Maassluis, 6 October 2020 - During the Lely Future Farm Days digital event, Lely CEO André van Troost launched the vision of the farm of the future. Important results have been achieved in the two years following the introduction of this 'Farm of the Future' vision, and the robotics and data management supplier is presenting new circular innovations to make this farm a reality.
Oct. 6, 2020
Press
The vision of the farm of the future is centred on livestock. Repetitive tasks are automated, allowing dairy farmers to concentrate on things that are important to him or her. Farms are completely robotised, and operational 24/7. The farm of the future is based on the principle of allowing cows to move freely, so they can behave naturally and their welfare is guaranteed.
Lely is striving for a pleasant, sustainable and profitable future for dairy farming. However, this very future is coming under increasing pressure: “We live in a rapidly changing world where the population continues to grow,” says André van Troost, CEO of Lely . “We desperately need farmers, because we expect the demand for food to increase by 70% by 2050. The impact of farming on the environment is also coming under increasing scrutiny, and regulations are becoming stricter. Dairy farmers therefore have to change the way they work to guarantee their future.”
All these elements are part of the vision of the farm of the future, where incorporating circularity in dairy farming has been further elaborated; valuable nutrients are reused, waste is limited, and the emissions of harmful substances are reduced to a minimum. In this future, farming operations are further optimised, and the data available used intelligently for predictive maintenance.
Shortly after the introduction of the vision on the farm of the future in 2018, Lely launched the Lely Orbiter on the market. With this unique milk processor, milk can be processed and bottled locally on the farm.
During the Lely Future Farm Days this year, Lely also proudly presented three ground-breaking innovations that further reflect its commitment to the 'Farm of the Future':
Lely presents a new barn system for separating mineral flows and converting emissions into value; Lely Sphere. The system separates manure and urine, transforms nitrogen emissions, and creates 3 valuable types of fertiliser. Dairy farmers can use these separated fertilisers for precision fertilisation. This closes mineral loops better, reduces nitrogen emissions, and creates a healthier climate in the barn. Official measurements at test farms have shown that total ammonia emissions from barns are reduced by approximately 70%. As an emission-limiting system, Lely Sphere also distinguishes itself by reusing nitrogen to substitute chemical fertiliser.
For more information, go to our Sphere press release.
The Lely Exos is an innovation that uses a farm’s own resources as effectively as possible. This electrical vehicle autonomously mows, loads, and dispenses grass in the barn. Exos provides supplies grass frequently, 24 hours a day. With this solution, dairy farmers can use a large part of their grassland to produce fresh feed. As a result, they use the nutritional value of their roughage more efficiently, and can produce more milk from their own grassland. Another bonus of this system is lower labour and feed costs. Experience at test farms has shown that a dairy farm can meet half of its roughage requirements with fresh grass throughout the growing season from early spring to late autumn. Savings of more than 2 cents per litre of milk can be achieved.
For more information, go to our Exos press release.
To conclude, Lely has developed a new decision-support platform; Lely Horizon. The Horizon application analyses data, and provides insights and proactive advice to make the farmer's life easier, the herd healthier, and the farm more profitable. Horizon will replace the current T4C management system. It crunches data from Lely's robots with relevant data from suppliers on the farm, resulting in useful information that can be accessed on any device at any time. Horizon provides farmers with tools that help them work more efficiently, and gives them more control to achieve their own goals.
For more information, go to our Horizon press release.
