Cow Feeding

The cow is a ruminant herbivore. It has the special characteristic of being able to produce milk on the basis of its feed (grass, feed corn, alfalfa…), which constitutes 90% of its nutritional intake. The remaining 10% is made up of “concentrates”, which are made up entirely of mineral and vegetal products: grains, oilseed and protein crops, vitamins and minerals, and as much water as it wants.

These different types of foods vary according to the season, region and climate. No animal bonemeal, nor any anabolic or antibiotics additives are used in feeding the cows, in accordance with regulations that ban their use.

A French dairy cow consumes between 50 and 80 kg of food per day, on average..

French dairy farmers produce the entirety of the cow’s feed directly on their farms and a certain proportion of the grain necessary for feeding their dairy cows. (In total, 93% of what they eat is produced on-site! And 5% of the cereals and oilseed and protein crops are produced in France on other farms.)

The food produced on the farm allows the dairy farmers to ensure the safety of their produce, by being able to totally control its origins, its transport and its quality.

Within a given year, a cow will consume every day, on average:

• 24kg of hay or fresh grass (43%)
• 27kg of corn silage (47%)
• 1kg of other varieties of feed (1%)
• 1.3kg of grain (2%
• 1.3kg of soybean meal (2%)
• 1kg of other meal – mostly rapeseed and sunflower (2%)
• 300g of minerals and vitamins (1%)
• and as much water as they like!

Source: Dairy Cow Feed Monitoring Centre, 2015-2018. Source: CNIEL.