Lely Vector Automatic Feeding System Startup

[@rossbrashear535]

Love watching your dad as he observes the mixer filling up. I'm thinking that of the 10 Generations, his generation has seen the most advancements in technology in the dairy industry. Proud of him for embracing change. That's not easy for us old guys.

[@benwilliamson2110]

I couldn't agree more with this, his dad said a few videos ago that these robots were his replacement, he must be so proud of the job Eric has done. Great to see

[@MrDanisve]

All depends on mentality. I learned how to ride a snowboard from a 62 year old guy. But he liked new things, liked challenges etc. So instead of riding skies like the rest of his generation, he picked up snowboard. He had good computer knowledge and kept up with things. He was exited about the youngs development, instead of hating it. Like most old grumpy men do. Like we have text from as far back as ancient greece where the old complain about the new generation. Seems it has been a thing for thousands of years, that the old do not like change. Even when that change is for the better. Im now 38 years old. I have no problem keeping up with society. Takes some effort. But i suspect the effort is way less than if i were to fall behind like my father etc has done. Who struggles with many day to day things. Cause he understands little technology. Thankfully he has kids that can help him. Ive sworn to never fall behind. And become a grumpy old man. I embrace new things, and view it positivly. Instead of being negative about any change. Its so much about mentality. I live next to a kindergarden. Remember i used to get annoyed by all the noise they were making etc. Until i did a rethink and reevaluate it. Now i just view the noise from the kids playing as something nice and positive. Does not annoy me anymore. Wonders what mental attitude can do.

[@cmm90871]

So excited to see Lancaster's farmers getting some technology and efficiency!!!

[@TheDeanklenda]

Tons of videos about Ley Vector once installed but it was really cool to see the whole setup process and adapting the system to your farm.

[@andrewsmith2591]

You've made so many changes and improvements over the time I have been following your channel. New Barns, Solar Power, Silos, Feeding System. It's always fascinating and your channel is excellent.

[@harveystephens6115]

Y’all job now is keep ingredient bins and carts full! Nice job. Hope feeders continue to work and work in bad cold and rainy weather

[@paulnovak833]

That's what happens when to government starts giving out money. I'd love to know exactly how much the tax payers have given them. We'd all be blown away

[@MrDanisve]

@@paulnovak833 lol, if government didnt subsidize. Then all food production in USA would stop, and US would be left with importing food from countries with lower wages. I do not live in the USA. But i do live in Norway. Same deal here. If we want production at home, then we need to fund it. Cause our farmers are not 9 times as effective as a Chinese farmer. Actually the chinese farmer is more effective than ours due to climate. I Chinese farmer can grow year round in some places, upto 4 crops per year. That means the Chinese tractor can work year round. Yet our farmers want 9 times the wages of a Chinese farmer, due to living cost etc. In my country you get 1 crop, and a bad yielding crop at that. Cause of the lack of sunlight and warm weather. And the farmers tractor is idle 2/3 of the year. Cause there is nothing to grow.. Cause there is ice and snow everywhere. I dont think people would farm to live in super poverty. Then they would just stop farming.. I personaly like funding it, so one has food security.. Not that long ago covid broke down supply chains.. Seems some people did not learn.

[@mrozyozy9965]

Do you think it would be a good idea to mark a clearance area in that mixing room to prevent things from getting in the way of the robots?

[@classicalmidiorgans]

10.000 views in 1 hour ? Shows you there is a lot of interest ! Can't get much better for Lely than this !

[@b00kyman]

Congratulations! You and your father should be very proud.

[@mikeklehr7105]

SUCCESS !!🤩🤩 I have been waiting for months for this day. So I can only imagine what this day means for you.

[@davidchristensen6908]

I am not a farmer. I have been around different industries that automated. The setup and getting the system running right is fine on the new system. The proof will come when the system is a bit older. Then the company you chose and the system you bought will show its true colors. I see this company you’re using has many working long term systems and I understand why you went with them. I hope for many years of service. Farms are a very dirty place for electric equipment. It’s been really fun watching this system being built out.

[@MorganOtt-ne1qj]

Silage is tough on equipment, totally different from most environments. But Lely has a reputation in Ag, and they should know what they are doing. I'm interested to see it operating next year, too.

