20 tons per acre of corn silage as-stored at 35 percent dry matter, and you need 1,734 tons, you need:

1,734 / 20 = 87 acres of corn silage

For hay or haylage, use your typical yield per acre per cutting and multiply by the number of cuttings you expect. Be conservative with yield estimates. A drought year or a wet harvest can cut yields by 30 percent or more.

If your acreage cannot produce the needed tons, you have three options before harvest: rent more ground, plan to buy feed, or reduce herd size. Making that decision in the spring is far cheaper than making it in January.

Step 9: Account for Forage Quality

A feed budget in tons is not enough. You also need to budget for quality. The milking herd needs forage with adequate energy and protein. Dry cows and heifers can use lower-quality forage.

Test your standing forage before harvest if possible. Use a forage testing service to check dry matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, and energy values. At harvest, test each field or cutting separately. Store the results with the location of that forage in your storage system.

When you build rations, match forage quality to animal groups. High-quality first-cutting haylage goes to the high-producing group. Lower-quality hay or mature silage goes to dry cows and heifers. If you only have one quality of forage, your ration balancing will be constrained and you will need more concentrate to compensate.

Forage quality also affects intake. Cows eat more of a highly digestible forage than a low-quality one. A ration built around poor-quality forage will not support the same milk production as one built around good-quality forage. Your feed budget should reflect realistic intake based on the quality you actually have.

Estimating Forage Needs for Different Herd Groups

Different groups of dairy animals have different forage needs. A single number for the whole herd will not work. Here is how to estimate forage needs for each major group.

Lactating Cows

Lactating cows are the largest forage consumers on most dairy farms. They also need the highest quality forage. Dry matter intake for lactating cows ranges from 3.5 to 4.2 percent of body weight, with higher producers at the upper end.

Forage percentage of the ration varies with the feeding program. Total mixed rations typically include 45 to 55 percent forage on a dry matter basis. High-producing herds at peak lactation may drop to 40 percent forage to fit more energy-dense concentrates. Low-producing cows in late lactation can handle 60 percent forage.

Calculate the lactating group as a single unit if all cows get the same ration. If you feed multiple rations by production level, calculate each subgroup separately. The sum of the subgroups is your total lactating herd need.

Dry Cows

Dry cows need 2.0 to 2.5 percent of body weight in dry matter, almost all of it from forage. A 1,400-pound dry cow eats 28 to 35 pounds of dry matter per day, nearly all forage.

Far-off dry cows (the first 4 to 5 weeks of the dry period) can eat lower-quality forage. Close-up dry cows (the last 3 weeks before calving) need better-quality forage to maintain intake and prepare for lactation. Separate these groups in your feed budget if you feed them differently.

Dry cows are often forgotten in feed planning because they are not producing milk. But a 100-cow herd with 15 dry cows needs 420 to 525 pounds of forage dry matter per day just for the dry group. Over a 60-day dry period, that is 25 to 32 tons of dry matter. Ignoring dry cows in your budget is a recipe for running short.

Growing Heifers

Heifers eat less than lactating cows but they eat for a long time. A heifer raised from weaning to calving at 24 months will consume roughly 2.5 to 3.5 tons of forage dry matter over her growing period, depending on breed and growth rate.

Estimate heifer needs by age group. Younger heifers eat less per day but need higher-quality forage. Older heifers eat more but tolerate lower quality. Use the same dry matter intake calculation as for dry cows: 2.0 to 2.5 percent of body weight.

If you are raising 30 replacement heifers per year and they average 800 pounds through the growing period, their daily dry matter intake is about 16 to 20 pounds per head. That group needs 480 to 600 pounds of forage dry matter per day. Over a year, that is 87 to 110 tons of dry matter. Add that to your budget.

Special Groups

Do not forget bulls, hospital cows, and calves. Hospital cows may eat less but they are still in the herd. Bulls are often large and eat more than expected. Calves on milk or milk replacer eat limited forage but still need some for rumen development. Include all forage consumers in your budget so nothing is missed.

