How LED lights improved milk yield and dairy staff wellbeing

A Herefordshire dairy farm is reaping the rewards of a powerful business upgrade, as brighter sheds have led to higher milk yields and happier staff.

Over the past year, Ellie Lovell’s family-run, 800-cow operation in Bromyard, north-east of Hereford, has fitted all its sheds with LED lights from DairyLight.

Ellie, the Farmers Weekly Young Farmer of the Year 2024, explains how the new setup has transformed their routines and contributed to the farm’s improved milk performance.

See also: Farmers Weekly Awards 2024: Young Farmer of the Year

“We’ve seen quite a change in terms of probably around one to two litres of milk a cow, a day, especially during October, November, December – the darker months. It has made quite a big difference,” Ellie says.

The lighting system includes three brightness settings and is designed to replicate natural daylight during the day and switch to red and infrared lighting at night.

“Cows supposedly can’t see red, so the staff are still able to work well during the night-time period, whereas the cows are able to be in relative darkness, so therefore produce more milk,” she adds.

The cows are milked three times a day using a GEA 50-point rotary parlour, and lights are on for 16 to 18 hours a day to simulate summer daylight, before switching to a low-red setting for six to eight hours, replicating night.

This cycle supports the production of melatonin, a hormone linked to both fertility and milk yield.

“By decreasing circulating levels of melatonin using long-day photoperiod [16-18 hours of blue-enriched white light], it also increases circulating levels of other hormones affecting milk production,” Ellie explains.

“Increasing insulin-like growth factor influences the mammary gland to increase milk production.

“Circulating levels of prolactin are increased, too, from using 16-18 hours of blue-enriched white light. It all goes back to replicating natural conditions.”

Night shifts 

Staff have also benefited. Many of the team work night shifts during the winter months, and the new daytime lighting has improved visibility and morale.

“In terms of mental health, it’s much nicer working in brighter conditions,” she says.

Ellie has also noted calmer cows and more regular behaviour since installing the lights.

“The cows are a lot quieter, much more consistent as well, with fewer peaks and troughs in terms of aggressive bulling when the cow is in heat.”

The decision to install the lighting was informed by benchmarking with other farms and was supported by a Farming Equipment and Technology Fund grant, which covered about £7,000 of the total £60,000 cost.

Scientific advance 

“We thought that light sensitivity monitors aren’t always as reliable, so we just wanted to wait for science to advance a little bit,” Ellie says. “Then the grant came out last year, and it was the extra incentive to go ahead and do it.”

According to Ellie, the key was ensuring the technology suited the farm’s operational model, “making sure that the grants are fitting with our system, as opposed to us conforming to fit the grant”.

The impact of the lighting is felt across the entire production chain – from recognising when cows are in heat, to getting them in calf more efficiently, reducing vet interventions, and supporting healthy births.

“Everything goes back to milk for us. If you get cows in calf more quickly, theoretically you should have fewer veterinary costs, then you’re able to bring that cow back into the milking herd as soon as possible and repeat the process.”

Ellie says the impact the new lights have had means any new shed will be fitted with them from the start.