Kyle Barnes, dairy science student at Virginia Tech, winner of the Lely scholarship in 2020

‘As part of the Lely North America scholarship programme, I have been working with Pat Brink and Jarred Weaver from Finger Lakes Dairy Services (Senecca Falls, NY) during the summer. This internship was the perfect opportunity to gain some work experience in the field. I spent about half the summer with Pat Brink, Service Technician, who taught me how to perform maintenance on a robot and how to resolve basic issues. Then I worked alongside Jarred Weaver, as part of the installation crew. We spent a lot of time at a farm for the installation of eight Lely Astronaut A5 milking robots. Seeing the installation process move from an empty barn to being filled with eight Astronaut milking robots, as well as eight Discovery and two Juno units, was amazing. I’m extremely grateful to Lely North America for awarding me this scholarship and for the opportunities it offered.’

Connecting future leaders to Lely

Lely North America aims to connect young people to Lely Centers and automated dairies through two unique actions carried out during both the scholarship application and award process. 

Bellana Putz, Marketing Lely North America says: 'We recognise the young people of North America who are interested in the dairy industry could serve a Lely Center in various different ways, whether it be working directly with the farmers in a service, support, sales, or IT role. And, as we see the next generation enter into their professional careers, they may serve a Lely farm or run their own Lely farm.'

In an effort to give back to the dairy community and support the education of future leaders in the industry, Lely North America launched a scholarship programme in autumn 2016. Since its inception, this programme has provided $25,000 in scholarships. The programme gives students the opportunity to connect with, and learn from, local dairy automation experts. 

Each year three winners are chosen. They not only receive the $1,500 scholarship, but also have the opportunity to job shadow a person of their choice at their local Lely Center. So they can learn more about the business and how Lely automation helps to provide an enjoyable way of life for farmers.

Supporting the education of future leaders in the dairy industry

Following Lely founder Cornelis van der Lely’s philosophy that at least 20 solutions have to be devised for every problem, a number of socially relevant initiatives have seen the light of day thanks to Lely’s efforts.

20 SOLUTIONS

Kyle Barnes, dairy science student at Virginia Tech, winner of the Lely scholarship in 2020

‘As part of the Lely North America scholarship programme, I have been working with Pat Brink and Jarred Weaver from Finger Lakes Dairy Services (Senecca Falls, NY) during the summer. This internship was the perfect opportunity to gain some work experience in the field. I spent about half the summer with Pat Brink, Service Technician, who taught me how to perform maintenance on a robot and how to resolve basic issues. Then I worked alongside Jarred Weaver, as part of the installation crew. We spent a lot of time at a farm for the installation of eight Lely Astronaut A5 milking robots. Seeing the installation process move from an empty barn to being filled with eight Astronaut milking robots, as well as eight Discovery and two Juno units, was amazing. I’m extremely grateful to Lely North America for awarding me this scholarship and for the opportunities it offered.’

Connecting future leaders to Lely

Lely North America aims to connect young people to Lely Centers and automated dairies through two unique actions carried out during both the scholarship application and award process. 

Bellana Putz, Marketing Lely North America says: 'We recognise the young people of North America who are interested in the dairy industry could serve a Lely Center in various different ways, whether it be working directly with the farmers in a service, support, sales, or IT role. And, as we see the next generation enter into their professional careers, they may serve a Lely farm or run their own Lely farm.'

In an effort to give back to the dairy community and support the education of future leaders in the industry, Lely North America launched a scholarship programme in autumn 2016. Since its inception, this programme has provided $25,000 in scholarships. The programme gives students the opportunity to connect with, and learn from, local dairy automation experts. 

Each year three winners are chosen. They not only receive the $1,500 scholarship, but also have the opportunity to job shadow a person of their choice at their local Lely Center. So they can learn more about the business and how Lely automation helps to provide an enjoyable way of life for farmers.

Supporting the education of future leaders in the dairy industry

Following Lely founder Cornelis van der Lely’s philosophy that at least 20 solutions have to be devised for every problem, a number of socially relevant initiatives have seen the light of day thanks to Lely’s efforts.

20 SOLUTIONS

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