Lely Atlantic Newsletter
In this issue
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What has been going on in Lely Atlantic
Further updates from the team
Robert Pattons - £1m Lely Set up
Page 5 Upcoming training and events
Page 6 Discovery C2 Launch New Starters & Win a Juno
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Asanotheryeardrawstoaclose,allofusat LelyAtlanticwouldliketotakeamoment to thank you for your support and partnership throughout 2024. Together, we've achieved great things, embraced innovation, and celebrated the strength anddedicationofourfarmingcommunity.
Thisfestiveseason,wewishyouandyour loved ones a very Merry Christmas filled with joy, peace, and cherished moments. Maythenewyearbringfreshopportunities, continuedgrowth,andsuccessforall.
Here’s to a bright 2025, where we look forwardtoworkingtogetherandshaping thefutureoffarming.Fromourfamilyto yours, have a wonderful holiday season andafantasticstarttotheyearahead!
WelcometoourLastnewsletterof2024
Senttoyouonaquarterlybasistoensureyou arekeptuptodatewithalltheimportantnews andupdatesofwhatishappeninginandaround the business. The quarterly newsletters will include a range of different topics from all departmentswithinLelyAtlantic,ifthereisany topicsyouwouldliketoseewithinthefuture newslettersemailg.salders-hill@lely.comandI will do my best to accommodate for future series.
What’shasbeen goingonin
Lely Atlantic
Caroline Coss - Out on farm with Lely Center Ayr
ChrisandIdid2farmvisitswithLC Ayr. This is Gary from Strandhead Farmwhowasextremelypassionate aboutimprovedanimalhealthand Herdmanagement
TheCPSFeed&Manureteamrecently visitedClusterSEETinItalyalongwith CPS'sfromaroundtheworldtogain training on the next advancements comingtothefeedingportfolio,Itwas a great opportunity to share experience and share knowledge on problems faced across different clusters and how people are over comingthem
We also went to meet 3 generations from Laigh Tarbeg farm who have a range of Lely productstohelpruntheirfarm
We celebrated our Cluster manager Caroline Coss’s one year work anniversary!
Chris Murphy- Collaborating with INT
TheClusterteamhadthepleasure of being joined by Norbert, Jordi, and Daniel, Nick and Claire also joined us for this part of the evening, contributing to the lively andengagingdiscussions.
We attended the Better farming awards in Ireland
It was an honor to sponsor two award categories: Lely Innovator Farmer of the Year and Lely Community/Discussion Group Better Farming Champion
Congratulations to all the evening'swinnersandrunners-up fortheirhardworkanddedication intheAgriculturalindustry!Itwas inspiringtocelebratewithsomany passionate people, sharing ideas andinnovationinfarming.
EveryonewaswelcometoourFMSMilkingandFeeding Event this week in Meriden. It was fantastic to get the whole team together; many meeting for the first time. Someexcellentexternalspeakerswithalotofusefultips forourcustomersinfuture.Agreatweekhadbyall!"
HaveyouhadachancetoreadourLelyAtlantic EmployeeFlipbookyet?Ifnotscanthecode. Blogs Didyoumanage tocatchupwith outlatestblogs? Clickonthe blogstoread: ACleanerBarn, aSmarter Future:Meet theLely Discovery
Mike Steele - Our first FMS meet up with all the teams
Harry Rigby & Jack McDill - Took a trip over to Italy
Further updates from the team
Peter Clark - IT Administrator - Launched the new IAM Project
Identity and Access Management (IAM) Project currently underwayinourcluster.We'rethefirstgloballytoattempt this rollout remotely, and after overcoming some initial challenges particularlywithcoordinatingfourcentersinone day—we'reontracktocompletetheimplementationforall privately owned Lely centers by 8th November. The LelyownedcentersarescheduledforFebruary.Thekeyhighlights oftheprojectareitssignificantimprovementstosecurity, theeliminationofmultipleaccountfrustrations,simplified access for our Lely centers, and faster support and problemresolution.
James Duggleby - Marketing Manager - Attended this years Agriscot ran by Lely Center Ayr
LelyCenterAyrhadasuccessfuldayatAgriscot24,showcasing theLelyportfolio.OndisplaywerethedemoAstronautA5, Vector,Juno,Discovery,andDiscoveryCollector,whichdrew significantattention.Despitetherecentbudgetannouncement regarding inheritance tax, the atmosphere at the event remainedpositive.Manycustomers,botholdandnew,visited thestand,expressingkeeninterestintheadvancedtechnology andsolutionsofferedbyLely.Overall,theparticipationof Lely Center Ayr at Agriscot 24 was a success, fostering valuable connections and showcasing the latest advancements in agricultural technology. The event underscoredtheimportanceofinnovationinthesectorand Lely's role in driving progress and sustainability in farming practices
Insideastate-of-the-art£1mLelyrobotic dairyset-up
“I went to Germany to look at other brands on different farms, but nothing stood out more than Lely. It is a leader in robotics, and they are constantly developing new technology.”
