Whether it is “spring ahead” or “fall back” time, the schedules of farmers are somewhat impacted by the twice-a-year shifting of the clock. And for farmers spending time in the milking parlor, there’s a question on how cow behavior and milk production is affected.
This is not one of the more serious or opinionated “Frankly Speaking” columns I’ve written over the years, but we all need to lighten up once in a while.
Cows Like A Routine
Dairy scientists maintain cows prefer daylight saving time because they need 14-16 hours of light each day. As a result, some farmers adjust their own schedules to help the cows deal with stress and confusion while churning out more milk.
Natasha Stein Sutherland tries to keep things as consistent as possible since cows are creatures of habit and don’t like change. At Stein Farms in Le Roy, N.Y., they don’t change the cows’ clocks the first few days, as they slow adjust the timing with the farm’s 900 cows.
“Otherwise, you’re asking a cow to be milked an hour before or after she’s traditionally getting milked,” she adds. “She’s ready to get milked and looking at me like, ‘Why aren’t you milking me now?’ So instead of an hour in a single day, the cow’s schedule is altered in 30-minute increments over 2 days,” she said in an interview with American Dairy Farmer.
An Hour Early... On Time... An Hour Late
Growing up on the in the late 1940s on our family’s farm at Lake Orion, Mich., I remember when the state legislature passed a bill authorizing daylight saving time throughout the Wolverine state.
Surrounding our farm on three sides was the 1,200-acre Lakefield Farms. Owned since 1914 by the owners of the gigantic Hudson Department Store in downtown Detroit, the farm was known nationwide for their outstanding Holstein herd that won many showring ribbons and milk production awards over the years.
Lakefield Farm manager, O.F. Foster was not a fan of Daylight Savings Time. He and herdsman Kent Mattson were convinced setting the clocks ahead at hour that spring would confuse the high-producing cows and lead to a serious drop in milk production.
The decision was made that the farm crew would remain on Eastern Standard Time, even though everyone else in the state set their clocks ahead one hour.
What a Mess!
Farm workers showed up at the barns either an hour ahead of time, some on time while others got to work at hour late. The farm’s kids were missing the school bus or were outside a full hour early.
Within a week, the farm switched to daylight saving time like everyone else in Michigan. And the cows never missed a milk-producing beat.
LED Lights to the Rescue
To help cows get through the dull days of winter, Stein Farms has lit their barns with automated LED lights. The lighting system turns on with the morning sunrise and are programmed to turn off at 11 p.m., giving cows the 6 hours of complete darkness they’re used to getting.
There’s a double bonus as the LED system keeps the cows more comfortable and the farm more energy efficient. Thanks to a financial grant, the farm has updated half of its lighting fixtures, which will cut its energy costs by 20% a year. The system lets the farm conserve more energy and continue to make more environmentally choices in dairy barn lighting.
How Much Milk is Lost?
Some dairy producers believe the time change can lead to up to 4 pounds less milk production for 2 days.
With the 900 cows milked at Stein Farms, losing 4 pounds of milk each day for 2 days adds up to 7,200 pounds not being paid for on the next milk check.
Incidentally, the federal government says it’s officially “daylight saving time” — not daylight savings time.”