Managing Forage Inventory Through the Year

A feed budget is a living document. You build it before harvest, but you must track actual feed use through the year and compare it to the plan.

Set Up a Tracking System

The simplest tracking system is a monthly inventory check. On the first of each month, measure or estimate the remaining feed in each storage structure. Write it down. Compare it to your expected usage from the budget.

For bunker silos, measure the face area and use the settled density to estimate remaining tons. For upright silos, use the silo capacity chart from the manufacturer. For hay, count bales and apply an average bale weight.

Record the date of each inventory check and the amount remaining. Over time, you will build a history of actual feed disappearance that is more accurate than any estimate.

Compare Actual to Budget

Each month, calculate the difference between the budgeted feed use and the actual feed disappearance. If cows are eating more than budgeted, adjust the feeding rate or plan to buy feed. If they are eating less, you have a surplus that can carry into next year.

A simple rule is to track the percentage of the feeding period completed against the percentage of feed consumed. If you are 40 percent through the feeding period but have consumed 50 percent of the silage, you are using feed too fast. You need to find out why and correct it.

Adjust for Changing Conditions

Several conditions can change your feed budget mid-year:

Milk production rises or falls, changing dry matter intake
Cows are culled or added, changing herd size
A wet harvest produces lower dry matter silage than planned
Winter lasts longer than normal, extending the feeding period

Any of these changes should trigger a budget revision. Do not wait until the feed is almost gone to recalculate. A monthly review will catch problems early when you still have options.

Make Decisions Early

If your inventory check shows you will run short, make decisions early. Buying feed in November is cheaper than buying in February. Selling cull cows in November captures higher prices than selling in February. Feeding a slightly lower-quality forage to dry cows to stretch the good forage for the milking herd is a management decision you can make now, not an emergency reaction later.

Feed Storage Planning for Dairy Operations

Storage planning is part of feed budgeting because the amount you can store limits the amount you can feed. Before harvest, confirm that your storage capacity matches your budgeted needs.

Silage Storage

Bunker silos and piles require enough floor space and wall height to hold the planned tonnage. The settled density of corn silage in a bunker is typically 40 to 45 pounds of dry matter per cubic foot. Haylage is lighter, at 35 to 40 pounds of dry matter per cubic foot.

Calculate the volume needed by dividing the tons of dry matter by the density. A bunker that holds 1,000 tons of corn silage at 35 percent dry matter needs to hold 350 tons of dry matter. At 42 pounds of dry matter per cubic foot, that is about 16,667 cubic feet. A bunker 20 feet wide, 10 feet tall, and 83 feet long holds that volume.

If your storage is too small, you have options. You can build temporary storage, use silage bags, or sell some forage as a standing crop. All of these are better than harvesting forage with nowhere to store it.

Hay Storage

Hay needs dry storage. A barn or shed protects hay from weather and reduces dry matter loss. If you store hay outside, cover it with tarps or plastic and place it on well-drained ground to prevent bottom spoilage.

Calculate hay storage space by the bale. A standard small square bale is about 14 by 18 by 36 inches and weighs 40 to 60 pounds. A large round bale is 5 feet in diameter and 5 feet wide, weighing 1,000 to 1,500 pounds. A large square bale is 3 by 3 by 8 feet and weighs 800 to 1,200 pounds.

Stack hay to allow air circulation and prevent moisture buildup. Leave space between stacks for inspection and for rodent control.

Silage Bags

Silage bags are a flexible storage option that can be sized to your harvest. Bags come in diameters from 6 to 12 feet and lengths that match your tonnage. A 9-foot diameter bag holds about 250 tons of corn silage at 35 percent dry matter per 100 feet of bag length.

Bags require a flat, well-drained site with room for the bagger and the loader. Plan the bag layout so you can feed out in order without driving over other bags. Check bags regularly for tears and patch them immediately to prevent spoilage.