CountyAntrimbusinessmanRobertPattoninvested£1mina state-of-the-artdairyunitwhenheconvertedfrombeefto dairy.
Hesaysthemovewas‘purelyfinanciallydriven’andsawhim dispersehis80headofBeefShorthornsinfavourofdairyin thehopeofimprovingthefarm’sprofitability.MrPatton,an ex-amateurjumpjockeywhoestablishedasuccessfulonline equestrianretailbusiness,OldMillSaddlery,spentagreat dealoftimeresearchingroboticequipmentbeforesettling onLely.
Hereflects:“Wehaveninerobotsinourwarehousetosort andpackorders,andbecauseofthis,robotsdidn’tscareus, andwesawthepotentialforthemonthefarm.“Iwentto Germanytolookatotherbrandsondifferentfarms,but nothingstoodoutmorethanLely.Itisaleaderinrobotics,and theyareconstantlydevelopingnewtechnology.”
Buildingdesign
Robertalsospentmanyhoursdesigningtheshedlayoutwith thesupportofprojectcoordinatorJoshBlackfromLely CenterEglish.Theshed,whichwascompletedinApril,spans 44mby30mandclimbs16fttotheeaves.Itcontainsthree rowsofback-to-backcubiclestotalling126cubiclesand mattresses topped with sawdust. Robert opted for HeatguardtransparentroofsheetsfromGreenhillSystems Theseletinnaturallight,andtheirpolycarbonatematerial limitsheatbuild-up.
Theshedisfullyautomated.Cowsaremilkedthroughtwo LelyA5AstronautrobotsandarefedusingLely’sVector automatedfeedingsystemwithaLelyDiscoveryCollectorC2 usedtokeepthefloorclean
Milking
Therobotsaresituatedhead-to-head,andcowshavefree accesstoboth.Animalscanbeautomaticallydraftedtoa separationareathatcontainsself-lockingyokesforsickcows orthoseinheat.
Awholeherdwaspurchasedfromanearbyfarmerwhowas exitingtheindustry.Sincetheystartedmilkinginsidethenew shedearlierthisyear,cowsareaveraging35.5kgat4.45% butterfatand3.56%proteinfrom3.1milkingsdaily.
Theherdsperson,ChelseaSloan,saysthestart-upwasmore straightforwardthanshethoughtitwouldbe. “Iusedtoworkatthefarmwherethecowsoriginated,and theyweremilkedtwicedailythroughaparlour.Weexpected ittobemuchharderforthecowstotransitiontotherobots, butafterthefirstweek,wedidn’thavetofetchmanycows,” shereflects.
TherobotictechnologyhasmadeChelsea’sworkingdaymuch moreflexible.Atherpreviousemployment,sheworked5am until7pm,butnow,shetypicallystartsworkat6.30am,finishes at11amandreturnstothefarmat3pmuntil6pm.
ForRobert,thefarmnowfitsaroundrunningthesaddleryand spendingtimewithhiswife,Kerrie,andtheirsons,Thomas,17, andWilliam,2.Thomasishands-onwithbothenterprisesand hasbeenimpressedattheamountofdataavailableusingLely’s Horizonapp.“
Thebiggestlearningcurvesincestartingthedairyhasbeencow healthMilkingcowsaremoresensitivethanbeefanimals,but wearegettingalotofdatawhichallowsustointerveneearly “Theappisintuitiveandhasn’ttakenlongtolearn.”
Headds:“ThesupportandbackupfromLelyEglishhavebeen verygood.Anytimeyouneedassistance,theyareontheother endofthephone,andtheremoteaccessviaTeamViewis great”
Feeding
TheLelyVectorMixingFeedingRobot(MFR)isafirmfavourite onthefarm.Itfeedsmilkersanddrycows‘littleandoften’ between11-12timesdaily.Feedingaccuracy,measuredbythe feedrequestedversuswhatisloaded,ishitting96%,andwaste isminimal“There’sneveranycowsballingorrushingtothe feedfenceItworksaway,anditsavessomuchtimeBefore,I wouldspendtwohoursputtingoutsilageeachday.Now,I spend20minutesfillingthefeedkitcheneveryotherdayand thecowsareconstantlygettingfreshfeed,”commentsChelsea.
RobertreckonstheVectorwillhavepaidforitselfwithinfive years.Cowsarecurrentlyontracktoproduce841kgofmilk solidsannually(10,500litres),buttheteamatOldMillDairiesis excitedtoseewhatthefutureholds.
