Ruben: 'Vance and I have a long relationship, going back to when we were both young. We were in the same 4-H club, so we have known each other for a long time. But when I joined TDR in spring 2021, that was the first time we’d worked together. Because of our long relationship, the transition of working together was seamless. We learnt about milking automation together. I believe our shared background has enabled both of us to push each other for knowledge and made it a very successful working relationship.'
How would you describe your relationship with this farmer?
Vance: 'Larger farms are often unfairly looked at as corporate farms or even ‘evil’. However, I think it is essential to recognise that many of these farms are not corporate or major global operations; they are still family-owned. While the scale may differ, the goals and principles remain the same. Our goal is to provide the same cow comfort as a smaller farm, if not better, based on our resources.
And unlike on smaller farms, where responsibilities may be divided, everyone in our operation is fully engaged in the farm activities. Furthermore, our staff, whom we consider as extended family, rely on us for their job security and prosperity, so we contribute to the livelihood of our entire community. In other words, our focus extends beyond the success of our business; it’s about the well-being and prosperity of all individuals involved in our farm: the family and the staff.'
What do you believe every Lely employee should know about large-scale farming?
Vance: 'Our staff are very important to us, and we have a long-term and dedicated team. My father, who has been with the farm for nearly 45 years, is a prime example of this. His experience and efforts contribute significantly to our efficiency and cost management. We prioritise the well-being and growth of our staff by ensuring education, healthcare and advancement opportunities through peer training. Our management philosophy is simple: "As long as you work with me, I’ll work with you". We believe in a trusted and mutually beneficial relationship.'
How do you invest in staff for your farm?
Ruben: 'The best thing we can do to support the farmer with his current challenges is to ensure that the quality of our work does not drop and that we provide excellent service. By doing this, we can ensure that his Astronauts have the highest possible uptime. This will help increase his efficiency on the farm.'
How can Lely support the farmer with these challenges?
Vance: 'Our main challenges, particularly in California, are environmental and regulatory issues. Land is expensive and the availability of land for crop production to run operations of this size is limited. In this area, we also compete heavily with permanent crops like almonds. And we’re currently dealing with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in California, so we’re moving towards regulated use of water. So that is one struggle, plus interest costs are extremely high right now compared to 18 to 24 months ago.'
Currently, what are the main challenges for your farm?
Farm facts
Farm name: Country Line LLC, large-scale farm
Location: California, USA
Start date: 2021
Number of cows: 2,100 Jersey cows
Lely robots: 32 A5 Astronauts, 8 Junos
Lely Center: Turlock Dairy & Refrigeration
What are your ambitions on the farm for the next five to ten years?
Vance: 'Our primary goal over the next five to ten years is to enhance efficiency and sustainability. Automation has been a crucial step in this direction, and we’ve been focusing on maximising milk and solids production per cow using the robots that we have. However, the current milk price in the USA has made the dairy market extremely challenging for the last 13 months. So right now, we are prioritising short-term financial profitability, which has made us put our future plans on hold.
We are also working hard to achieve some sustainability goals. California is moving towards what they call the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. In that context, we are exploring environmental measures, such as starting a potential digester project for renewable energy and waste streams.'
Ruben Almada (42)
Lely FMS Advisor
Vance Ahlem (43)
Owner dairy farm
in California, USA
LARGE-SCALE FARMER
Vance Ahlem owns an impressive farm in sunny California, USA. He and his team of 15 dedicated staff members take care of a thousand acres dedicated to crops and a dairy operation comprising 2,100 Jersey cows. The farm has automatic milking, using 32 Lely Astronaut A5 milking robots and eight Junos to benefit from frequent feed pushing. This technological advancement aligns with Vance’s vision and future ambitions. In this article, Vance and Lely Center colleague Ruben highlight large-scale farming.
Ruben: 'Vance and I have a long relationship, going back to when we were both young. We were in the same 4-H club, so we have known each other for a long time. But when I joined TDR in spring 2021, that was the first time we’d worked together. Because of our long relationship, the transition of working together was seamless. We learnt about milking automation together. I believe our shared background has enabled both of us to push each other for knowledge and made it a very successful working relationship.'
How would you describe your relationship with this farmer?
Vance: 'Larger farms are often unfairly looked at as corporate farms or even ‘evil’. However, I think it is essential to recognise that many of these farms are not corporate or major global operations; they are still family-owned. While the scale may differ, the goals and principles remain the same. Our goal is to provide the same cow comfort as a smaller farm, if not better, based on our resources.
And unlike on smaller farms, where responsibilities may be divided, everyone in our operation is fully engaged in the farm activities. Furthermore, our staff, whom we consider as extended family, rely on us for their job security and prosperity, so we contribute to the livelihood of our entire community. In other words, our focus extends beyond the success of our business; it’s about the well-being and prosperity of all individuals involved in our farm: the family and the staff.'
What do you believe every Lely employee should know about large-scale farming?
Ruben Almada (42)
Lely FMS Advisor
Ruben: 'The best thing we can do to support the farmer with his current challenges is to ensure that the quality of our work does not drop and that we provide excellent service. By doing this, we can ensure that his Astronauts have the highest possible uptime. This will help increase his efficiency on the farm.'
How can Lely support the farmer with these challenges?
Vance Ahlem (43)
Owner dairy farm in California, USA
What are your ambitions on the farm for the next five to ten years?
Vance: 'Our primary goal over the next five to ten years is to enhance efficiency and sustainability. Automation has been a crucial step in this direction, and we’ve been focusing on maximising milk and solids production per cow using the robots that we have. However, the current milk price in the USA has made the dairy market extremely challenging for the last 13 months. So right now, we are prioritising short-term financial profitability, which has made us put our future plans on hold.
We are also working hard to achieve some sustainability goals. California is moving towards what they call the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. In that context, we are exploring environmental measures, such as starting a potential digester project for renewable energy and waste streams.'
Vance: 'Our staff are very important to us, and we have a long-term and dedicated team. My father, who has been with the farm for nearly 45 years, is a prime example of this. His experience and efforts contribute significantly to our efficiency and cost management. We prioritise the well-being and growth of our staff by ensuring education, healthcare and advancement opportunities through peer training. Our management philosophy is simple: "As long as you work with me, I’ll work with you". We believe in a trusted and mutually beneficial relationship.'
How do you invest in staff for your farm?
Vance: 'Our main challenges, particularly in California, are environmental and regulatory issues. Land is expensive and the availability of land for crop production to run operations of this size is limited. In this area, we also compete heavily with permanent crops like almonds. And we’re currently dealing with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in California, so we’re moving towards regulated use of water. So that is one struggle, plus interest costs are extremely high right now compared to 18 to 24 months ago.'
Currently, what are the main challenges for your farm?
Farm facts
Farm name: Country Line LLC, large-scale farm
Location: California, USA
Start date: 2021
Number of cows: 2,100 Jersey cows
Lely robots: 32 A5 Astronauts, 8 Junos
Lely Center: Turlock Dairy & Refrigeration
Vance Ahlem owns an impressive farm in sunny California, USA. He and his team of 15 dedicated staff members take care of a thousand acres dedicated to crops and a dairy operation comprising 2,100 Jersey cows. The farm has automatic milking, using 32 Lely Astronaut A5 milking robots and eight Junos to benefit from frequent feed pushing. This technological advancement aligns with Vance’s vision and future ambitions. In this article, Vance and Lely Center colleague Ruben highlight large-scale farming.
LARGE-SCALE FARMER
