The carbon footprint was reduced by 1,662 × 103 t of
CO2-equivalents per 500,000 t of cheese in Jersey cows
compared with Holsteins. Use of recombinant bovine
somatotropin reduced resource use and waste output
in supplemented populations, with decreases in carbon
footprint equivalent to 10.0% (Jersey) and 7.5% (Holstein)
compared with nonsupplemented populations.
The interaction between milk nutrient density and
BW demonstrated by the Jersey population overcame
the reduced daily milk yield, thus reducing resource
use and environmental impact. This reduction was
achieved through 2 mechanisms: diluting population
maintenance overhead through improved milk nutrient
density and reducing maintenance overhead through a
reduction in productive and nonproductive body mass
within the population