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Lely Horizon helps farmers crunch data from its robots.
Lely has launched three new products to make on-farm tasks easier for farmers.
A new barn system called Lely Sphere, Lely Exos, an electric vehicle that mows, loads and dispenses grass in the barn and Lely Horizon, a “decision support platform” to replace its T4C management system.
Lely says some of its innovations are compatible for all markets around the world. However, pilot farms trialing the new products are mostly in Europe.
The innovations were launched at the Lely Future Farm Days digital event last week.
The company says 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 them.
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, it says.
“We live in a rapidly changing world where the population continues to grow,” says André van Troost, chief executive 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.”
Getting calves away to a strong start means attention to detail from day one, so the Lely Calm, an automatic drinking system for calves, prepares and feeds rations at the right temperature and is designed to ensure calves receive smaller, more frequent portions throughout the day.
The first weeks of a calf's life quietly shape the future of the entire herd.
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.
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.
Potatoes New Zealand has congratulated Peter Reynolds of TA Reynolds Ltd in Pukekohe on being awarded the Horticulture New Zealand Bledisloe Cup, recognising a lifetime of service and contribution to New Zealand horticulture.
Signing up to a benchmarking tool is not about competition, but about improving collectively, says Ximena Puig and Alvaro Luzardo who are 50-50 sharemilkers at a 164-hectare (effective) dairy farm in Eketāhuna in the Lower North Island.
A leading British farming politician says he's impressed with the positive attitude of New Zealand farmers that he met during his recent trip here.
OPINION: With 10,500 dairy farms, New Zealand continues to punch above its weight around the world.
The Southern Dairy Hub (SDH), which runs a demonstration farm for South Island farmers, has a new general manager.
Esther Guy-Meakin has been announced as the new chief executive of the New Zealand Meat Board (NZMB).
