Using soybeans to make milk instead of raising cows may be ecologically advantageous, because the amount of soy that could be grown using the same amount of land would feed more people than if used to raise cows. Cows require much more energy in order to produce milk, since the farmer must feed the animal, which can consume up to 24 kilograms (53 pounds) of food in dry matter (DM) basis and 90 to 180 litres (25 to 50 gallons) of water a day, producing an average of 40 kilograms of milk a day. Because the soybean plant is a legume, it also replenishes the nitrogen content of the soil in which it is grown.