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Next Generation Farming: GEA presents innovations at EuroTier
20 Sep 2022
The pressure on dairy farms at a global level has never been higher: it comes from rising costs for energy and feed coupled with extreme weather conditions and resource scarcity as well as a growing shortage of skilled labor. Added to this are new country-specific requirements and obligations to reduce agriculture's carbon footprint and nitrogen emissions. And last but not least, animals and people need to stay healthy and feel good. GEA will be demonstrating how dairy farms can implement the right strategy with the help of automated milking and feeding processes as well as manure management and digital solutions at this year's EuroTier in Hanover from November 15-18 (hall 13, booth C26).
For the first time, GEA will showcase the autonomous feeding robot GEA DairyFeed 4500 with state-of-the-art sensor technology. GEA will also present a new solution for environmentally friendly manure management in cooperation with the Norwegian agri-tech company N2 Applied. It can reduce a farm's total GHG emissions by up to 30%. For conventional milking, GEA is also announcing innovations at EuroTier: The DairyRotor T8600 rotary milking parlor will be the first conventional GEA milking system with digital networking across systems. This is enabled by the new generation of GEA DairyMilk M6750 milking control units. These are connected to the herd management system GEA DairyNet and offer comprehensive digital services. GEA AutoDry, a new function that automatically dries lactating cows, will also be available for conventional milking systems.
New feeding robot for more profitability and more productive, healthy cows
Increasing feed costs combined with less predictable weather patterns is one of the biggest challenges dairy farms are facing today. Added to this is the enormous amount of work involved in providing the right feed mix to several animal groups at the same time and in a targeted manner for optimum animal welfare and productivity. Based on almost 35 years of feeding expertise, GEA designed the new GEA DairyFeed F4500, which drives completely autonomously and also uses innovative sensor technology to reduce feed waste to a minimum. This saves time, money, and natural resources. The feeding robot runs purely on electricity and can be recharged in an environmentally friendly way using renewable energies. No major reconstruction on the farm is needed.
The robot is linked to the GEA DairyNet herd management system and can be conveniently monitored and controlled from mobile devices in real time. Besides giving farms maximum flexibility in their work processes, it also makes the job of a farmer more attractive, with a better work-life balance. The GEA DairyFeed F4500 will be available in the fourth quarter of this year, initially in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Sweden, with global rollout to follow successively in 2023.
The new GEA DairyFeed F4500 feeding robot drives completely autonomously and constantly provides the right mix for different animal groups. (Image: GEA)
Producing environmentally friendly, nitrogen-enriched fertilizer from manure
At EuroTier, GEA will be presenting a new manure processing solution together with Norwegian agri-tech company N2 Applied. The system converts slurry from livestock farming into an environmentally friendly, nitrogen-enriched fertilizer. By using plasma technology, the manure is enriched with nitrogen from the air. At the same time, the pH is lowered without adding chemicals, reducing 95% of ammonia and 99% of methane emissions from manure storage and spreading. The end product provides farmers with cost-effective, sustainable fertilizer increasing the average yield of the crop by up to 40%. This can reduce a livestock farm's overall GHG emissions by up to 30%. An additional benefit is that the process eliminates the typical odor of manure. Built into a 20-foot container, the system operates automatically, can be monitored remotely and can be easily integrated into the farm's existing infrastructure. Further details and launch information will be announced by GEA and N2 Applied at EuroTier.
The new generation of milking control units: GEA DairyMilk M6750
With GEA DairyMilk M6750, GEA is also announcing a new generation of control units for conventional milking at EuroTier. The new milking control units feature state-of-the-art, networked sensor technology and data management in real time. Thanks to a comprehensive network and the GEA DairyNet connection, current data can be displayed, key figures of the milking processes can be viewed and service and maintenance work as well as comprehensive system monitoring can be carried out via remote access.
The user interface is based on a language-neutral concept with intuitive operation. On the terminal at the milking stall, four luminous surfaces use different colors to indicate the status of the ongoing milking/cleaning process as well as alarms. A modular product design allows farms to select the scope of functions individually. Additional functions can be easily retrofitted later. Thanks to the associated software and plug & play hardware, the system can be configured and installed more quickly, resulting in time and cost savings during installation and commissioning.
GEA has also optimized the supply chain concept for the new milking control units. A pre-assembled scope of supply replaces several individual deliveries, which means that installation is faster and almost waste-free. The market launch of GEA DairyMilk M6750 will initially apply to the new T8600 milking carousel and the existing T8900 carousel. Retrofitting for all other conventional GEA milking systems will be successively available worldwide in parallel with the availability of GEA DairyNet.
New rotary milking parlor GEA DairyRotor T8600 linking to digital dairy farm environment
With the new DairyRotor T8600, at EuroTier GEA is presenting the first conventional GEA milking system whose components and processes are digitally interconnected. This is enabled by the future generation of DairyMilk M6750 milking control units and its connection to GEA DairyNet. This networking enables extensive services in real time and via remote access. Daily system maintenance and minor servicing can also be carried out on the new GEA DairyRotor T8600 during milking without interrupting the process. The modernized, modular design of the milking system and its components means that farms can easily benefit from future software and hardware upgrades. In addition, the modular design significantly increases installation and maintenance convenience for dealers and service technicians.
The new external rotary parlor is a flexible all-rounder with 28 to 120 milking places and is suitable for any farm. It can be used for farms worldwide with both barn and pasture-based system. A "second round" function allows individual animals on the carousel to be checked again, while the ongoing milking process for the entire herd proceeds uninterrupted. Depending on the layout of the installation, the T8600 also offers a comprehensive equipment package for economical one-person-milking. The entrance area, which can be adjusted according to cow size, and the slim milking stall design have a positive effect on animal comfort and a safe, quick change of animals. GEA has also made the entire supply chain more sustainable for the DairyRotor T8600: Pre-assembled packages include all necessary components for each milking stall. This reduces installation times, as well as packaging resources and waste on site. The new GEA DairyRotor T8600 will initially be available in the European market from the first quarter of 2024.
Following nature's example: drying off cows with GEA AutoDry
GEA AutoDry, a new function for farms using conventional milking systems that prepares cows gently and effectively for drying off, will be available from November 2022. The herd manager can activate the function on an animal-by-animal basis via the herd management software about ten days before dry-off. AutoDry then automatically initiates cluster removal after a certain target milk quantity has been reached. Using a patented algorithm, the cluster is then removed earlier day after day, thus naturally reducing milk production. This type of drying off is also associated with a gentle regression of the mammary gland, which has a positive effect on subsequent lactation.
Field studies conducted by the Thünen Institute, the University of Bonn and Wageningen University show that the health and well-being of the animals can be maintained by natural drying-off. The overall risk of mastitis is reduced, and the use of antibiotics can be drastically minimized. In addition to cost savings, this type of dry housing is also less labor intensive compared to common measures: Animal-specific restrictive feedings or milkings are then no longer necessary.
Please note that this is a global webpage. For more information on the availability of this product in your country please reach out to your local GEA dealer.
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GEA è fra i principali fornitori dell'industria di processo alimentare e di una vasta gamma di altri settori. Nel 2019 ha realizzato un fatturato consolidato di circa 4,9 miliardi di euro.
