Autonomous fresh grass harvesting and feeding system for cattle

Dutch agricultural machinery company Lely have developed Exos, an autonomous machine designed to harvest and feed fresh grass to dairy cattle multiple times a day.

From Superinnovators 10/09/24

All image credits: Lely

Since the concept was unveiled in 2020, the system has been extensively tested on Dutch farms and is set for commercial launch this year.

The machine cuts, transports, and feeds grass, allowing farmers to maximise their land’s efficiency while reducing labour and fuel costs.

Its double knife cutterbar ensures clean cuts, which helps improve the regrowth rate of grass.

Additionally, Lely Exos can apply liquid fertiliser directly after mowing, further enhancing field productivity.

The system uses low-pressure tyres and individual wheel drive to navigate soft soil conditions and sensitive swards.

According to the company, fresh grass is the most healthy and natural diet for cows, improving nutrition and increasing milk yield.

Currently, dairy cows are often fed a diet including silage, hay, grains, and protein-rich concentrates to ensure adequate nutrition for milk production.

Increasing fresh grass intake can reduce the need for these supplements, reducing costs for farmers.

What’s more, cows that eat more fresh grass release less methane compared with a conventional diet, lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

Why not just let cows graze?

Of course, that would be the ideal method of fresh grass consumption, but it is time-consuming and expensive as it requires careful pasture management, fencing, and often rotational systems to ensure land is not overgrazed.

It also produces more soil compaction from cow traffic.

Much easier to let a machine bring the fresh grass to the cows.

Lely Exos will initially be available in the Netherlands before expanding to other grassy regions.

The company say the system offers efficient, environmentally friendly farming practices, particularly suited to dairy production.

Perhaps it could also make premium grass-fed beef production cheaper too, bringing down the price of steaks in fancy restaurants.