Michael Schwarzenberger
Managing Director at BBZ Arenenberg
Today's innovations are tomorrow's standards. That’s the vision of the education and information center and experimental dairy farm ‘Arenenberg’ in Switzerland. And it’s the reason the company has invested in automation and Lely products.
HAPPY FARMER
Marcel Schwager
Sales Manager Lely Center Härkingen
‘Automation is taking off here in Thurgau’, says Managing Director at BBZ Arenenberg Michael Schwarzenberger. ‘That’s why we are investing in automation in various areas. For our newly built milking parlour, we chose the Astronaut. Besides the milking robot, the Grazeway plays a central role on our farm. We also have a Lely Juno, which pushes the feed up to the barrier automatically, and the Collector cleans the floor.’
In summer 2021, BBZ Arenenberg opened their new barn: a barn fit for the future. The barn has space for 52 cows and their calves. As well as Brown Swiss and Holstein cows, crossbreds will also be milked in future. The aim is to feed as much home-grown forage and cereals to the herd as possible, and to allow them to graze on the 12 hectares of adjoining grassland whenever possible.
Farm facts
- Farm data: Bildung und Beratungszentrum Arenenberg (school and
trial farm) managed by Hansjörg Hauer (Operations Manager)
and Michael Schwarzenberger (Managing Director) - Location: Thurgau, Switzerland
- Start date: Since 2021 with new barn
- Number of cows: 52 Brown Swiss and Holstein
- Lely robots: 1 Lely Astronaut A5, 1 Lely Juno, 1 Grazeway, 1 Discovery Collector
- Lely Center: Lely Center Härkingen
Michael: 'We definitely took sustainability into account when choosing our robots. Energy and water consumption played a role. And we also consider grazing to be sustainable. That’s one of the main reasons for choosing the Grazeway. The pressure to reduce ammonia emissions in the barn is constantly increasing. The Collector and other automatic manure removal systems are becoming more popular. Emission reducing floors make a big difference and automation should be a solution too. Now we aim to be the first farm in Switzerland to gain experience with sloping floors and the Collector.'
Did the choice for Lely or for automation play a role in terms of sustainability?
Michael: 'More than 70% of the land in Switzerland is grassland. With breeding cows specifically suited to the location, we can most efficiently convert this grass into valuable protein. We see opportunities, with the right management, to refine grassland automatically, sustainably and at the same time reduce emissions.'
How can technology help in becoming more sustainable?
Marcel: 'Our collaboration started four years ago. We were already involved in the plans to build a new barn, and to adapt the pasture concept perfectly to the robot. There we definitely could add value. The goal was to build a sustainable farm, making the best use of grazing, and they knew we were the experts in barn construction. The first enquiry was to help them find a good solution for grazing with the robot, and to plan and design an innovative stable. And I’m convinced we succeeded, looking at the results. We have a productive and close relationship: we exchange ideas and knowledge, and discuss the best options for the challenges they have, so Lely can come up with the best advice.
BBZ Arenenberg farm belongs to one of the 15 agricultural schools of Switzerland and is located in the country’s key dairy region. We think it’s important to partner with this leading school, so students are exposed to Lely and our solutions early on in their career.'
Marcel, how is the relationship with this customer?
Marcel Schwager
Sales Manager Lely Center Härkingen
Michael Schwarzenberger
Managing Director at BBZ Arenenberg
HAPPY FARMER
Today's innovations are tomorrow's standards. That’s the vision of the education and information center and experimental dairy farm ‘Arenenberg’ in Switzerland. And it’s the reason the company has invested in automation and Lely products.
‘Automation is taking off here in Thurgau’, says Managing Director at BBZ Arenenberg Michael Schwarzenberger. ‘That’s why we are investing in automation in various areas. For our newly built milking parlour, we chose the Astronaut. Besides the milking robot, the Grazeway plays a central role on our farm. We also have a Lely Juno, which pushes the feed up to the barrier automatically, and the Collector cleans the floor.’
In summer 2021, BBZ Arenenberg opened their new barn: a barn fit for the future. The barn has space for 52 cows and their calves. As well as Brown Swiss and Holstein cows, crossbreds will also be milked in future. The aim is to feed as much home-grown forage and cereals to the herd as possible, and to allow them to graze on the 12 hectares of adjoining grassland whenever possible.
Farm facts
- Farm data: Bildung und Beratungszentrum Arenenberg (school and
trial farm) managed by Hansjörg Hauer (Operations Manager)
and Michael Schwarzenberger (Managing Director) - Location: Thurgau, Switzerland
- Start date: Since 2021 with new barn
- Number of cows: 52 Brown Swiss and Holstein
- Lely robots: 1 Lely Astronaut A5, 1 Lely Juno, 1 Grazeway, 1 Discovery Collector
- Lely Center: Lely Center Härkingen
Michael: 'We definitely took sustainability into account when choosing our robots. Energy and water consumption played a role. And we also consider grazing to be sustainable. That’s one of the main reasons for choosing the Grazeway. The pressure to reduce ammonia emissions in the barn is constantly increasing. The Collector and other automatic manure removal systems are becoming more popular. Emission reducing floors make a big difference and automation should be a solution too. Now we aim to be the first farm in Switzerland to gain experience with sloping floors and the Collector.'
Did the choice for Lely or for automation play a role in terms of sustainability?
Michael: 'More than 70% of the land in Switzerland is grassland. With breeding cows specifically suited to the location, we can most efficiently convert this grass into valuable protein. We see opportunities, with the right management, to refine grassland automatically, sustainably and at the same time reduce emissions.'
How can technology help in becoming more sustainable?
Marcel: 'Our collaboration started four years ago. We were already involved in the plans to build a new barn, and to adapt the pasture concept perfectly to the robot. There we definitely could add value. The goal was to build a sustainable farm, making the best use of grazing, and they knew we were the experts in barn construction. The first enquiry was to help them find a good solution for grazing with the robot, and to plan and design an innovative stable. And I’m convinced we succeeded, looking at the results. We have a productive and close relationship: we exchange ideas and knowledge, and discuss the best options for the challenges they have, so Lely can come up with the best advice.
BBZ Arenenberg farm belongs to one of the 15 agricultural schools of Switzerland and is located in the country’s key dairy region. We think it’s important to partner with this leading school, so students are exposed to Lely and our solutions early on in their career.'
Marcel, how is the relationship with this customer?