About
Lely is a leading innovator in dairy farming technology, offering a comprehensive suite of automated hardware and intelligent software solutions designed to make dairy farming smarter, more efficient, and more sustainable. Their flagship robotic milking systems—including the Astronaut and Astronaut Max—allow cows to be milked on their own schedule, improving animal welfare and milk yield. The Vector and Juno systems automate feed pushing and delivery, ensuring cows have consistent access to feed around the clock. For barn hygiene, the Discovery Collector and Discovery Scraper robots handle manure removal autonomously, keeping barn floors clean without manual labor. Farm management is centralized through Lely's Horizon software and Hub platform, which aggregate real-time data on cow health, milk production, feeding behavior, and herd performance to help farmers make informed decisions. Lely's solutions are supported by a worldwide network of Lely Centers providing technical service, consumables, pre-owned equipment, and farm management advisory support. Whether for small family farms or large commercial dairy operations, Lely's integrated approach enables farmers to reduce labor demands, optimize herd health, and increase overall farm profitability through data-driven, automated operations.
Key Features
- Robotic Milking Systems: The Astronaut series enables voluntary cow traffic milking, allowing cows to be milked on their own schedule for improved welfare and higher milk yields.
- Automated Feeding Solutions: Vector and Juno systems automate feed delivery and pushing 24/7, ensuring consistent nutrition and reducing manual feeding labor.
- Autonomous Manure Management: Discovery robots automatically scrape and collect manure from barn floors, maintaining hygiene without requiring manual intervention.
- Horizon Farm Management Software: Centralizes real-time herd data—milk production, cow health, feeding behavior—into actionable insights for smarter farm decision-making.
- Global Lely Center Network: Worldwide service centers provide technical support, spare parts, consumables, and farm management consultation close to every farmer.
Use Cases
- Dairy farmers automating cow milking with the Astronaut robotic milking system to reduce labor and improve milk yield through voluntary milking schedules.
- Large dairy operations centralizing herd health monitoring and production analytics using the Lely Horizon farm management platform.
- Farms implementing automated feeding with the Vector system to ensure consistent 24/7 feed availability and reduce daily manual feeding tasks.
- Barn managers deploying Discovery robots for continuous, autonomous manure removal to maintain hygiene standards without relying on manual scraping.
- Dairy farm owners consulting with local Lely Centers to plan and implement a fully integrated smart farming setup combining milking, feeding, manure, and data management solutions.
Pros
- Comprehensive End-to-End Automation: Covers all major dairy farm activities—milking, feeding, manure, and management—under one integrated ecosystem, reducing the need for multiple vendors.
- Improved Animal Welfare & Productivity: Voluntary milking and automated feeding schedules align with natural cow behavior, leading to better health outcomes and higher milk yields.
- Data-Driven Farm Management: The Horizon software platform provides real-time analytics and alerts, enabling proactive herd health management and operational optimization.
- Strong Global Support Infrastructure: An extensive network of Lely Centers worldwide ensures farmers receive timely technical service and expert advice wherever they are located.
Cons
- High Initial Investment: Robotic milking and automation systems represent significant capital expenditure, which may be a barrier for smaller or resource-limited farms.
- Dependency on Technical Support: Complex automated systems require skilled technicians for maintenance and troubleshooting, making farms reliant on Lely's service network.
- Learning Curve for Staff and Cows: Transitioning from conventional to robotic farming requires time for both farm workers to adapt workflows and cows to learn to use automated systems.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Lely Astronaut robotic milking system?
The Lely Astronaut is a voluntary milking system (VMS) that allows dairy cows to be milked automatically at their own pace, without a fixed milking schedule. The robot identifies each cow, cleans the udder, attaches teat cups, milks the cow, and records individual production data—all without human intervention.
How does the Lely Horizon farm management software work?
Lely Horizon collects and consolidates real-time data from all connected Lely robots and sensors on the farm. It provides dashboards, alerts, and reports on cow health, milk production, feeding behavior, and barn conditions, helping farmers identify issues early and make better operational decisions.
Is Lely suitable for small family farms or only large commercial operations?
Lely offers solutions scalable to various farm sizes. While the investment is substantial, smaller family farms can benefit from labor savings and improved productivity. Lely Centers can advise on the right configuration based on herd size and farm layout.
What kind of after-sales support does Lely provide?
Lely operates a global network of Lely Centers that offer technical service support, consumables, spare parts, pre-owned equipment, farm management advisory services, and access to an online library of technical documents.
What is the Discovery robot used for?
The Lely Discovery is an autonomous barn floor scraping robot that continuously removes manure from the barn floor, keeping paths clean for cows moving between the milking robot, feed fence, and cubicles. It helps maintain hygiene and reduces manual cleaning labor.