[@HammieNL]

Lely is dutch 🇳🇱 so no chinese crap 😊

[@FoodwaysDistribution]

This farm is not the same farm as the one i started watching years go when you were advertising soda can of drinks with a milk label in your office with a deer i think on the wall.....i might not comment a lot but never missed a video and well done, you and your dad, for keeping the farm going and constantly improving it during this uncertain times for farmers all over the western world.

[@CK-yi6pc]

I’ve been anxiously waiting for this,,,, CONGRATS! 🇺🇸🇨🇱

[@freekie258]

Hey erik, im a dairy farmer from the netherlands with 100 dairycows, i’m following your video’s for a while now and im learning a lot from your way of running your farm. I think your feeding system overal with the upright silo’s is the most efficient way of feeding cows with minimal spoilage, accurate and consistent and with way less labor. I think many farmers are going to copy this in the future Keep up the good work💪

[@GICK117]

What an awesome system. And the fact that your Dad gets to sleep in, I can relate with that. Getting older makes mornings more of a slow start-up situation. You dad needs that for sure. Cheers!!!!!!!!!!

[@johnbucklerfarms]

Looks Good but the True Story is whenever it Snows!

[@melon1323]

Tbh if they where smart they could off set hot water pipes in the concrete to prevent snow on the traces

[@LaughrieOnYT]

⁠@@melon1323eric mentioned that in the video where concrete work was being done. i believe he said either funds were a little tight after everything to add that on or that they felt the cost to do it wouldn't be worth it as PA doesn't get a crazy amount of snow

[@austinhoffman8449]

They don’t get crazy snow like us dairy guys in the northern Midwest. Their winters are actually fairly mild

[@drsmith4806]

Great to see system up & running hope it gives you & dad some family time.

[@Mike-zs7bk]

Your long term labor and machinery savings should very substantial. Knew nothing of dairy before I found your channel really enjoy your videos.

[@jonathanmccrea4179]

Eric, if you could do a video on the cost breakdown or a cost-benefit analysis, that would be super interesting

[@mattcourtney3319]

I'm interested in that to. I enjoy his information and videos. But they have to have over a million invested with silos and can't see the point ??

[@DavidVreugdenhil]

Keep in mind that they save time. He mentioned that his dad would like more rest and that he cant feed and do al the other tasks

[@formulaenergy2474]

I definitely would be interested in a cost breakdown and try and see if there's enough information to make a decision on whether it suits our situation or not. Great video though, and great that your dad can take it a bit easy, I'm very happy for you guys!!!

[@ericrudgers6816]

@@mattcourtney3319Not even close to a million. 1k per foot

[@seadog6351]

I don't think he gave the dollar amounts but he did go over the reasoning for how and when it would pay for itself in the first video he made on the system.

[@Ruzwa]

Must be amazing to see it finally in action after all this time and working successfully. Congratulations!

[@Bogieking78]

I would've loved this back in the 70's when I worked on the farm. Got to love progress!

[@switzerblitzer2701]

This kind of equipment gives the smaller family farms the ability to survive and thrive. We need many more dairy farms of this size to ensure a dependable, not too big to fail, system of operation and more stable food supply. This size of operation makes an individual American land ownership scenario much more of a possibility instead of introducing foreign entities into the Ag sector. Mega dairies, operations with more than 1,000 milking cows, are more polluting to water and air, more susceptible to diseases, can fall into a "too big to fail" scenario, require cheap labor to operate, and create a less than desirable concentration of subsidized wealth. True family dairy farms need to be supported, not pushed out of business by foreign worker supported mega dairies. Congratulations to you, Eric, your dad and family for your continued success!!!

[@1jumbox]

It is a very impressive system! Best of all it worked!! Using conveyors and other things you already had shows the genius of the American Farmer! Well done!!

[@US-Farm1]

Your dairy farm is modern and awesome!👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@dirkus3722]

Woohoo! Finally up and running! Thanks for documenting the installation process, looking forward to hearing lots more about the system and how it's working for you!

[@jimbeck820]

The day I’ve been waiting for is finally here!!! Love automation and technology!!!!!