Upcoming Events Q1
For journeys for 2025, please book 6-8 weeks before the intended date - this must also be suitable with Atlantic to ensure a team member can assist on the Journey
For more information on Lely Journeys please contact gsalders-hill@lely.com to book a space
For more information on the ways of working for Lely Journeys - Click Here
For the blue tongue statement please Click Here this must be signed and returned to cluster before the Lely Journey takes place
Robotsstreamline data management
Installing five Lely A5 Astronauts alongside Lely Discovery C2 Collectors has saved time, improved cleanliness and milk yields, and streamlined data management at oneNorthYorkshiredairy.
JohnThroupmanagesthedairyenterpriseathisfamily’s1,200acremixedfarm,wherehemilks254Holsteins,supplyingArla alongsidehiscousin,James,andJames’son,Ben.
Therobotsreplaceda18/36swingoverparlour,explainsJohn ThreeLelyDiscoveryC2collectorswerepurchasedaspartofa transition to robotic milking – the first with sand-flushing capabilitiestobeinstalledonaUKfarm.Johnsaidtheparlour was30yearsoldandrequiredreplacingandtheyfeltrobots wouldallowthemtomoveawayfrom‘peaklabourloading’at unsociablehourswhenmilking.
Roboticmanurecollectorsseemedlikealogicalcombination alongsidetheroboticmilkingmachines
“WewantedtokeepthecowsbeddedonsandandIdon’tlike thewavesofmuckcreatedbyautomaticscrapers Oneofthe reasonsIdidn’tputrobotsinsoonerisbecauseIhadn’tworked outhowtoscrapetheshedoutuntilnow.”
About the installation and benefits
Themilkingrobotswereretrofittedintoashedcomprising266 sand-beddedcubiclesinJulyandtheslurrycollectorsfollowed inAugust,oncethecowsweretrainedandsettledintotheir newmilkingroutine.
Yieldshavealreadyclimbedfrom28litresacowdailyto34 litres,butJohnsaysoneofthebiggestbenefitshasbeenthe streamliningofdataandaccesstomoreinformationasaresult of the Lely Horizon app “My biggest headache before the robots were installed was sifting through data from various software.Wehadheatdetectioncollars,parloursoftwareanda herd software programme. Now the software talks to each otherandisinoneplace”
Thishasmadeinformationmoreaccessibleandeasiertofind,he says“Forexample,ifacowisunwell,Iwouldhavepreviouslyhad tolookattheheatdetectionapptocheckrumination,thenlook attheparloursoftwaretocheckthatcow’sconductivityandmilk yield,beforelookingatourherd’ssoftwaretoseewheresheisin lactation “WithHorizon,thecowisflaggeduponalist,andall thatinformationisavailableattheclickofabutton” Previously, ittooktwostaffmembers3.5hoursateachendofthedayto milkandwashdown(5.30-9amand3.30-7pm).Anextrapairof handswasrequiredtomovecows,scrapeshedsandcleanbeds
Now, one person manages the milking cows. “Usually, this involvescollectingafewcowsthathaven’tcomeforwardtobe milked, tending to freshly calved cows and washing the machines,”explainsJohn Laboursavingshavealsobeenrealisedthankstothecollectors.
Previously,shedswerescrapedoutwithaskidsteer,whichtook twohours,buttherobotshavenegatedtheneedformanual scrapinginsidetheshed.AtCarltonDairy,eachcollectorhas been programmed to complete five routes six times daily, equatingtoapproximately12hoursofdriving
Routescanbetailoredtothefarm’sdailyroutinesthrougha navigationappandtherobotcanbestoppedorsentbacktoits stationifitisimpedingcowfloworfarmtraffic Johnexplains: “Therobotsdon’tcleanthefeedpassagefor3-4hoursafter morningfeedingsocowscanfeedwithouttherobotdisturbing them.”Thecollectorshaveonlybeeninforthreemonthsand whileitisstilltooearlytosayiftheyhaveimprovedfoothealth, John says the environment and cows’ feet are ‘definitely cleaner’“Thebiggestpaybackyoucanhavearefewerfeetissues becausethatcontributestomoremilk[andbetterfertility],”he adds
Win a Juno Competition
With nearly 600 entries across the UK and Northern Ireland since the launch of the competition, We are delighted to announce the winneroftheWinaJunoCompetitionisEdward Rowland's(LCMidlands).EdwardstartedLelywith installingA3robotsbeforeupgradingto4A5Lely Astronauts,heisoneofthehighestyieldingand longservingcustomerofLCMidlands,withover 10heifersperformingat50kgperday.Welldone toallthoseinvolvedandkeepyoureyespealed overthenextfewweekstoseetheinstallation takeplaceonfarmjustintimeforchristmas.
