Lely introduces new operating system
Leading farm automation business, Lely, is implementing a new operating system across its franchise network in Ireland.
The company said the new structure will offer enhanced levels of support to its existing, and new customers, and will see teams in the South East combined with those from Mitchelstown, with the area run by the new General Manager Brian O’Riordan.
Wexford customers will have access to additional farm support, advice, ongoing maintenance information, and sales services from the new team and customers will also continue to liaise with the skilled team of service technicians and professionals at Lely Center Enniscorthy.
To date, each of the individual Lely Centers focused exclusively on their own designated areas, however, the combination of the Mitchelstown and the South East areas will result in a coordinated service for customers in both regions.
Sherwin Moazami, Cluster Manager Atlantic UK and Ireland, said the new development will benefit customers: ‘Our aim is to deliver even greater levels of support to our existing and new customers, and I believe this is a very positive step for the future.’
Meanwhile, Brian O’Riordan, General Manager, Mitchelstown and the South East region, also welcomed the news and said it’s indicative of Lely being ‘at the forefront of innovation’ in an effort to develop new ideas and implement positive change.
‘I look forward to working with the great team of experts in Mitchelstown and in the South East to deliver on this,’ said Mr O’Riordan.
Lely first entered the Irish market over 10 years ago and has played a strong hand in automating farm processes. The business’ newest farm management application, Lely Horizon, was unveiled during the Lely Future Farm Days 2020 and is one of many new technologies in the Lely pipeline
Heavy rainfall over past two weeks has left a lot of ground conditions challenging for grazing. Some of the drier farms in the county did get a chance earlier in the month to get cows out for a couple of days but have since been forced indoors. Nevertheless, the value of grass in the cow’s diet must be emphasised. On average spring grass has a protein content of 19-22% and a UFL value of 0.95/KG DM and a costing of 0.07c/Kg of DM which is approximately three times cheaper than feeding meal.
Apart from making financial sense, increasing the percentage of grass in the cow’s diet improves dietary energy, protein and the cow’s intake potential along with reduced labour and slurry storage demands. Early grazing stimulates the plant awakening it from a period of dormancy which has a positive effect of the total tonnes of grass grown in further rotations.
Unfortunately we can’t control the weather but we can put a plan in place to take advantage of the unsettled weather.
A Guide to on/off Grazing in Difficult Conditions
Milk cows at 7am and feed 2kg meal (cows should not be full of silage in the morning period and should have a keen appetite for grass after milking. Cows full of silage tend to do a lot of walking when turned out to grass instead of grazing causing unnecessary damage to paddocks)
Pick the drier paddocks with a cover of 700 -900 kgDM/ha (Just a little over a fist full in height/7-8cm)
Out to grass between 9-10am with a keen appetite for grass, allocating enough grass for 2-3 hours
Cows return to shed at 12-1pm – no silage
Cows milked earlier at 3pm 2kg meal, no silage offered after milking
Out again for a further 2-3 hours grazing and back in by 7 or 8pm
Back fence strip for the next day, use spur roadways to minimise poaching along with multiple access points to paddocks.
Silage at night - Cows have access to silage until early hours of the morning Monitor cow’s intake to ensure adequate feed on a daily basis
Have a flexible approach– cattle can go in and out!
Too wet? Stay inside – but try again tomorrow
Nature has its own way of balancing things and there is no doubt that a period of good weather will come shortly. For those of us with heavier soils this will present an opportunity to get cows out full time to ty regain lost time. It’s vital we put a plan in place and try to achieve some of the targets in the spring rotation planner. Bearing in mind that the first 30% we graze will be the grass will be the first grass available to cows in second rotation. This ground needs time to recover and grow. It’s likely we have to push the start date of the second rotation out a week until the 10th of April. However, once you have a cover of 1200kgDM/ ha on the first paddocks grazed you can then start the second rotation.
Oisin McGlynn, Dairy Advisor, Teagasc Johnstown Castle
Few of us will remember 2020 with any great fondness, but for Maurice Allen it was a year in which he captured some of his favourite images in an ever-expanding collection. He discusses the work which went into five of those shots.
SHOT 1:
Donohoe’s of Curracloe, Co. Wexford lifting their 2020 crop of new potatoes. ‘I love this image as it shows all the team work required to get the work done and the blend of colours seen are really beautiful from the sky to the ground.’
ADMIRED FROM ABOVE:
John Deere 6930 ahead of a Grimme KSA 75-2 topper. GT 170 alongside a Fendt 720 and Smyth tandem axle trailer. Grimme Varitron 220 Platinum alongside a Fendt 720 and Smyth tandem axle trailer.
SHOT 2:
Donohoe’s of Curracloe, Co. Wexford. Harvesting Spring Barley in August 2020 after a heartbreaking year of tough weather conditions for tillage farmers.
MACHINERY ON SHOW:
Claas Lexion 570c unloading into a Fendt 724 and Smyth trailer alongside.
SHOT 3:
RC Baker spreading digestate from a local AD plant in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, UK.
OVERSEAS OUTFIT:
Vredo 32000Zs tanker.
SHOT 4:
Alfie Byrne picking up silage on a long summer’s day outside Kildavin, Co. Carlow.
‘ This was one of my favourite shots from the summer of 2020. It was taken just before the battery on my drone ran out and perhaps that is why I love it so much! It really emphasises how last minute shots can sometimes be the best ones you get.’
PERFECT PAIR:
Krone Big X 530 and broughan trailer.
SHOT 5:
Hughes Agri finishes a harvest of maize before the sun sets over Ballybar Upper, Carlow.
‘With over seven hours shooting in this field, we had the perfect ending to a long day. If I have learnt anything from my days behind the camera, it is that patience pays off and this was certainly the case here. As the harvest was almost finished in this field, the sun was also finishing up for the day. It was my last day out during the summer of 2020 as I headed back to University that weekend so this image really emphasises the summer’s end.’
CHASING DAYLIGHT:
Claas Jaguar 870 with a Valtra tractor and smyth trailer alongside. (Photos taken of Maurice Allen were completed by David Lowsley, Dublin. Maurice and David are friends from secondary school and on this occasion, David was showing different camera settings and he showed Maurice several photography techniques.)