[@RyanS493]

I’m right with you, could stand there and watch it mix batches all day! Lely Vectors are truly a great addition to dairy farms. In a year’s time you will probably look back and wonder how it ever worked without them. 😂

[@FreasHontz]

I have watched this system working on this farm. Incredibly amazing! This is so high tech compared to when I helped feed and milk at other friend's farms. Thank you for sharing Eric!! And Dennis you looked good too!

[@marklollar8120]

Congratulations! That is one cool setup, lot of prep work to get to this day, well done 👍 Hope it works well for years and makes your life even that much more enjoyable.

[@waynebrethour6892]

Thanks for getting the 'first day' video out so fast, we have been interested and can't wait for more

[@joelkoskamp798]

I have a lely vector, I recommend raising your feed fences during the day and lowering them at night. Then hopefully it has most of its idle time at night and you won’t get as many night calls.

[@10thgenerationdairyman]

That is a good idea

[@MrT79shakeshake]

Great to see your project up and running.

[@theclappedoutdairy-man3507]

The video we have been waiting for. Great work guys 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@dougdavis4439]

It's awesome seeing all the hard work come together. The biggest smiles I've seen from you yet. I know you have to feel like a kid on Christmas morning! I look forward to seeing more as you use it! Super cool!

[@davidcmans]

Been waiting eagerly for this video ever since you first talked about it. So very happy for you guys. Hope it works well with little troubles. Peace be with you.

[@Chrisgrannysmith]

5:05 is my favorite part of the video! Your father laid back in his chair, saving his knees, watching the fruits of all his and his families hard labour pay off! Congratulations sir

[@ashleymoore4658]

You have to love modern day technology! I look forward to each and every video!!

[@BigDib18]

YES finally!! Was waiting months and months for this to finally happen! So happy for you guys! And looking forward to seeing updates on how it goes.

[@johnbeam-d3v]

Amazing. Wished we would have had that back in the 60's and 70's!

[@MichaelCuthbertson-zl6in]

I am watching in absolute amazement Eric!!! Wow! This will be life changing for you and your Dad! Blessings from Australia.❤

[@browneyes-cj8eg]

it has been amazing to watch this system from start to finish.

[@jeremy1350]

Hi Eric, Lely #1 - Rosie / Lely #2 -Evie !!! Filling Evie !! YAY Evie is on her way. Now Rosie is on her first run. "Dad doesn't have to go out and mix feed, I don't know what he is going to do with himself" well, maybe he can sleep in a little later !! he he he he You've changed the entire farm Eric, you put up three silos, and installed a robotic feeding system, that is quite the project that has come to fruition. Well Done Young Man. I guess we can now call you "10th Generation Trailblazer !!!"

[@rusrobins8086]

20k views and only 1 quarter likes - people please hit the like button its not hard and it helps Eric with all the effort he put in to give us the videos.

[@mannyeugenio7842]

Great job Eric looks great. Congratulations.

[@beebop9808]

Cool system! Probably 3 to 6 months of chasing bugs and by then it'll be lean and mean and you'll be able to run it in your sleep. Bugs are the best learning tool you get for free. :) In the controls business we liked to call them features. hahaha

[@trwaintime]

Sooo....Amtrak runs(or not?!) with many "features?"🤔🙃🤣😂😅🙃

[@dougcs1496]

Congrats Eric and family! I hope you take a moment to let this change sink in. 10 generations of impossibility hard work led to this week. Congrats! I can't wait to see this system evolve over time. Hope it's a nice change of pace for your dad.

[@doug1883]

Love the setup and so happy that it is working well! Can't wait to see how it works in the winter and long term as well! Great job to everyone!!!!

[@larrywiegel1015]

Eric, great video explaining the process. It’s amazing how you were able to get all of the conveyers and tubes to fit in a small spot. The electronics controlling the process is amazing. I hope it works out well for you and hopefully you don’t have too many issues in the middle of the night. 🙏👏👍🇺🇸

[@fuelpagan1]

So exciting seeing months of planning and building, finally start working as intended and improving the farm. When you have time, it would be nice to update the youtube banner with the latest view of the farm.

[@livingn.c.4877]

Really cool......I did Industrial controls for 28yrs. I saw so much automation and PLC improvements. We've got SpaceX catching rockets flying backwards......amazing.

