Boost profits with feed-efficient genetics

As a dairy farmer, you’re constantly balancing profitability with growing pressure to reduce your carbon footprint — all while managing cows precisely, optimising feed and energy use, and boosting crop yields.

Feed accounts for up to 88% of a farm’s variable costs. Some cows are better at turning feed into meat and milk. Others use too much feed for maintenance and are less efficient in production.

A great way of boosting your herd’s profitability and reducing emissions is the targeted use of feed-efficient genetics.

The feed efficiency index shows how efficiently a cow turns feed into milk. With it, you can identify the most promising bulls to breed high-performing, feed-efficient dairy cows.

The advantage of breeding is that changes are cumulative and permanent, so your cows will only get more efficient over time.

VikingGenetics is the only company in the world to use highly reliable feed efficiency data for all three major dairy breeds: Holstein, Jersey, and Red Dairy Cattle.

Why trust a feed efficiency index?

With growing interest in feed-efficient genetics, many farmers are asking: How do I know which feed efficiency index to trust?

Here are five essential questions to ask when evaluating any feed efficiency index.

The key requirements for a reliable feed efficiency index

1. Is the data collected from commercial herds?

Is data available from herds with different production systems and management levels? It's important to assess whether cows have the opportunity to express their natural behaviour while feed intake is being measured. Factors like social hierarchy, eating behavior, and the ability to move around the barn can influence how cows interact with their environment and affect data collection.

Additionally, it’s essential to consider if the data collection process disrupts the farm’s normal feeding and management routines. Any interference could lead to inaccurate measurements of feed intake or cow behaviour.

2. Is the data on feed intake collected on lactating cows?

3. Is the feed intake measured throughout the whole lactation and over cow’s lifetime?

A cow’s physiology changes dramatically through lactation. Feeding requirements and performance vary between different periods in lactation.

Early lactation: the cow transitions from producing no milk to often achieving a very high milk yield (an unstable period for the cow).
Mid- and late-lactation: the cow is accustomed to high milk production and the corresponding feed intake.

Production levels change over the cow’s lifetime.

4. Does the index allow to breed for better feed efficiency without the negative impact on production, health and fertility?

Simply saving feed is not enough; production levels must be sustained to secure the farm’s profits.

When breeding for more feed-efficient cows, we need to be cautious not to favour cows that deplete their body reserves for milk production, as this can lead to health and reproduction problems, as well as higher costs.

5. Does the feed efficiency index account for metabolic efficiency?

Or does it only account for maintenance requirements?

Maintenance measures the amount of energy a cow uses based on her body size. It is well known that heavier cows use more energy than lighter cows at the same production level.

Metabolic efficiency is a crucial element in feed efficiency – it measures how efficient the cow is in converting feed energy in her body. This energy is used to support processes like milk production, for example.

1. Is the data collected from commercial herds

2. Is the data on feed intake collected on lactating cows?

3. Is the feed intake measured throughout the whole lactation and over cow’s lifetime?

4. Does the index allow to breed for better feed efficiency without the negative impact on production, health and fertility?

5. Does the feed efficiency index account for metabolic efficiency?

Real-life data for individual cows’ feed intake

The Nordic Saved Feed Index answers “yes” to all five — setting it apart from other indexes — not just as a tool for breeding more feed-efficient cows, but as a trusted system built on solid research and real-world results from commercial herds that helps you cut costs, reduce emissions, and improve your farm’s long-term profitability.

The Nordic Saved Feed Index is based on data collected by the Cattle Feed Intake System (CFIT). This advanced AI-based, deep-learning system uses 3D cameras to monitor and measure feed intake across the full lactation in commercial herds – without disturbing the daily routines on the farm and cows’ natural behaviour.

Backed by more than 12 years of research and development, the Cattle Feed Intake System (CFIT) provides real-life data for individual cow’s feed intake collected in the cow’s natural environment 24/7 year around:

23,000+ cows with CFIT data
2,400+ cameras
1,150,000+ feed visits per day

With the Saved feed index, you can breed for more feed-efficient and climate-friendly cows – without compromising on the production, health and reproduction performance of your cows.

VikingJersey cows in the barn with CFIT cameras measuring feed intake

Less feed = Stronger bottom line

With the Saved feed index in your genetic arsenal, you will improve your bottom line by continuously breeding high-yielding, trouble-free, and efficient cows.

One index unit of the Saved Feed reduces dry matter intake (DMI) by 17.6 kg for VikingHolstein, 20 kg for VikingRed, and 15 kg for VikingJersey per lactation. Using a bull with an EBV of 110 (one standard deviation above the breed average) on an average cow (EBV 100) saves 88 kg DMI for VikingHolstein, 100 kg for VikingRed, and 75 kg for VikingJersey per lactation.

The economic effect of the Saved Feed index is calculated using CFIT data from over 23,000 cows collected since 2017.

These savings in dry matter intake (DMI) might seem small on an individual cow, but when you multiply them across your herd, the impact can be huge — whether you have a small or large operation.

The Saved Feed index helps you breed cows that use feed more efficiently, reducing one of your dairy farm's biggest costs.

The Saved Feed index is a game-changer for reducing one of your farm’s biggest costs — feed. By breeding cows that use feed more efficiently, you're not only saving on feed, but you're also improving your overall herd's profitability.

