Henry van Neerven had a simple but pressing problem: the lighting in his dairy barn was failing him - and his cows. Shadows crept into corners, energy bills stayed stubbornly high, and the old fixtures simply couldn't keep pace with the demands of a modern dairy operation. What came next was a collaboration between a curious farmer, a trusted advisor, and a lighting system that would change his barn for good.
Henry van Neerven had been running his dairy farm for years, but a growing sense of dissatisfaction with his existing Agrilight setup led him to look for alternatives. As he explains it:
This is a challenge many dairy farmers recognise. Gas lamps and older LED systems often create uneven light distribution - too bright in some spots, too dim in others - leaving cows in shadow zones that can negatively affect behaviour, feeding patterns, and ultimately milk production. The lights also ran continuously, with no intelligence to respond to natural daylight.
The result: wasted energy and a less comfortable environment for both cows and farm workers.
Henry's barn was equipped with RUDAX lighting, HATO's flagship dairy cattle lighting system, designed to deliver the right intensity, colour temperature, and distribution to support both animal welfare and milk production.
The RUDAX system offered several immediate improvements:
The Results: 3–4% More Milk - With No Other Changes
The farm participated in a structured research study, jointly conducted by HATO and Van Grinsven Agritechniek en Advies. The findings, as reported by Bas from Van Grinsven, were clear and consistent.
There were no alterations to feeding regimes, milking routines, or herd management. The only variable was the lighting. That makes the 3–4% increase in milk production directly attributable to the switch from gas lamps to RUDAX.
For a dairy operation of any scale, a 3–4% lift in production - sustained over a full lactation cycle - represents a significant return on investment.
For Henry, the benefits extended well beyond the milk tank. The energy savings alone made a tangible difference:
The automatic daylight response - a standard feature of RUDAX installations - means energy is never wasted illuminating a barn that already has sufficient natural light. Combined with the inherent efficiency of LED over gas, the reduction in running costs compounds the financial case for switching.
The human factor matters too. A brighter, more evenly lit barn is simply a better place to work. Tasks like pen scraping, health checks, and herd observation become easier and more accurate when shadows are eliminated.
The collaboration between Henry van Neerven, Van Grinsven Agritechniek en Advies, and HATO is a model for how this kind of change works best.
This three-way partnership: farmer, local agri-technical advisor, and lighting manufacturer, ensures that solutions are not generic but genuinely adapted to the specific barn, herd, and operational needs of each farm.
Henry van Neerven's experience demonstrates what the science consistently shows: lighting is not a passive utility in a dairy barn. It is an active lever for animal welfare, worker comfort, energy efficiency, and milk production. Switching from outdated gas lamps to RUDAX - with the right partner, the right plan, and the right system -produced a measurable, sustained increase in output without a single change to milking practice.
The light changed. The results followed.
Q:Can switching to LED lighting really increase milk production without changing anything else on the farm?
Yes. At Henry van Neerven's farm, milk production rose 3–4% after installing RUDAX LED lighting with no changes to milking routines, feeding, or herd management. The gain came from better light distribution and a colour temperature calibrated for dairy cattle - both of which influence how cows move, feed, and rest throughout the day.
Q: Why do gas lamps perform worse than RUDAX for dairy barns, even if they produce enough light?
The problem isn't brightness - it's distribution and control. Gas lamps create uneven coverage and run continuously regardless of daylight. RUDAX delivers uniform lux across the whole barn and includes sensors that dim or switch off when natural light is sufficient. Henry's barn got brighter and his energy bills dropped at the same time.
Q: What does a RUDAX installation process actually look like?
It starts with a barn measurement, not a sales pitch. Van Grinsven visited Henry's farm, mapped existing light levels, and built a custom lighting plan before ordering a single lamp. Installation reuses existing mounting points where possible, keeping disruption low. The 3–4% production increase at Van Neerven was visible during the research period shortly after installation.