The first public showing in the U.S. will take place at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis., Oct. 1-5, 2013



LelyLely is proud to announce the latest in dairy innovation: the Lely Vector automatic feeding system. The first public showing in the U.S. will take place at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis., Oct.1-5, 2013.

After numerous Lely innovations in the field of automatic milking, the Lely Vector is the next major step in automating working methods within dairy farming and as such, it matches the impact of the milking robot. The Lely Vector makes sure that correct rations are fed to cows consistently and on time, allowing cattle farmers to achieve efficient and high-grade milk and beef production. This new system has been developed in close cooperation with Lely's customers.

Flexible
The Lely Vector ensures a constant supply of feed in a flexible manner, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The process is fully automated and ensures optimal flexibility for farmers using the system. The Lely Vector enables farmers to define and adjust their feeding strategy for different groups of animals, therefore improving animal health and feed efficiency, resulting in optimal milk production.

The feed is stored in the feed kitchen; an open area without any obstacles, in which all kinds of feed can be stored, each in its own location. Depending upon the size of the feed kitchen, feed can be stored for a three-day period. This means that that there is sufficient feed for more than a weekend, so farmers and their families can enjoy more free time.

A feed grabber moves over the feed kitchen to select the feed, and load it in onto the mixing and feeding robot. The feed grabber scans the part of the feed storage area that has been designated for a specific feed and collects the feed from the highest point.

Fresh
A concentrates dispenser monitors the feed quantities, which can be established and measured with the utmost accuracy. In addition, minor quantities of minerals and additives can be mixed with the concentrates. A user interface with touch screen is used to set up the feeding plan and the feed kitchen. It is also possible to program rations and view a variety of reports.

The feed level sensor is a technological tour de force. The robot knows exactly how much feed there is at the feed gate and it determines when and where feed is required, without any intervention from the farmer required. Because there is an ongoing supply of feed, it is not necessary to measure large doses, and therefore the feed at the feed fence is always fresh.

Economic feeding
The Lely Vector saves money, labor, time and energy. It uses much less energy than many other feeding systems and is therefore less expensive to operate. Test farms have shown that labor savings are huge when feeding two or more different rations. The Lely Vector also saves dairy farmers a lot of hassle. Filling the feed kitchen is all that remains for them to do. Furthermore, thanks to the electric control system, the Lely Vector is noiseless, environmentally-friendly, and does not disturb either man or animal.

For Lely, the Lely Vector is as groundbreaking as the introduction of the first Lely Astronaut milking robot. To safeguard a professional roll-out and development of the Lely Center distribution network, Lely has opted for a roll-out in phases over different countries. Sales and deliveries in North America will be a staggered roll-out in 2013.

The Lely Vector is a complete and efficient feeding system that allows modern dairy farmers to control their business the way they want to. With the invention of the milking robot, Lely was the first company to launch an effective system on the market. The Lely Vector is a major step in the further automation of the dairy farming business.

About Lely North America
Lely, founded in 1948, directs all effort toward creating a sustainable, profitable and enjoyable future in farming for its customers. Lely is the only company worldwide to supply the agricultural sector with a complete portfolio of products and services ranging from forage harvesting to automated feeding systems, barn cleaners and milking robots. Lely also is working on business concepts to ensure energy-neutral operations in the dairy sector. For many years, Lely has remained the undisputed market leader in the sales and service of automated milking systems. The company maintains a strong position in forage harvesting products and, with over 60 years acquired knowledge in the agricultural cycle, Lely has an unrivaled position. Lely is active in more than 60 countries and employs some 1,700 people.

More information about Lely dairy industry innovations is available on Lely's website, www.lely.com, or by calling 1-866-LELY-USA (U.S.) or 1-877-LELY-COW (Canada). You may also visit Lely's Facebook page (Facebook.com/LelyUSA), Twitter page (@DairyRobot) or blog at www.lelylife.com. To watch videos featuring Lely's products, visit http://www.youtube.com/lelydairylife.
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10.07.2013