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Through the Barn Doors

The SNF Ratio

A Number We All Watch, But Few Truly Understand

January 14, 2026 · 6 min read

Most of us have been looking at the SNF ratio on our milk statement for years.

We know where it "should" be. We know when it slips. We think we know when it looks good — but never feel really confident.

But if we're honest, very few of us — even those of us who work with this every day — have really dug into what that number means in terms of how the milk is actually paid for.

With the recent changes that place more value on protein, it's worth taking a closer look. Not in a theoretical way, but in a practical, on-farm way: how the system really works, where there may be opportunity, and where there are also risks.

How the SNF "Buckets" Actually Work

A common assumption is that if your herd SNF ratio is, say, 2.10, then all of your milk is being paid at that 2.10 level.

That isn't how the system works.

Think of it more like filling pails. The first pail has to be filled to a ratio of 2.0. Every litre of milk you ship fills that first pail. Only after that pail is full does any milk begin to flow into the next one — the 2.0 to 2.2 range.

So the extra value is only on the portion of solids that sits above 2.0, not on your whole production. It's a small distinction on paper, but it matters when you start talking about real kilograms of protein over a full year.

Why the Recent Protein Changes Matter

With protein now being worth more in the P5 pricing system, that second pail — the milk that falls between 2.0 and 2.2 — has become more valuable than it used to be.

For herds that are already sitting just above 2.0, even a modest improvement in true protein or other non-fat solids can mean more milk moving into that higher-value range. We're not talking about chasing extremes. Sometimes it's the difference between 2.03 and 2.08 that quietly adds up over 365 days.

Try moving the slider to see how your SNF ratio affects payment tiers

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A Word of Caution Around Fat and Energy

The SNF ratio is just that — a ratio. It can change not only when SNF goes up, but also when butterfat is pushed hard.

In a meaningful minority of herds — roughly five per cent — the ratio can dip below 2.0. It's not the norm, but it's far from unheard of, and it often reflects strong fat supplementation, particularly with palm fat or other rumen-stable fats, relative to protein production.

On Paper:

Pulling back excessive fat supplementation could improve the ratio and shift more milk into the higher-value SNF range.

From a pricing standpoint, protein and other non-fat solids can be "diluted" within the payment structure, even though butterfat kilograms look strong. In some cases, the difference in how solids are allocated across the pricing buckets can amount to thousands of dollars per month.

Important:

Any potential gain on the milk cheque can be quickly lost if cows pay for it through reproduction or health. Experience and biology have to lead the economics.

Making the Math Visible

One of the challenges with the SNF system is that most of the calculations happen behind the scenes. Producers see the final ratio, but not how changes in butterfat, true protein, or other non-fat solids actually move milk between the different pricing tiers.

Tools that make this visible can help bridge that gap. CATTLEytics, for example, has developed both an SNF calculator and an SNF ratio visualizer that allow producers and advisors to see how changes in components — including those driven by palm fat supplementation — affect where milk falls in the 2.0 and 2.0–2.2 buckets, and what that means economically.

The Goal:

Understand the system well enough that ration decisions, cow health, and milk pricing can be considered together — with a clear line of sight from what happens in the feed bunk to what shows up on the milk cheque.

Putting It in Perspective

The SNF ratio isn't just another number to glance at once a month. It reflects how your milk is priced, how your ration is balanced, and how cows are partitioning energy between production, maintenance, and reproduction.

With protein now carrying more value, understanding how that ratio is built — and how the payment "buckets" are filled — gives producers another tool for making informed, practical decisions. Not to push cows or rations beyond what makes biological sense, but to see where small, well-managed adjustments can better align cow performance and farm economics.

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