Lely order book 'slightly better'
Dairy automation company Lely reported a 3.4% decline in total turnover last year but notes that sales are picking up.
Milking robots maker Lely overnight unveiled its new Astronaut A5 machine.
The new robotic milker was designed after observation of cow-machine interaction and feedback from farmers.
Lely says the Astronaut A5 (pictured below) combines proven automatic milking principles with unmatched reliability, ease of use and cost efficiency.
“The new A5 milking robot means stress-free milking for both the farmer and their cows,” it says.
The launch was done at the Lely Future Farm Days, held at its headoffice in The Netherlands.
“At Lely, we feel that healthy and stress-free cows mean more milk in the tank,” the company says.
The company says it has been proven that cows feel comfortable and perform well in Lely’s barn environment with free cow traffic, the I-flow concept and spacious milking boxes.
With the A5, cow comfort has been further improved with a new hybrid arm: silent, faster, energy efficient and more accurate, it results in consistent milking. Instantly following the cow’s every movement during milking, and remaining close to the udder, it quickly corrects itself in the case of any unexpected movement. This ensures a fast and thorough milking process, even with heifers. With the new Teat Detection System (TDS), post-milking teat spraying has been improved by pre-scanning the udder before spraying, ensuring optimal udder hygiene and limiting the risk of contamination.
The redesigned, intuitive user interface makes automatic milking easy to understand for everybody. From a cow’s first milking to everyday maintenance, all relevant information is available on one single page. Instant actions, such as feed allocation, cow-specific routing and daily maintenance tasks are just one click away. The Astronaut A5 is designed to deliver top-level usability, accessibility and serviceability, Lely says.
Federated Farmers supports a review of the current genetic technology legislation but insists that a farmer’s right to either choose or reject it must be protected.
New Zealand’s top business leaders are urging the US Administration to review “unjustified and discriminatory tariffs” imposed on Kiwi exporters.
New tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump signal an uncertain future, but New Zealand farmers know how to adapt to changing conditions, says Auriga Martin, chief executive of Farm Focus.
A global trade war beckons, which is bad news for a small open economy like New Zealand, warns Mark Smith ASB senior economist.
Carterton's Awakare Farm has long stood as a place where family, tradition and innovation intersect.
Fonterra says the US continues to be an important market for New Zealand dairy and the co-op.
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