30 Years of Science. Revisited in 2025.
An invited review published in the Journal of Dairy Science revisits decades of evidence on bovine somatotropin — including lactation biology, human and animal safety, productive efficiency and sustainability.
- Invited review
- Journal of Dairy Science
- 2025
- Open access
- Vol. 108 · pp. 6538–6549
The stated purpose of the review is to update human and animal safety findings on bST since 1993 and discuss somatotropin action and sustainability.
- DOI
- 10.3168/jds.2024-26177
- Article type
- Review
- Published online
- March 24, 2025
- License
- CC BY 4.0
A modern look at decades of rbST evidence.
This is not a single new cow trial. It is a scientific review that integrates prior research and updates the discussion with current knowledge.
Published evidence on health, well-being, product safety and long-term use.
How somatotropin coordinates physiological and metabolic adaptations that support milk synthesis.
Milk-yield response, nutrient partitioning and feed-efficiency considerations in well-managed dairy herds.
The relationship between productive efficiency and the environmental footprint of milk production.
The authors' key takeaways.
The statements below summarize the 2025 review and should be read in the context of appropriate herd management and the full publication.
- 01Milk production
The review describes rbST as increasing milk production through coordinated metabolic and physiological adaptations.
- 02Feed efficiency
The authors report increased feed efficiency alongside increased milk yield.
- 03Animal health & well-being
The review states that well-managed dairies using rbST do not show adverse effects on animal health and well-being compared with appropriate controls.
- 04Sustainability
The paper discusses how greater productive efficiency can reduce resource use and environmental impact per unit of milk produced.
What this paper is — and what it isn't.
Clear language builds more trust than overclaiming. We encourage readers to review the original publication.
- A 2025 invited scientific review published in the Journal of Dairy Science.
- A synthesis of decades of published evidence on bovine somatotropin.
- An open-access publication with full references and author disclosures.
- A current discussion of safety, biology, productive efficiency and sustainability.
- It is not a new randomized field trial conducted in 2025.
- It is not a meta-analysis with a new pooled statistical effect estimate.
- It should not be presented as a single experiment that “proves” every rbST claim.
- It does not replace the approved product label or appropriate veterinary and herd-management practices.
Three dairy-science researchers. Three universities.
The publication lists affiliations with the University of Idaho, Cornell University and Iowa State University.
Department of Animal, Veterinary and Food Sciences, Moscow, Idaho.
Department of Animal Science, Ithaca, New York.
Department of Animal Science, Ames, Iowa.
Transparency note: The paper discloses historical employment and/or consulting relationships between the authors and companies previously involved with rbST, including Monsanto and Elanco. Readers should review the complete conflict-of-interest statement in the original publication.
Read the science. Decide for yourself.
Explore the full article, references and disclosures directly in the Journal of Dairy Science. Union Agener encourages transparent access to the evidence behind bovine somatotropin.
Primary references for this page
This page summarizes a third-party scientific publication for educational purposes. Product use should follow the approved label and applicable requirements. References to conclusions are summaries of the authors' review, not independent findings by Union Agener.
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