increase font size
Higher milk prices are giving farmers confidence to invest in robotics and data, says Lely.
Since its decision to concentrate on milk harvesting and animal husbandry, resulting in the selling of its agricultural machinery brands and factories, Lely’s focus seems to be paying off with a growing business.
Despite broader agricultural machinery sales showing a downward trend, Lely closed out 2025 with an 18% increase in revenue, for the first time topping €1 billion, compared to the €857 result in 2024, said to be driven by higher milk prices.
Higher global milk prices have led to a financially healthy year for dairy farmers in general, giving them the confidence to invest in robotics and data.
“The 2025 result is better than expected and we are proud of hitting one billion sales,” says Andre van Troost, CEO of Lely.
During the 2025 year, the company invested 8% of turnover in R&D, while also launching four new products, including Vector Next, Astronaut A5 Next, Astronaut Max and Hub.
While the company has begun 2026 with a healthy order book, the Lely CEO added that 2026 could be more challenging, partly due to the significant over supply, resulting in a lower milk price, ongoing geopolitical tension and increasing uncertainties over silicon chip deliveries.
“The latter might not impact our business in the first half of this year; however, we cannot foresee what will happen towards the second half of the year,” adds van Troost.
Looking ahead, Lely notes that farmers continue to face stricter laws and regulations, a growing demand for transparency, and an increased focus on sustainability. They suggest that innovation, robotisation and digitalisation, will be increasingly adopted by farmers to be able to produce sustainable and nutritious dairy products.
With 2025 marking the 30th anniversary of its first milking robot being installed in Belgium in 1995, Lely says it has taken automated milking to the “next level” with the release of the latest version of the Astronaut Series - the A5-Next.
Dairy automation company Lely reported a 3.4% decline in total turnover last year but notes that sales are picking up.
The De Leeuw family has been running their dairy farm in Kaitake, Taranaki, for over 20 years.
The daily chore of hosing or floodwash could be a thing of the past if you have Discovery Collector C2 on your milking shed floor.
Robotic milking can open the door to many different management tools driven by data received in the farm office or via hand-held devices.
DairyNZ Chair Tracy Brown has seen a lot of change since she first started out in the dairy sector, with around one-third of dairy farmers now women.
Castle Ridge Station has been named the Regional Supreme Winner at the Canterbury Ballance Farm Environment Awards.
The South Island Dairy Event has announced Jessica Findlay as the recipient of the BrightSIDE Scholarship Programme, recognising her commitment to furthering her education and future career in the New Zealand dairy industry.
New Zealand and Chile have signed a new arrangement designed to boost agricultural cooperation and drive sector success.
New DairyNZ research will help farmers mitigate the impacts of heat stress on herds in high-risk regions of the country.
Budou are being picked now in Bridge Pā, the most intense and exciting time of the year for the Greencollar team – and the harvest of the finest eating grapes is weeks earlier than expected.
