Good morning - I am attaching the latest release from Unilight who has recently installed one of its Dairylight Lighting Systems at a 180 cow farm.
Kind regards
Jennie Tovey
TOVEY PR
01285 869848
jennie@toveypr.co.uk
UPDATED LED LIGHTING GIVES ENCOURAGING RESULTS AT 180 COW FARM
UPDATED LED LIGHTING GIVES ENCOURAGING RESULTS AT 180 COW FARM
When Redhouse
Holsteins upgraded the lighting in the dairy sheds at its 240 acre farm in
Derrycreevey, Northern Ireland, it specified Unilight’s innovative Dairy Light
system to increase milk yields and improve the fertility of its 180 strong
herd.
The Dairy Light system, comprising a daylight harvesting controller with light
sensor, timer and dimming functionality connected into around 130 Dairy Lights,
is installed across four sheds, ensuring the cows are kept under the constant
recommended levels of blue spectrum lighting for 16-18 hours per day, and is
already showing promising results.
The Dairy Light System was the first LED lighting system on the market
specifically designed to optimise melatonin suppression in dairy cows. A daylight harvesting control unit, which
uses light sensors, timers and dimmers to work with Unilight’s patented, power
efficient LED lights increases milk yields in dairy herds, typically by 8-10%,
and improves cow health and fertility. They are quick and easy to install, and
response times have been recorded after two weeks with payback in as little as
six months.
After the installation, David Irwin
from Redhouse Holsteins commented “Following the installation, initial
perceptions regarding milk yields are that high yielders have already increased
by around a couple of litres, but it is difficult to isolate the results from
the middle yielders due to other changes going on.
Having had our high yielders done for a couple of weeks I would say we are so
far definitely seeing very strong and long-lasting heats compared to before.”
He added: “Calving season is going to start off with a bang next September with
64 cows PD pregnant this morning all due to calve in the first 14 days of
calving season and all but a handful to sexed semen. Some credit has to be given to the new
Unilight LEDs for improving further what was already reasonably good
fertility.”