Inventory and Identification

Every storage structure should be clearly labeled with the forage type, harvest date, dry matter content, and quality test results. This information lets you match forage to the right animal group and track inventory accurately.

Keep a storage map that shows what is in each silo, bag, or pile and where it is located. Update the map after each harvest and after each inventory check. A simple spreadsheet works well for this purpose.

Common Mistakes in Dairy Feed Budgeting

Even experienced producers make mistakes in feed budgeting. Here are the most common ones and how to avoid them.

Mistake 1: Using Book Values Instead of Actual Test Results

Published tables of forage nutrient values are averages from many farms. Your forage will differ. A corn silage crop harvested at the right moisture with good fermentation may test higher in energy than the book value. A crop harvested too wet or too dry will test lower.

Always test your forage and use the actual results in your ration and budget calculations. Test each storage structure separately because quality varies across fields and harvest dates.

Mistake 2: Ignoring Dry Matter Changes

Silage dry matter changes during storage. Water evaporates from the face, and fermentation consumes dry matter. A silo that tested 35 percent dry matter at harvest may test 38 percent at feedout. If you keep using the harvest dry matter value, you will feed less dry matter than you think.

Test silage dry matter monthly during feedout. Adjust feeding rates to maintain the target dry matter intake. This is especially important in winter when silage can freeze or in summer when the face dries out quickly.

Mistake 3: Forgetting About the Dry Cow and Heifer Groups

Dry cows and heifers are easy to overlook because they do not produce milk. But they consume a significant share of the forage. A 100-cow herd with 15 dry cows and 30 heifers may have 45 non-lactating animals eating forage. That is nearly a third of the herd's total forage consumption.

Include every group in your feed budget. Calculate each group's needs separately and add them together. The total may surprise you.

Mistake 4: Not Accounting for Refusals

Cows do not eat everything offered. Feed refusals, called orts, can run 2 to 5 percent of the ration offered. If you push up feed frequently and manage the bunk well, refusals stay low. If you overfeed or the ration is unpalatable, refusals rise.

Subtract expected refusals from your feed budget. If you plan for 3 percent refusals, add that to the total feed you need to store.

Mistake 5: Guessing Storage Capacity

A silo or bunker that "looks full" may hold far less than you think. Settling reduces volume, and the actual density depends on packing, particle size, and moisture.

Measure your storage structures and calculate capacity from dimensions and expected density. Do this before harvest so you know exactly how much room you have.

Mistake 6: Setting the Budget and Forgetting It

A feed budget is not a one-time exercise. It is a management tool that requires monthly review and revision. The farms that run out of feed are the ones that never check their inventory against the plan.

Schedule a monthly feed inventory check. Put it on the calendar. Compare actual disappearance to budget and adjust as needed.

Mistake 7: Not Having a Backup Plan

Even the best feed budget can fail. A drought cuts yields, a harvester breaks down at the worst time, or a storm damages storage. Have a backup plan before you need it.

Your backup plan should identify potential feed suppliers, their contact information, and rough pricing. It should also identify which animals you would sell first if you need to reduce demand. Knowing these answers in advance saves time and money in a crisis.

Decision Thresholds and When to Act

Feed budgeting involves a series of decisions. Knowing when to act is as important as knowing what to do. Here are key thresholds that should trigger action.

Inventory Below 6 Months at Mid-Winter

If you are halfway through the feeding season and have less than half your planned feed remaining, you will run short. Calculate the exact shortfall and start making arrangements to buy feed or reduce herd size immediately.

Silage Dry Matter Below 30 Percent at Harvest

Silage harvested below 30 percent dry matter is at high risk for poor fermentation and excessive seepage losses. You will lose more dry matter in storage than planned. Increase your shrink estimate and adjust your budget accordingly.

Forage Quality Below Ration Requirements

If your forage tests below the quality needed to support your target milk production, you have a ration problem, not just a feed inventory problem. You will need to buy higher-quality forage, add more concentrate, or accept lower milk production. Run the numbers to see which option is least costly.

