Farm & Producer
Dairy Milk Yield
Daily and annual milk, cheese, and butter potential by species and breed.
Dairy Milk Yield
Inputs
+% for peak flush, −% for dry shoulder
Results
Daily yield
from 2 cows
11.00 gal
Weekly yield
77.0 gal
Annual gallons
over 305-day lactation
3,355 gal
Annual pounds
28,853 lb
Hard cheese potential
at 10% yield
2,885 lb
Butter potential
4.9% butterfat × 0.82
1,159.3 lb
How to use this
Production is yearly average across a full lactation — actual output peaks 6–10 weeks in-milk and tapers to dry-off. Milk pounds (not gallons) is the industry standard: a gallon of cow milk weighs 8.6 lb; sheep milk is heavier at 8.5 and fattier.
Cheese yield varies by style. Fresh cheeses return 15–20% of milk weight; hard cheeses drop to 8–11%. Butter yield tracks butterfat directly — Jersey and sheep milk make more butter per gallon than Holstein.
Formula
annual_gal = head × gal_per_day × lactation_days × (1 + seasonal)
annual_lb = annual_gal × lb_per_gallon
butter_lb = annual_lb × fat_pct × 0.82
Related calculators
Butter Yield from Cream
How much butter (and buttermilk) a given cream volume produces, with optional salt math.
Cheese Yield from Milk
Expected cheese weight by milk type and cheese style — fresh, semi-hard, aged.
Egg Production Forecast
Project weekly, monthly, and annual egg output from flock size, breed lay rate, and seasonal drop-off.
Formula
annual_gal = head × gal/day × lactation_days