[@Aidan-h9f]

Huge congratulations to you and your father Eric. Been watching you the past few years now and it’s been great to see how your farms progressed. Huge achievement for yourself i suppose yous will enjoy a bit more free time now🎉

[@dneadle]

Congratulations, Eric. That is high tech system. Amazing job from start to finish. God bless, stay safe Dave CA

[@ileenmcminn2062]

Very neat setup, best of science and farmer engineering!

[@dougdiplacido2406]

Seeing the new system working for the first time is really great. You have sure made serious upgrades to your farm operation and I love to see them working for you. It will be nice for your Dad to be able to have it a bit easier also. It is amazing how much you have to keep track of in feeding the herd. Thanks for sharing this exciting day with us.

[@kimcwhite6509]

It's so awesome to see it in operation! Thx for sharing this!!!

[@HaydenSmith-b3l]

Great seeing the updates hope the feeds work out. Love watching your videos.

[@older_than_dirt]

Congratulations on successfully, completing such a huge project. I wish my late uncle would be able to see it. He was a lifelong dairyman in Chester County.

[@dalet6250]

Awesome to see your ideas you shared on here less than a year ago to come to fruition. Well done!

[@Lazy-Day-Cruising.]

I have been on your channel since you started. Did you ever think from where your farm was that you would be able to change this much? Congratulations to you and your family on this channel and farm. May God bless all your family does.

[@adventure_hannah3841]

This is so awesome!!!! Hype, hype, hype!!! Thanks so much for taking us on this journey, and it's so good to hear your dad gets to sleep in! 🎉

[@dainwilliams4265]

Hey I'm happy for you guys getting this system in. This will allow for you and your dad time to do other things more flexible and also more family time too. Not to mention dad isn't getting any younger so it great for him to be working smarter and not harder. Wishing you all the more success with this improvement on the farm🎉

[@TheIvalen]

I think this is fantastic to see it all operational now - it was hard for me to picture just how things all tied together, but now to see it all working it's pretty cool.

[@cdbfarm65]

How exciting, congrats on the new technology.

[@bayareasparky9180]

Congratulations Eric! Nothing like the satisfaction of seeing a vision come to fruition. I hope this saves you and Dad many hours of work.

[@jasonwoods3384]

pretty slick Eric, hopefully it will serve the farm in the best way

[@michaelg.5862]

Good for you! You and your Dad have made thoughtful choices for your farm for today and the future.

[@rogerweaver7686]

Excellent series! Glad to see all the hard work and planning come together. Bet Dad will find something to do, he's not one to sit around.

[@valleyviewacres9120]

as a cattle rancher who always seems to be searching for ways to get things more efficient. this has got to be the coolest thing to watch. Id get nothing done cause Id be watching those feeders all the time lol

[@kimcwhite6509]

Eric, I was thinking you should make a Manual book/binder on how to run this complex system. Also, labeling each component on your electrical boxes, controllers & chutes. You are so smart at operating everything on the ranch, but what if you were sick, in the hospital, or passed away? I lost my adult son suddenly a few years ago & he ran a lot of things. I don't like bringing it up, but you are so vital to your Dad & the farm. It would help with the stress load too if you want to go for a quick trip out of town or a vacation. I love this system though & thank you for sharing this!

[@kevinhathaway7240]

Congratulations! Great Accomplishment!

[@davekoster7951]

What a wonderful setup. Not too many startup glitches. I am retired now, but back in the day I used to build automated feed blending systems for hog farmers. Similar concept, with three ton batches getting dumped into semi. One thing you might consider is building a steel frame above the mineral hoppers, to suspend a tote. Might be cheaper than the 50# bags. A forklift can easily lift them. I used 4 open hook chains to hold bag. Just a thought. Amazing technology. 😊

[@janicewheeler8653]

We know it was expensive but it's nice to it run and it's great to see you happy with it and everything is working like it's supposed to

[@jonathanmccrea4179]

So excited for you guys, big changes on the farm.

[@bhensel100]

We were in Lancaster for the weekend and went past your farm. Your farm fits in with the beauty of Lancaster.

[@surebrah]

Happy for you guys. Must feel incredible.

[@robynmorris2408]

CONGRATULATIONS after hours and hours of planning it must be so fulfilling to see it in action. Let’s hope with feed in front of the milkers 24/7 that you will get a jump in production.

