Accuracy and flexibility with Lely Vector
With feed making up 50 to 70% of a farm’s day to day running costs we should be paying more attention to detail with how its fed to livestock, believes Lely Atlantic’s Derrick Davies.
Feeding
Block text
“We all know that we need to feed animals regularly, accurately and consistently while avoiding waste. With energy costs and world political issues, not to mention the extreme weather conditions and labour shortages are all outside of our control, we need to focus on the areas that we can influence.
Accuracy
“Often, we see three versions of a ration. The first is what's calculated by the nutritionist. Then there's the version that gets put into the feed wagon and then finally there's what actually gets eaten by the cows. But of course, we want the nutritionist’s version to be the one that is fed to animals.”
The Lely Vector mixing and feeding robot can do exactly that – preparing and delivering precise rations to different groups of animals on the farm and keeping it pushed up to the feed fence 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“Since I joined Lely, I've been blown away by the amount of data behind our products. We want the farms to perform as best as possible for the animals and the farmers.” Issues that are not detectable by the human eye can be picked up through data, which Lely monitors, he explains.
Flexibility
“Vector also gives you maximum flexibility in how you run your day. If you've got other things happening on the farm and you need time to manage them, then the Vector can give you that flexibility.”
Although it’s a simple system to operate, there is a great amount of work to be done behind the scenes before installation, he explains. “We calculate the capacity on the farm, the requirements and the demands, the routes the Vector will need to take around the farm, the rations to be fed. All those practical details are then analysed and understood by Lely’s Farm Management Support team (FMS).
“It's also important that we listen to the wishes of our farmers and what they want to achieve going forward. What is their plan for the business? Then based on all the information gathered; we calculate and, design a unique bespoke system that will deliver to your animals needs, keeping them supplied with accurate, adequate fresh feed always.
“There are financial gains from improving efficiency through the Vector. That is of course important, but knowing you've got time to spend on other areas of your life and business is important too.
Find out more about how automatic feeding with Lely Vector can work for you by clicking here
