Incorporating QLF liquid supplements into dairy rations can potentially boost milk production and increase profits. By understanding how QLF affects milk yield and costs, you can make informed decisions to improve your farm’s bottom line.
January 2025 Class 3 milk pricing:
Milk fat: $2.91/lb
Milk protein: $1.96/lb
Based on milk component pricing, assuming 90 lbs milk, we can calculate:
For every 1 lb of milk increase: + $0.19
For every 0.1-point of milk fat increase: + $0.26
For every 0.1-point of milk protein increase: + $0.18
Cost of Feeding QLF
Feeding 4 lbs of QLF as-fed on top of a ration costs around $0.5/h/d.
Feeding 4 lbs of QLF with rebalancing of ration (replacing certain other ingredients) costs around $0.2/h/d.
Equipment Cost
Equipment cost on a farm can be spread out to per cow per day. Therefore, in larger farms, the cost per head is lower than smaller farms.
Assuming a $6000 equipment cost spreading out to each cow within one year.
For a 375-cow dairy, it is $0.04/h/d.
For a 750-cow dairy, it is $0.02/h/d.
For a 1500-cow dairy, it is $0.01/h/d.
For a 3000-cow dairy, it is $0.005/h/d.
This calculation is based one absorbing the equipment cost within 1 year. If you based on 3-5 years, then the cost is going down to virtually nothing.
Net Income
For example, if a dietary change increased milk production conservatively from 90 to 92 lbs (+2 lbs increase), milk fat from 3.8 to 3.9% (+0.1 point increase), and milk protein from 3.1 to 3.2% (+0.1 point increase), the total return in production is 2 x $0.19 + $0.26 + $0.18 = $0.82/h/d.
If this increased ration cost by $0.2/h/d, then the net return is $0.82 – $0.2 = $0.62/h/d.
For a 500-cow dairy, $0.62 per head per day is $113,150 per year.
For a 1000-cow dairy, $0.62 per head per day is $226,300 per year.
For a 3000-cow dairy, $0.62 per head per day is $678,900 per year.
