Part Two - Lely Dairy XL - Helping larger herds excel

How does the Dairy XL team work with the farm and Lely colleagues to deliver the best solutions to meet business goals? Lely Atlantic’s Dairy XL Manager Ben Nottage tells us more in part 2 of our blog.

Management, Dairy XL

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What is the first step for a large dairy herd (or a potential new setup) interested in robotics?

The first step is always to get in touch with your local Lely Center, so that one of your local specialists can book an appointment to visit the farm or site. The Lely Center will always be your first contact and the people who become your business partner and trusted advisors long term. Those individuals then have the full portfolio of national and international colleagues to help with design and planning as you go through the process.

The initial meeting will be exploring what you wish to achieve in the present, mid-term (next five years) and longer-term (the next 10 years). It’s vital that we all understand your longer-term aspirations and keep those in mind.

After the initial discussions and goal-setting, the Lely Center would arrange visits to existing farms who have already been through the transition so that you can see what the future looks like and how you can adapt to it. Once you are happy, the project planning can start in earnest!

What support do you offer before and during the transition to robotic milking or set up of a new unit?

Lely has the longest history in bringing automation to the dairy industry, and it’s vital for us that we can share our knowledge of best practise with all our customers. After the initial conversations with your Lely Center, we will start to bring in a project team.

The Farm Management Support (FMS) team is there to make sure that the environment is right for the cow and will allow her to achieve her potential.  They look at space, lighting, cow flow, management routines, standard operating procedures, and everything in between.

The Technical Service Support (TSS) staff bring a huge technical skillset to make sure the machines can function at their best and that there are no bottle necks in performance when it comes to design and layout. This team knows the massive capabilities of all the machines and the ideal operating environments for them.

The Lely Centers have their own project co-ordinators who carry a wealth of experience in making sure that everyone involved is kept up to date. Once the customer, Lely Center, project co-ordinator, Dairy XL, FMS and TSS teams have all agreed a solution that fulfils all of the customers’ aspirations, then the fun part can start.

What about aftercare and ongoing support?

We always say that it takes the cows three to five days to adjust to their new way of life, whilst it takes the people on average 15 to 18 months to fully appreciate the new systems.

At this stage the farm will have gone from focusing all attention and time from one, two or three absolutely critical time periods per day (depending on how many times per day you milked), to in reality, no time critical period. With that in mind, a whole new daily routine and structure has to be created, which will be hugely different to anything the unit has experienced in the past.

The Lely teams are there to help set up new operating procedures, daily protocols, reducing any pinch points in the system, and basically set you on the road to success from the start. This doesn’t just mean from day one, but in the weeks prior to that first day to make sure that everything possible has been done to make transition as smooth as possible.

As the farm progresses forward, these teams are all available as sources of information and support to make sure that you are constantly evolving to be as efficient as you can be.

For more information on Dairy XL visit: www.lely.com/gb/solutions/dairy-xl/

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