Dairy Farmer Experiments with LED Lights

Red LED light therapy can be beneficial for humans, but how about for cows? Well experiments with both red and blue LED lights are being tested at Roden Echo Valley dairy farm in West Bend. 

Owner Rick Roden says they have been testing these lights for the past two years to see if they can improve milk production and kill bacteria in bedding areas. Roden provides more insight into how this research is being conducted and what they’ve seen so far.

“The red LED lights are being tested to improve milk production while the blue flights are being used to test the potential of killing bacteria in the bedding areas.” says Roden. “We’ve hung eleven of these lights above the free stalls in our barn and the cows under these lights are all second plus lactation.”

Roden worked with Dave Klumb of White Leaf Technologies Group to determine the wavelength frequencies needed as well as how the study was going to be conducted. The lights are on 24/7 and the cows haven’t been bothered by them.

It took about four months but the Rodens have seen slightly lower cell counts and the test group of cows produced an average of three more pounds of milk a day.

“We’re excited to see the future results of this and the potential benefit it can have on our bottom line,” Roden adds. “If things continue the way they are and the numbers work out correctly, I’d be willing to put these lights in my entire barn.”

Roden and Klumb plan to host other farmers at Roden Echo Valley in the next few weeks to learn about the experiments up close and learn about the benefits of using these lights. Klumb is also looking to get more farms involved in doing the research.

Roden says, “I’m all about raising healthy animals and using less antibiotics. Healthy means profitable. If there’s one more thing we can do to keep them healthy and get a little more production out of them while lowering the cell count, I’m all about that.”

To learn more about Roden Echo Valley, visit their Facebook Page. If you’re interested in being a part of the research, you can contact Dave Klumb at 262-707-7288.