FUTURE FARM
Improved farmer prosperity
Farmers are the guardians of food production. They do not have a job; they have a way of life. They should be rewarded for that. We must help farmers to have a financially fit farm. With a fair and reasonable business model. A farm that not only produces food but is also socially relevant and therefore acknowledged and ‘approved’ by consumers. A farm that not only brings food to our plates but also puts food on the farmer’s plate.
Greater buy-in from consumers
Consumers are becoming ever more critical about farming, and their buy-in becomes more and more important. The challenge is to bring the farmer and the consumer closer together. Consumers demand complete transparency whilst at the same time becoming increasingly distant from what happens on a farm, literally as a result of urbanisation. A lot more work is needed to guarantee transparency in the chain.
Sustainable and nutritional dairy products
Milk is the most unique fluid and a key part of a healthy diet with over 400 components. We need to promote milk more prominently, or else alternative dairy products will likely take over. The aim of our future farm is to produce high-quality, traceable and sustainable dairy products. This means focusing on the cows’ genetics and diets to provide the best taste, enabling the cow to deliver on her core competence: transforming feed into nutritious food.
Lower environmental impact
In past decades, we never really questioned our impact on the environment. But we must challenge ourselves on how we can reduce the environmental impact of dairy farming and move faster towards real circular farming. Not just when it comes to nitrogen emissions, but also methane emissions, water quality, energy usage, soil health and biodiversity. We need to innovate hard to tackle these challenges.
Improved animal welfare
When it comes to animal welfare, society demands greater progress. We must continue to innovate hard to achieve this. Our principle of free cow traffic allows the cows to live their lives in the most natural way possible. Automated milking and feeding contribute to that. Encouraging grazing and early detection of possible diseases help to improve the welfare of the cow.
That changing environment is our reality. We dream of a farm that is entirely acceptable to society, farmers and animals. Where farming is about the farmer, his role in society and the way he is seen by society. Future farming will be about focusing on the farmer.
Our dream about farming in the future – as presented at Lely’s 75-year jubilee events in June – is based on five impact areas: improved animal welfare, lower environmental impact, sustainable and nutritional dairy products, greater buy-in from consumers and improved farmer prosperity. By turning these challenges into opportunities, we adhere to Cornelis and Arij van der Lely’s firm belief in making farming more enjoyable whilst at the same time maintaining the farmer’s licence to produce. That farmer focus brings us back to the very core of our company and to where it all started 75 years ago: making farmers’ lives easier!
The world around us is changing rapidly. The global population continues to grow, with food demand expected to increase by 50% to 70% by 2050. People want farmers to produce their dairy products in an ever more sustainable manner and are increasingly demanding to know where their food comes from and how it is produced. At the same time, farmers are the subject of heated discussions worldwide and are being forced to deal with stricter regulations.
Making farmers’ lives easier
Improved farmer prosperity
Farmers are the guardians of food production. They do not have a job; they have a way of life. They should be rewarded for that. We must help farmers to have a financially fit farm. With a fair and reasonable business model. A farm that not only produces food but is also socially relevant and therefore acknowledged and ‘approved’ by consumers. A farm that not only brings food to our plates but also puts food on the farmer’s plate.
Greater buy-in from consumers
Consumers are becoming ever more critical about farming, and their buy-in becomes more and more important. The challenge is to bring the farmer and the consumer closer together. Consumers demand complete transparency whilst at the same time becoming increasingly distant from what happens on a farm, literally as a result of urbanisation. A lot more work is needed to guarantee transparency in the chain.
Sustainable and nutritional dairy products
Milk is the most unique fluid and a key part of a healthy diet with over 400 components. We need to promote milk more prominently, or else alternative dairy products will likely take over. The aim of our future farm is to produce high-quality, traceable and sustainable dairy products. This means focusing on the cows’ genetics and diets to provide the best taste, enabling the cow to deliver on her core competence: transforming feed into nutritious food.
Lower environmental impact
In past decades, we never really questioned our impact on the environment. But we must challenge ourselves on how we can reduce the environmental impact of dairy farming and move faster towards real circular farming. Not just when it comes to nitrogen emissions, but also methane emissions, water quality, energy usage, soil health and biodiversity. We need to innovate hard to tackle these challenges.
Improved animal welfare
When it comes to animal welfare, society demands greater progress. We must continue to innovate hard to achieve this. Our principle of free cow traffic allows the cows to live their lives in the most natural way possible. Automated milking and feeding contribute to that. Encouraging grazing and early detection of possible diseases help to improve the welfare of the cow.
That changing environment is our reality. We dream of a farm that is entirely acceptable to society, farmers and animals. Where farming is about the farmer, his role in society and the way he is seen by society. Future farming will be about focusing on the farmer.
Our dream about farming in the future – as presented at Lely’s 75-year jubilee events in June – is based on five impact areas: improved animal welfare, lower environmental impact, sustainable and nutritional dairy products, greater buy-in from consumers and improved farmer prosperity. By turning these challenges into opportunities, we adhere to Cornelis and Arij van der Lely’s firm belief in making farming more enjoyable whilst at the same time maintaining the farmer’s licence to produce. That farmer focus brings us back to the very core of our company and to where it all started 75 years ago: making farmers’ lives easier!
The world around us is changing rapidly. The global population continues to grow, with food demand expected to increase by 50% to 70% by 2050. People want farmers to produce their dairy products in an ever more sustainable manner and are increasingly demanding to know where their food comes from and how it is produced. At the same time, farmers are the subject of heated discussions worldwide and are being forced to deal with stricter regulations.
Making farmers’ lives easier
FUTURE FARM