Actual Feed Use Exceeds Budget by 10 Percent

When actual disappearance runs more than 10 percent above budget for two consecutive months, something is wrong. Check for excessive refusals, inaccurate weights, or cows eating more than expected. Correct the problem before it becomes a shortage.

Storage Losses Higher Than Expected

If you open a silo and find extensive spoilage, recalculate your available feed immediately. Surface spoilage of 6 inches across the entire face of a large bunker can represent many tons of lost feed. Adjust your budget and plan accordingly.

Monitoring and Recordkeeping Systems

Good feed budgeting depends on good records. A simple, consistent recordkeeping system is more valuable than a complex one that you do not maintain.

What to Record

For each harvest, record:

Field or source of the forage
Crop and variety
Harvest date
Dry matter at harvest
Yield in tons as-stored
Storage location
Forage test results

For each month during the feeding period, record:

Inventory remaining in each storage structure
Feed fed to each animal group
Any feed purchased or sold
Any forage quality test results
Notes on unusual events or conditions

How to Record

A spreadsheet is sufficient for most farms. Set up separate tabs for harvest records, monthly inventory, and forage test results. Keep the spreadsheet on a computer that is accessible to the herd manager and any other person responsible for feeding.

Some farms use commercial feed management software. These programs can track inventory, calculate rations, and generate reports. They are worth considering if you have the budget and the staff to use them properly.

Using Records to Improve

At the end of each feeding year, review your records. Compare your budget to actual use. Where were you accurate? Where were you off? Use this information to improve next year's budget.

A farm that tracks records for several years will develop its own adjustment factors that are more accurate than any book value. That is the ultimate goal of a recordkeeping system: to replace generic estimates with farm-specific data.

Sharing Records

Share feed records with your nutritionist, veterinarian, and extension agent. These professionals can help interpret the data and identify problems you might miss. They can also help you adjust rations when forage quality changes or when inventory runs tight.

Working With Your Nutritionist

Your nutritionist is a key partner in feed budgeting. Involve them early, not just when problems arise.

Before Harvest

Share your planned forage inventory with your nutritionist before harvest. They can help you determine whether the planned forage quantity and quality will support your milk production targets. They can also advise on ration adjustments if forage quality is likely to be lower than ideal.

At Harvest

Provide your nutritionist with forage test results as soon as they are available. They need this information to balance rations for the coming feeding period. Early test results also let them flag potential nutrient shortfalls that may require purchased supplements.

Through the Feeding Period

Keep your nutritionist informed of any changes in forage quality or inventory. If you switch from one silo to another, the ration may need adjustment. If you are running low on a particular forage, your nutritionist can help you stretch it or find a substitute.

When Problems Arise

If your feed budget shows a shortfall, your nutritionist can help you evaluate options. They can calculate the cost of buying feed versus culling cows. They can also help you reformulate rations to use available feeds more efficiently.

When to Call a Veterinarian or Extension Agent

Most feed budgeting is a management task, not a veterinary one. But there are situations where professional help is warranted.

Call Your Veterinarian If

Cows are losing body condition despite adequate feed intake
Milk production drops suddenly without an obvious feed change
Multiple cows show signs of metabolic disease such as ketosis or displaced abomasum
Cows are going off feed or showing signs of acidosis
You suspect mold or mycotoxin contamination in the feed

These signs can indicate a ration problem that is causing animal health issues. Your veterinarian can examine the cows and work with your nutritionist to correct the problem.

Call Your Extension Agent If

You need help calculating feed needs or interpreting forage tests
You are considering a major change to your feeding system
You need help evaluating new forage varieties or storage methods
You are planning a new or expanded storage facility
You want to compare your feed costs to regional averages

Extension agents have access to unbiased information and can help you make informed decisions. They can also connect you with other specialists such as agricultural engineers for storage design or agronomists for forage production.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much forage does a dairy cow eat per day?

