Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Feed cost per cwt of milk
$9.18
Income over feed cost per cow/day
$8.77
Milk income per cow/day
$16.58
Feed efficiency (lb milk/lb DMI)
1.57
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How to use this
- 1Enter daily ration cost per cow ($).
- 2Enter daily milk production per cow (lb).
- 3Enter milk price ($/cwt).
- 4Enter dry matter intake per cow (lb).
- 5Read your feed cost per cwt of milk on the right — it updates as you type.
- 6Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Feed cost per cwt of milk is the single most watched margin number on a dairy because feed typically runs 45-55% of total production cost, and it's the number lenders and consultants use to benchmark one herd against another regardless of herd size. This calculator takes a daily ration cost per cow and daily milk production per cow, then does the simple but easy-to-get-wrong division to get cost per hundredweight, plus the income-over-feed-cost margin against your milk price. Feed efficiency (pounds of milk per pound of dry matter intake) drives this more than ration price alone — a cheaper ration that depresses intake or components often loses money even though the feed bill looks smaller.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Daily ration cost per cow: 7.8 $
- Daily milk production per cow: 85 lb
- Milk price: 19.5 $/cwt
- Dry matter intake per cow: 54 lb
Results
- Feed cost per cwt of milk: $9.18
- Income over feed cost per cow/day: $8.77
- Milk income per cow/day: $16.58
- Feed efficiency (lb milk/lb DMI): 1.57
What each field means
Inputs
- Daily ration cost per cow ($)
- The daily ration cost per cow used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 7.8 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Daily milk production per cow (lb)
- The daily milk production per cow used in the calculation, measured in lb. Starts at 85 lb so you have a working example on load.
- Milk price ($/cwt)
- The milk price used in the calculation, measured in $/cwt. Starts at 19.5 $/cwt so you have a working example on load.
- Dry matter intake per cow (lb)
- The dry matter intake per cow used in the calculation, measured in lb. Starts at 54 lb so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Feed cost per cwt of milk
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Income over feed cost per cow/day
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Milk income per cow/day
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Feed efficiency (lb milk/lb DMI)
- Returned as a decimal number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
What's a good feed cost per cwt target?
Well-run herds typically run $6-8 per cwt in normal feed price years, while high feed cost years can push it to $9-11. The number by itself matters less than tracking it monthly and watching the trend against your milk price to protect margin.
What is a healthy income-over-feed-cost number?
Most dairy extension benchmarks target $8-10+ per cow per day as a sign of solid profitability above feed costs, though this doesn't account for labor, facilities, and other overhead that still has to be covered from that margin.
Why track feed efficiency alongside cost?
A ration change that lowers cost per cwt but also drops feed efficiency below about 1.4-1.5 lb milk per lb DMI often signals a nutrition problem that will show up in components or reproduction later, even if the feed bill looks better this month.
Does this include heifer and dry cow feed cost?
No, this is strictly the lactating cow ration. For a whole-herd feed cost picture, add heifer-raising and dry cow feed costs allocated back per cwt of milk sold, which typically adds another $1-2 per cwt to the true total.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Dairy Feed Cost Per Cwt Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/dairy-feed-cost-per-cwt
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/dairy-feed-cost-per-cwt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dairy Feed Cost Per Cwt Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Dairy Feed Cost Per Cwt Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/dairy-feed-cost-per-cwt) (2026).