LED lights can increase milk production

Michigan State University has announced the results of a study in 2014 on the state's annual WingAcres Barry County dairy farm trials demonstrated that long photoperiod (long-daylighting, LDL) plus LED lighting the way to improve milk yield of 8% . 

We've seen LED-based solid-state lighting (SSL) products in life science applications more and more. Not only been proven to improve the indoor cultivation of plant growth, and now this study shows, but also increase the productivity of poultry farms. 

The experiment was jointly done by the school of biological systems and agricultural engineering researchers and Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA), dedicated to the research of LED test on milk production of LDL-based studies have shown that an increase in the course of a year 8% yield. The team sought to verify the actual LDL principle has more than three decades, confirmed herd of 16 to 18 hours of exposure to 15-20-FC of light, followed by six to eight hours less than the case 3FC better light output. 

Past due to the limitations of traditional lighting can not be fully in accordance with the principle of achieving LDL production, now based on LED lighting plus sensor, and the research team on 100 acres of pasture to create an automated control system to overcome these challenges, light levels and accurate measurement of output, install the system to precisely control technology to build an accurate LDL environment. In addition, LED lighting provides significant energy savings and better control of lighting, lighting energy costs decreased by 50% (compared to the previous use of the ranch barn metal halide lamps), plus the increase in milk production, and more in just one year time will be able to recover input LED transformation.  

LED lighting can bring several other additional benefits, compared with metal halide lamps, LED lamps can be dimmed directly provide 3-FC shimmer levels above requirements. Moreover, LED lamps in a relatively harsh environment more reliable, and less maintenance requirements. Interestingly, pastoralists also said seems to be more docile cows after a lighting retrofit.