A lactating dairy cow typically eats 25 to 30 pounds of forage dry matter per day, depending on her size, milk production, and the amount of concentrate in her ration. A 1,400-pound cow producing 80 pounds of milk eats about 52 to 56 pounds of total dry matter, with 50 to 60 percent of that from forage. Dry cows and heifers eat less total dry matter but a higher percentage of forage, usually 75 to 100 percent of their intake.

How do I calculate how much silage I need for my herd?

Start with the number of cows in each group and their average body weight. Estimate dry matter intake at 3.5 to 4.0 percent of body weight for lactating cows and 2.0 to 2.5 percent for dry cows and heifers. Multiply by the forage percentage of the ration to get daily forage dry matter need. Convert to as-fed tons by dividing by the silage dry matter percentage. Add 10 to 20 percent for storage losses and a management buffer.

What is the best way to estimate hay needs for winter feeding?

Count the number of animals that will eat hay, estimate their daily dry matter intake, and multiply by the number of days you will feed hay. Convert to bales by dividing by the average bale dry matter weight. For a 1,200-pound round bale at 85 percent dry matter, each bale provides about 1,020 pounds of dry matter. A group of 20 dry cows eating 30 pounds of dry matter each per day needs 600 pounds per day, or about 0.6 bales per day. Over 120 days of winter feeding, that group needs about 70 bales.

How much silage do I lose to spoilage and shrink?

Typical silage shrink ranges from 8 to 20 percent depending on storage method and management. A well-managed bunker silo with a tight plastic cover and proper packing might lose 8 to 12 percent. A poorly managed pile with loose cover and slow feedout can lose 20 percent or more. Surface spoilage that is removed and discarded adds to the loss. Always add a shrink factor to your feed budget so you store more than your calculated need.

How often should I test my forage?

Test each storage structure or field at harvest time. After that, test silage monthly during feedout because dry matter changes as the silage ferments and as the face is exposed. Test hay when you buy it and again if it has been stored for several months. More frequent testing is justified when forage quality is borderline or when you are feeding high-producing cows that need consistent rations.

What do I do if I am running out of forage mid-winter?

Act immediately. Calculate exactly how much feed you are short and how long your remaining feed will last at current feeding rates. Contact feed suppliers to price replacement forage. Consider reducing waste by improving bunk management and reducing refusals. If the shortfall is large, you may need to sell some animals to reduce demand. Do not wait until the feed is gone to make these decisions.

How do I know if my forage is good enough for lactating cows?

Compare your forage test results to the nutrient requirements of your lactating herd. Key values are crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, and energy content. High-producing cows need forage with crude protein above 16 percent on a dry matter basis and neutral detergent fiber below 45 percent. If your forage falls short, you can supplement with concentrates, but there are limits to how much concentrate a cow can eat without digestive problems.

Should I include a buffer in my feed budget?

Yes, always include a buffer. Add 10 to 15 percent above your calculated forage needs to cover harvest shortfalls, longer winters, higher-than-expected intake, and storage losses. The buffer is insurance. It costs little to store extra feed, but running out of feed is very expensive. A buffer also gives you flexibility to keep cows longer if cull prices are low or to expand the herd if conditions are favorable.

Related Farming Guides

This section will be populated with links to related farming guides covering dairy herd management, forage production, ration balancing, and other topics relevant to dairy cattle operations.

Related Clinical & Scientific Guides

References

National Mastitis Council: https://www.nmconline.org/
USDA APHIS Dairy Cattle Health: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/cattle
FAO Dairy Production and Products: https://www.fao.org/dairy-production-products/en/
FAO Animal Production and Health: https://www.fao.org/animal-production/en/
WOAH (World Organisation for Animal Health): https://www.woah.org/en/home/

This article is educational and is not a substitute for veterinary diagnosis, treatment, public-health guidance, or regulatory reporting.