Even small improvements in feed efficiency can add up to big savings. It's about getting more milk and meat from less feed, easing the pressure on your bottom line, and helping you focus resources on what really matters — whether that's improving milk quality, herd health, or expanding your operation.

See how much kg DMI per year you can save depending on your herd size. Click "+" to see the figures.

Find the best bulls for your herd

Effect of breeding for improved feed efficiency – VikingHolstein

	Kg DMI saved	Extra Profit per lactation, €*
50 cows	4,400	880
100 cows	8,800	1,760
200 cows	17,600	3,520
500 cows	44,000	8,800
1,000 cows	88,000	17,600
5,000 cows	440,000	88,000

Effect of breeding for improved feed efficiency – VikingRed

	Kg DMI saved	Extra Profit per lactation, €*
50 cows	5,000	1,000
100 cows	10,000	2,000
200 cows	20,000	4,000
500 cows	50,000	10,000
1,000 cows	100,000	20,000
5,000 cows	500,000	100,000

Effect of breeding for improved feed efficiency – VikingJersey

	Kg DMI saved	Extra Profit per lactation, €*
50 cows	3,750	750
100 cows	7,500	1,500
200 cows	15,000	3,000
500 cows	37,500	7,500
1,000 cows	75,000	15,000
5,000 cows	375,000	75,000

*Based on the average feed costs of 0.20 € per kg dry matter in the Nordic countries.

New and improved Saved Feed Index

With the February 2025 proof run, Nordic Cattle Genetic Evaluations (NAV) has introduced a new version of the Saved Feed Index, which is calculated using a new model.

The Saved Feed Index 3.0 considers:

Dry matter intake (DMI) across days 14-280 in lactation
Production – ECM (Energy Corrected Milk) across days 14-280 in lactation
Weight changes across days 30-280 in lactation

First lactation and later lactations (second to fifth) are treated as separate traits, but they are highly genetically correlated. The later lactations have double the weight of the first lactation.

Indexes in the Saved Feed Index are calculated by random regression. Every farm has a production curve throughout the lactation. Based on every single cow’s deviation from this production curve, the breeding values (GEBV) for each cow are calculated:

General level for the lactation
Increase or decrease in level through lactation (used to calculate weight change)

A GEBV is estimated for each day, and an average GEBV is calculated for the whole lactation.

This new approach and the improved Saved Feed Index help you make better breeding decisions, allowing you to breed cows that are more feed-efficient without compromising their production, health, or reproductive performance.

What impact does it have to improve the genetic level of the Saved Feed Index?

For all three major dairy breeds, Holstein, Jersey, and Red Dairy Cattle, the Saved Feed Index correlates negatively with Dry matter intake and Weight. Breeding for improved feed efficiency with the Saved Feed Index reduces the dry matter intake and the cow’s weight.

On the other hand, the Production of energy-corrected milk has a positive correlation with the Saved Feed Index. That way, you can improve feed efficiency and production at the same time.

Table 1: Correlation between the new Saved Feed index and the indexes for DMI, Production ECM, weight, and weight change

	Saved Feed Index
	Holstein	Red Dairy Cattle	Jersey
Dry matter intake (DMI)	-0.55	-0.75	-0.55
Production ECM	0.45	0.30	0.55
Weight	-0.55	-0.60	-0.55
Weight change	-0.25	-0.20	-0.05

No compromise on health, reproduction and survival

Some traits are strongly linked, so improving one can affect another — positively or negatively. A classic example is yield, which often negatively impacts udder health and fertility.

With Saved Feed 3.0, correlations to fertility, health, and survival traits are generally small.

For Holstein and Jersey cows, there is a slight negative correlation between Saved feed and traits such as daughter fertility, health, and longevity. This small negative correlation is not a result of Saved feed but rather the effect of higher yield when the Saved Feed is improved.

In Red Dairy Cattle (RDC), there’s a slight positive correlation between the Saved Feed Index and fertility and longevity. For youngstock survival, Holstein and RDC have a positive correlation.

Table 2: Correlation between the new Saved Feed index and fertility, health and survival traits. Calculations are based on genomic tested bull calves born in 2022 and 2023.

	Saved Feed Index
	Holstein	Red Dairy Cattle	Jersey
Daughter fertility	-0.06	0.06	-0.17
Udder health	-0.11	0.00	-0.08
General health	-0.11	-0.16	-0.13
Youngstock survival	0.06	0.11	N/A
Longevity	-0.02	0.15	-0.08

VikingHolstein bulls - Genetic trends 2010-2024

More milk from less feed

The newly improved Saved Feed Index is your reliable tool to produce more milk and meat with less feed.

Genetic improvement delivers lasting, cumulative gains passed down through generations — directly boosting your profit margins. While optimal management and improving the environment offer short-term benefits, genetics is the key to long-term feed efficiency and herd performance.

By improving feed efficiency, you cut emissions and save money — a win for both profitability and sustainability. Over time, this can significantly boost your bottom line while helping you meet climate targets.

It’s smart breeding with long-term impact.

Discover our top Saved Feed bulls

Boost profits with feed-efficient genetics Discover Saved Feed index