• Farm data: Dairy farm managed by Cyrille and Anne-Sophie Heudiard
• Location: Bain de Bretagne, France
• Start date: 29 January 2016 start-up of robots, started testing Lely Horizon 12 July 2019
• Number of cows: 110 
• Type and number of Lely robots: 2 Lely Astronaut A4 robots + 1 Lely Discovery 120 collector
• Lely Center: Bain de Bretagne

Farm Facts

How does this farm became one of the testing farms for Lely Horizon?

'The Heudiards have been working with Lely for a long time,' says Guillaume, explaining why the couple’s farm was chosen for this latest test project. 'Lely has validated versions of T4C on their farm in the past and Anne-Sophie has an excellent understanding of the program, as well as a critical mind, which means that we know we’re going to get a lot of useful feedback. And this information allows us to make continual progress and to guide our Product Developers in developing Lely Horizon.'

What are the benefits for you, being a validation farm for Lely Horizon?

'We’ve been using Lely technology since 2016 and their newest innovation Lely Horizon has added a new dimension to our herd management,' says Anne-Sophie. 'The application has given us another way of looking at our business. We can be more proactive and less reactive.'

She adds that helping to test the product has also allowed them to share what they, as farmers, want and expect from it. 'We were able to talk it over with the Lely team and give it the green light, based on our experiences.'

What kind of feedback could you give Lely based on your experiences?

Some example of this were the presentation of KPIs in the first version, as well as the non-integrated genetics, heifer age, and the heat percentage chance. 'We asked if we could also review the rumination and heat graphics. The milk-quality graphics were at the beginning also less visually attractive and the layout of the various tables needed some review too,' she explains. 'We took part in an advanced follow-up test that allowed Lely to decide on the most instinctive places for certain observations, or information, to be recorded.'

The resulting changes to the dashboard mean that the system is easier to use. 'It is now extremely visual and is helping us to improve our herd management. It is a true aid to decision making,' adds Anne-Sophie.

The 18-month collaboration with Lely, saw many updates. How did that work?

'Validation was fairly easy to manage,' adds Guillaume. 'The tool is updated on a regular basis by Lely and it is my job to communicate all of the new elements to the dairy farmers so that they can test them as soon as they get it. Sometimes Lely needs a direct answer or a specific point of view from the farmers. In that case, I organise the meetings and I translate directly between the farmers and our colleagues in The Netherlands. We have strong underlying support from Lely with regards to the planning and ongoing training for the Lely Horizon product.'

He adds that the two main challenges were the length of the validation period and managing the farmers’ peak working periods. 'Sometimes, the farmers clearly do not have the time to meet with you or to answer your questions. In that case, it is up to us to anticipate the problem and to schedule visits so that the farmer is not swamped when you visit him or her. What is more, the Lely Horizon test lasted for a year and a half, which really is a long time, with more or less regular improvements. The difficulty was keeping the farmers motivated and invested in the project. To do that, we had to adapt and increase our visits and calls to the farmers.'

The relationship between the farmer and Lely is strong and built on trust. 'And working with the same people allows everyone involved to forge connections that make it much easier to talk and discuss things honestly and openly,' adds Guillaume.