WEST BEND, Wis. – Experiments with both red and blue light-emitting-diode lighting is being tested at Roden Echo Valley, a dairy farm near West Bend. Bob and Rick Roden for the past two years have been testing red LED lighting to see if it can improve milk production and blue LED lighting to test its potential to kill bacteria in bedding areas.
The Rodens have worked with Dave Klumb of White Leaf Technologies Group in Slinger, Wisconsin, to determine wavelength frequencies needed. Klumb has worked in the LED-lighting industry for more than a decade. A certain frequency of red light and time – about three weeks to six weeks – is needed to penetrate cow hides to ultimately enhance blood flow, he said.
Near-infrared light has been used in humans to treat wounds and skin conditions. There’s ongoing research about the effectiveness of red-light therapy for various health uses, but the effectiveness has yet to be determined, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Red-light therapy is thought to work by acting on mitochondria in humans or cows. The Cleveland Clinic refers to mitochondria as the “power plant” in cells. With more energy, other cells can do their work more efficiently.
Energized cells elicit greater oxygen levels, better circulation and greater immune response, Klumb said.
The Rodens tested the LED lighting for 14 months beginning in January 2020. After a few months of exposure to the lighting, a test group of cows produced on average 3 more pounds of milk per cow per day than the other two test groups, Klumb said. When the first test group was removed from the lighting its production declined to pre-test levels.
If dairy farmers could increase production by 5 to 6 pounds of milk per cow per day they could improve profitability, Klumb said. That’s why he’s interested in testing red LED lighting at other farms. He and the Rodens plan in June to invite farmers in the West Bend area to learn about the experiments at the Roden farm.
Researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, Sweden, have been studying the effects of LED light on milk production and activity in dairy cows. They conducted two experiments to identify suitable wavelength and light intensity day and night. They examined activity, milk yield and hormones that are affected by light and that regulate milk production.
The researchers found that LED fixtures emitting red light, blue light or a mixture of wavelengths – white light – exert similar effects on milk yield and activity in dairy cows. They added further examination is needed to determine long-term effects of LED lighting with different spectral compositions on production as well as activity and sleep patterns in dairy cows.
The Rodens and Klumb plant to talk to dairy farmers about testing blue LED lighting to kill bacteria in cow-bedding areas and reduce somatic-cell counts. The lighting has antibacterial effects on foodborne pathogens, for example.
But one research study has indicated that blue LED lighting can decrease milk production and generate more stress than white and yellow LED lighting. It was conducted by a team of scientists from the Republic of Korea and Bangladesh. It examined the effects of blue as well as white and yellow LED lighting on dairy cattle.
The pros and cons of red and blue LED lighting are being studied. Some producers interested in the technology are encouraged to examine research studies or conduct small trials of their own.
Call Klumb at 262-707-7288 for more information. Visit journals.plos.org/plosone – search for “Sofia Lindkvist” – and onlinelibrary.wiley.com – search for “Kwanseob Shim” – for more information.
This is an original article written for Agri-View, a Lee Enterprises agricultural publication based in Madison, Wisconsin. Visit AgriView.com for more information.
