The physiological responses to somatotropin supplementation of ruminants are reviewed with particular reference to the dairy industry. Exogenous somatotropin improves lactational performance by altering the partitioning of absorbed nutrients. Lipid accretion is reduced, lipid mobilization is increased, and glucose uptake by peripheral tissues and whole body oxidation of glucose and amino acids are reduced. The net effect of these changes is that the limited supply of glucose and amino acids is spared for synthesis of milk components, and lipid reserves are preferentially used as an energy source. The increase of cardiac output and mammary blood flow are prominent physiological responses to somatotropin by the dairy cow. These responses permit a greater share of nutrient input to the mammary gland. The lack of evidence for functional membrane receptors for somatotropin in mammary tissue demands the involvement of endocrine mediators to explain the increase of mammary gland metabolism with somatotropin treatment. An increase of high affinity somatotropic receptors in the liver and increased plasma insulin-like growth factor-I and -II appear to be one of the most prominent endocrine responses to somatotropin treatment. However, the relative role of the insulin-like growth factors and the multiple forms of their plasma-binding proteins and receptors remain to be resolved.