David: ‘Good question. Maybe a Collector +. The + would stand for more power and more area. Currently, I clean in the barn with normal sliders and with a Discovery outside on the slatted floor. A Collector would be an option once the sliders are worn out. But now it would not be possible for me to work with only one Discovery Collector because of the capacity.’
Which new Lely innovation would appeal to you for the future on your farm?
David: ‘Basically in a practical way, of course. When there are worries, you naturally try to express them in a nicer way. But, in general, the desire for feeding robots came from my side in order to manage the available feeding places in the existing barn as well as possible.’ Marcel adds: ‘I am very close, of course, sometimes literally, and in our occasional talks I keep David informed.’
With Marcel working at the Lely Center, how does that influence the family bonds?
Marcel Schwager (33)
Sales & marketing representative
Marcel: 'David and myself have both developed with Lely in the past few years, only in different ways. I had part of my education on a farm in the western part of Switzerland. The farmer I was working with sold calves to a farm with a Lely Astronaut A2. That was the first time I saw a robot live.’
'After continuing my bachelor studies, I did an internship at a competitor of Lely in 2012. One year later – in the summer – I took one more internship at the Lely Center in Switzerland. After this work experience in the Center, it was clear to both me and the Center that I wanted to come back and work there. The Lely philosophy – with the cow in the center of it all – appealed to me. Now I am part of the local management team and responsible for sales & marketing at the Lely Center in Härkingen.’
How was David’s brother, Marcel, introduced to Lely?
David: ‘Above all, it brings comfort for both the cows and me as a farmer. The cow can choose when she wants to be milked and as a farmer we have a certain flexibility, thanks to automation. The combination of milking and feeding robots has an extra positive effect on this.’
What added value does automation with Lely bring you?
David: ‘The Vector has already simplified everyday life. But what is most noticeable is that the cows are much calmer when feeding. They were much greedier on the normal fresh grass without the mixture. I needed every feeding place and sometimes it got tight.'
'Now, with the Vector mixture of grass, hay and whole plant maize cubes, the cows eat more slowly and much more healthily. This has also eased the feeding place situation. That is also where the peace and quiet in the barn comes from.’
How has the Vector changed your daily work? Do you set other priorities?
Farm facts
Farm date: Schwager family farm, run by David Schwager
Location: Wängi, Switzerland
Start date: first Astronaut milking robot installed in 2014
Number of cows: 100 milking cows, 50 youngstock
Lely robots: Lely Astronaut A4, Lely Juno 150 and Lely Nautilus
Lely Center: Härkingen
Your most recent investment was a Lely Vector. Why did you choose the Vector?
David: ‘Before the Vector we used a hay crane above the feeding table. The crane was used to take the fresh grass and put it directly on the feeding table, where it was distributed. Grass and hay were fed alternately, in combination with grazing of course. With the Vector, we still have grazing when the weather permits, but the ration has changed. We feed a mix of hay, fresh grass and dried maize pellets from the whole plant, which is a special Swiss component.’
‘My assessment after three weeks with the Vector is that such a mix with fresh grass can only work with an automatic system. This is because if you feed a ration with a large mixer wagon as a daily mix, the ready-cut mix – at the feed table – will warm up throughout the day. With the Vector, the grass is only cut and mixed just before feeding. Until then, it just lies cut in the feed kitchen.’
David Schwager (35)
Farm Manager
HAPPY FARMER
David Schwager is the third generation at the family farm in Wängi, Switzerland. But farming in the family goes back further. His grandfather resettled to a new place with the farm. In 2014 David and his father built a new barn together in a generational community. This was also the time when the first robot, a Lely Astronaut A4, was installed. In 2021 David took over the whole farm. His brother Marcel Schwager is responsible for sales & marketing at Lely Center Härkingen.
Marcel Schwager (33)
Sales & marketing representative
David: ‘Basically in a practical way, of course. When there are worries, you naturally try to express them in a nicer way. But, in general, the desire for feeding robots came from my side in order to manage the available feeding places in the existing barn as well as possible.’ Marcel adds: ‘I am very close, of course, sometimes literally, and in our occasional talks I keep David informed.’
With Marcel working at the Lely Center, how does that influence the family bonds?
David: ‘Above all, it brings comfort for both the cows and me as a farmer. The cow can choose when she wants to be milked and as a farmer we have a certain flexibility, thanks to automation. The combination of milking and feeding robots has an extra positive effect on this.’
What added value does automation with Lely bring you?
David Schwager (35)
Farm Manager
Your most recent investment was a Lely Vector. Why did you choose the Vector?
David: ‘Before the Vector we used a hay crane above the feeding table. The crane was used to take the fresh grass and put it directly on the feeding table, where it was distributed. Grass and hay were fed alternately, in combination with grazing of course. With the Vector, we still have grazing when the weather permits, but the ration has changed. We feed a mix of hay, fresh grass and dried maize pellets from the whole plant, which is a special Swiss component.’
‘My assessment after three weeks with the Vector is that such a mix with fresh grass can only work with an automatic system. This is because if you feed a ration with a large mixer wagon as a daily mix, the ready-cut mix – at the feed table – will warm up throughout the day. With the Vector, the grass is only cut and mixed just before feeding. Until then, it just lies cut in the feed kitchen.’
Marcel: 'David and myself have both developed with Lely in the past few years, only in different ways. I had part of my education on a farm in the western part of Switzerland. The farmer I was working with sold calves to a farm with a Lely Astronaut A2. That was the first time I saw a robot live.’
'After continuing my bachelor studies, I did an internship at a competitor of Lely in 2012. One year later – in the summer – I took one more internship at the Lely Center in Switzerland. After this work experience in the Center, it was clear to both me and the Center that I wanted to come back and work there. The Lely philosophy – with the cow in the center of it all – appealed to me. Now I am part of the local management team and responsible for sales & marketing at the Lely Center in Härkingen.’
How was David’s brother, Marcel, introduced to Lely?
David: ‘The Vector has already simplified everyday life. But what is most noticeable is that the cows are much calmer when feeding. They were much greedier on the normal fresh grass without the mixture. I needed every feeding place and sometimes it got tight.'
'Now, with the Vector mixture of grass, hay and whole plant maize cubes, the cows eat more slowly and much more healthily. This has also eased the feeding place situation. That is also where the peace and quiet in the barn comes from.’
How has the Vector changed your daily work? Do you set other priorities?
Farm facts
Farm date: Schwager family farm, run by David Schwager
Location: Wängi, Switzerland
Start date: first Astronaut milking robot installed in 2014
Number of cows: 100 milking cows, 50 youngstock
Lely robots: Lely Astronaut A4, Lely Juno 150 and Lely Nautilus
Lely Center: Härkingen
David Schwager is the third generation at the family farm in Wängi, Switzerland. But farming in the family goes back further. His grandfather resettled to a new place with the farm. In 2014 David and his father built a new barn together in a generational community. This was also the time when the first robot, a Lely Astronaut A4, was installed. In 2021 David took over the whole farm. His brother Marcel Schwager is responsible for sales & marketing at Lely Center Härkingen.
HAPPY FARMER
