U.S. dairy owners prefer daylight saving, according to recent phone surveys conducted by Progressive Dairyman. A combination of both online and phone polls, however, indicated the dairy industry as a whole dislikes daylight saving.
There was no difference in preferences between producers living in Eastern versus Western states. Based on reader comments and some speculation, it appears living closer to the western border of a time zone may cause farmers to dislike daylight saving.
Beginning in June, Progressive Dairyman asked readers: “Do you like or dislike daylight saving time?” More than 550 responses were collected online and over the phone from June through August 2017. Readers surveyed over the phone could indicate if they had no preference to daylight saving. Participation in the online survey only offered the responses “like” or “dislike” as options.
Dairies who preferred daylight saving noted it was a “nice change” and “isn’t too difficult to adjust to after they got used to it.” Others said they enjoyed the longer days because there is more daylight to get their work done in the evenings.
In contrast, dairy farmers who don’t like daylight saving were a bit more vocal. They said they would rather leave the time change the same and not switch back and forth. Others said they would rather have it lighter in the morning than lighter at night due to early morning milkings and chores.
“The cows hate it more than I do,” said one reader in New York with more than 200 cows.
Another reader from Colorado with fewer than 50 cows didn’t like it at all, saying it is “very confusing and worthless.”
To some dairy farmers, daylight saving really doesn’t bother them.
“It doesn’t make any difference because we just work until the work is done,” one reader from Utah with 200-plus cows said.
“We milk our cows at the same time regardless of daylight saving,” said another reader in North Dakota with more than 200 cows.
Finally, there are some who don’t change time at all. Federal law does not require any area to observe daylight saving time. A few parts of the country opt not to do so, such as Arizona, Hawaii and part of Indiana located in the Eastern time zone.
An Amish dairy farmer in Ohio with fewer than 50 cows said they, too, don’t do daylight saving time. 
