In 2020, Lely launched the Exos as the new way of feeding fresh grass. An autonomous system with a light vehicle that mows grass and brings it from the field into the barn for the cows. Now three years later, the system has been extensively tested on 13 Dutch farms in various circumstances. Not only the test farmers are very happy with the possibilities, the cows also react very enthusiastically to the fresh grass that Lely Exos delivers directly from the field. Before the end of 2023, 7 additional systems will be added in the Netherlands. With the results achieved, the proven capacity and broad applicability, this system will be ready to be sold by mid-2024. Ley Exos will initially be available in the Netherlands and in the following years gradually also in other grassy areas in the surrounding countries.
Wide range of applications
Feeding fresh grass or 'summer barn feeding' was known until now to be very labour-intensive. However, by fully automating this, Lely makes the feeding of fresh grass accessible to a larger group of dairy farmers. Feeding fresh grass with Lely Exos is good in combination with grazing. In this way, the farmer can not only make better use of the growing season, but also ensure that the cows absorb more fresh grass because it is available in the barn in addition to pasture. With specially designed drive-through gates, Exos can also cross cow traffic.
Lely Exos is suitable for dairy farms that feed fresh grass from 250,000 kilos of dry matter and where harvesting can be done on the grassland that is directly accessible from the yard around the farm. The final deployment, numbers of animals and hectares differ per farm and depend on, among other things, the company system, grass growth, number of mowing days and the field layout.
Maximizing the growing season
Autonomous fresh grass feeding means feeding fresh grass 24-7, several times a day, without labour commitment from the livestock farmer. Thanks to the low weight of 3,400 kg and the low-pressure tires, the machine can mow from early spring until late autumn. The individual wheel drive and steering system prevent slip and friction when driving or cornering. Lely Exos is particularly agile and very friendly to the sod. The system is therefore ideally suitable for sensitive soils and less load-bearing conditions and can thus make the best possible use of the long growing season of grass.
Fertilize immediately after mowing
In order to fertilize each field as needed and on time, Lely Exos can apply liquid fertilizer in the same process. Via ten spouts, which are located directly behind the mowing unit, the liquid runs controlled between the grass. Of course, in addition to the usual liquid fertilizers, the circular fertilizer from the N-capture of the Lely Sphere-system is possible. Being able to precisely administer the discharge water from Lely Sphere is a good example of new techniques that help make dairy farming circular.
Plan fresh grass rations and fields
In the management programme, the farmer can enter the desired amount of grass per feed fence, per cow and choose the fields to mow. When planning a field, the farmer chooses the desired mowing pattern and fertilizer application. The system then shows a schedule with the number of trips and quantities. Breaks can be set to, for example, align the planning with grazing,feeding and milking times.
With the dates of the trips, a historical overview of yields and fertilizer application is built up per field and each cut can be found in a grassland calendar that gives the farmer an overview of all fields and growth steps. In addition, these data can be used in the future to further optimize the system company-specific.
Farm of the Future 2035
Lely Exos fits very well into the vision that Lely presented today about the Farm of the Future. Feeding fresh grass is one of the solutions that contribute to a circular dairy farm. By feeding fresh grass, you prevent loss of nutrients and require far fewer operations, resulting in less fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. A higher use of protein from our own country limits the supply of concentrates such as soy. Recent studies by Wageningen University show that feeding relatively young grass has a positive effect on the reduction of enteric methane. Due to its low mowing speed and the possibility to mark meadow bird nests, the Exos can also be combined well with active meadow bird management.
More information about Lely Exos
