As producers walk the profitability tightrope, efficiency is the most important tool to make progress in the balancing act of improving income over feed cost. Lou Armentano, a professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin, says creating more efficient cows begins with making the right breeding and selection decisions.

When it comes to nutritional efficiency, most dairies have room to improve. That’s the finding from Papillon Agricultural Company, a technology-based manufacturer of specialty nutritional products.

Dairy producers must be efficiency experts at every phase of the game. And while it is “all about the cows,” dairy operations that focus on improving economic efficiencies as they manage their books have a competitive advantage. In the dairy industry’s unique market, streamlining operations goes a long way to ensure long-run viability.