[@steveneal2706]

AMAZING just AMZING Video Eric. Nice to see dad again. Thank you bud

[@rileysulzener183]

Thank you for taking us on these annual journeys. Every year your farm grows in such innovative and creative ways! And we get to see it all behind the scenes. Thank you again for your videos!

[@Well_I_am_just_saying]

Now you can spend all of your free time watching the robot feeders.

[@MorganOtt-ne1qj]

All 15 minutes of free time on a Dairy farm... 😂

[@sunshine0395]

incredible! just goes to show that this system can be retofitted to almost any situation !

[@Token_Civilian]

Nice to see the system up and working. The payoff for all the hard work and capital investments in your operation. I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out over the coming years. Something to consider - if you get a line of that dry mineral that clogs, perhaps adding a shaker on that line to run when the mineral runs will help keep it from sticking. As for wanting to watch it mix - perhaps install cameras in the key locations of the mixing room, run those feeds to the computer in the control room, and then set it up so you can look in on it from your phone from wherever you may be on the farm. I'm retired aerospace. I'm impressed by the level of tech in the ag industry. From auto feed systems such as this one, to precision planters, to GPS guided combines and tractors, to yield monitor maps of fields, to tailoring the seed / variety to specific field characteristics, to variable applications of fertilizer across fields, to precision applied and drone sprayed fungicides and dozens of other examples. All are examples of high tech boosting production and lowering costs of the food for a hungry world.

[@hingstonia]

Thanks for taking us along on this ride. This amazing as an old dairy farmer from generations ago.

[@SUPERSORNO]

Dad's retirement machines! lol.

[@CoreyBuschDSB]

Literally been waiting for this moment for so long, I can only imagine how excited you must be to finally see it all run

[@carolynrose753]

😊😊 don't you just love it when a plan comes together

[@bongotastic]

I hope that the system delivers or you as planned. Awesome to see it unfold.

[@ronrawald3245]

Wow, very impressive!!

[@lidsman2221]

Super cool that I can understand how much food is down and then go make more so there is never a time when the cows do not have food. I look forward to seeing more of the system. Thanks for the video.

[@tezkidd97]

Great to see farmers taking advantage of the latest tech. The investment hopefully will provide better quality produce & working conditions for farmers!

[@isaiahmwangi-u2x]

This is an.amazing transformation.job well done

[@dwayne5686]

Keep on top of you maintenance plan, bearings,chains, augers etc a small inexpensive item could be a show stopper!

[@TheClassyArchitect]

Pretty amazing advancements you guys have made to the farm in just the past couple of years. Proud of you guys!

[@rollingcoal9500]

Welcome to the Jetsons farm! Never thought I would see the day

[@greghamann2099]

It's really great to see the system work I know my brother is watching this too. We used to work on our dairy farm. It's great to see how technology changes things.

[@ijustlikeitagain]

Would you consider putting a "Live Cam" of the mixing process..might be interesting to watch.

[@addrakettp]

Agreed!

[@khayward6331]

that's an awesome setup Eric hope it works out well for you and your dad I've been watching things come together all year, it's great to see it operational, good luck guys

[@BillTheTractorMan]

I am still hoping to see a video from you about how well the solar system is doing, if it has majorly offset you electrical use and if it is financially beneficial to do it. I see a lot of claims solar will save farms thousands of dollars a year... but I have not seen farmers saying it has done that for them.

[@stevebiddle8912]

Great to see everything working as you hoped.

[@julianholcroft9625]

As someone who lives in a dairy state and cares about animal health. It’s a really cool system also really cool that it frees up your dad to do different work on the farm. It’s also cool to see how they support the older equipment with your scrappers. Should have good support and parts for years to come.

[@23431]

It is so awesome to see everything come together and this whole system work I’m very happy for you and your dad and the farm

[@lukebonagura5265]

Would be interested in hearing Dad's comments about automating.

[@dmascorro76]

Mr 10th your courage to go with this system is inspirational. I can imagine your dad never thought he'd see something like this.

[@RBB73]

Very cool Eric! - Is there a "Room Service" option for the cows? You know, a button for them to push for a late night snack😋

[@bobdevine4906]

Must have been a thrill to see it actually come together! Nicely done, Eric! Nicely done!