Net food efficiency of stable and pasture-based dairy farming

Ruminant animals make a significant contribution to the food supply through their ability to consume feedstuffs rich in structural carbohydrates that humans cannot digest. However, increasing individual animal performance and more intensive feeding strategies mean that food-grade feed is increasingly being used in ruminant feeding. This increases competition for resources in terms of arable land and food supply. Accordingly, when feeding dairy cattle, not only the question of feed efficiency, but in particular food conversion efficiency (LKE) is of great importance. The output of farm animals (meat, milk, etc.) that is suitable for human nutrition is compared with the input via animal feed that is potentially suitable for human nutrition, separately for protein and energy.