Despite the scarcity of heifers, the overall U.S. dairy herd size actually increased by approximately 114,000 head in the past year, reaching 9.410 million. Furthermore, milk production in May 2025 saw a healthy 1.56% year-over-year increase. This growth, in the face of fewer young replacements, strongly indicates that dairy farmers are successfully keeping older, higher-parity cows in their milking strings for extended periods, a crucial adaptation in current dairy economics.

Veterinarian Ryan Leiterman of Crystal Creek Natural LLC advocates for this embrace of older cows, highlighting their often superior productivity. He points out that cows typically reach their peak milk production in their third or fourth lactation, significantly out-producing first-calf heifers. Beyond productivity, older cows are generally easier to milk and manage due to their established routines and experience, contributing to overall farm efficiency.

While retaining older cows can present challenges such as increased susceptibility to conditions like ketosis, milk fever, mastitis, lameness, and reduced reproductive efficiency, Leiterman emphasizes that these issues can be mitigated through diligent nutrition and management practices. By extending the productive life of older cows, dairies can amortize the substantial cost of rearing replacement heifers over more years, potentially reducing the need for new purchases.