Strategies to Manage Supply the Next Few Months

As we head into summer, many of us are thinking about how to keep milk production strong, while also planning for fall incentives. Every farm will inevitably have its own unique situation, but here are a couple of strategies that I believe work best and make the most sense.

01. Cull the bottom end of the herd.

02. Reduce level of palm fat in the ration during the summer. Most farms were adding up to 300 grams or more of palm fat to try and fill fall incentives. Cutting this back to 100 or 150 gram level still adds extra energy for fresh cows and high producers, which easily saves 35 to 50 cents per cow per day. Reducing the overall fat level in milk right now also allows you to keep a few extra animals around for a longer period should extra milk be needed.

03. Lowering the level of crude protein in the milk cow ration. When we are challenging cows for milk, we will often balance rations as high as 17% crude protein. By slowly dropping this level down to 15 or 16%, we will again save as much as 40 cents per cow per day. Although, this may cause us to lose some peak milk; therefore, this strategy works better for mid and late lactation cows who don’t have that same need for extra protein. Good quality forage will really improve this cost as well.

04. Exploring more cost-effective protein sources. As the old saying goes, you usually get what you pay for when it comes to top quality protein and energy sources. I am by no means suggesting we stop feeding our cows well, but for those of you who have options to mix or blend different protein sources, now may be the time to experiment with this idea. An example of this, if top production and extra butterfat are not priorities, consider feeding more corn distillers and less soymeal for the next several months. Cows will still milk well, but you can save a few more cents per day. However, keep in mind, summer weather is here, and distillers needs to be monitored closely to avoid butter fat depression.

These are just a few simple suggestions to think about and discuss with your feed rep to see which strategy makes the most sense for your farm. Overall, the end goal here is to still fill your quota and not cull too many cows. That way you can simply turn up the dial and push for milk from the cows that are still on the farm to fill fall incentives.

This article was written for the Summer 2025 Dairy Grist. To read the whole Dairy Grist, click the button below.

This article was also written for the Summer 2025 Western Dairy Grist. To read the whole Western Dairy Grist, click the button below.