Maasland N.v.

Lely Research Holding A.g. a Swiss Limited Liability Co.

Massland N.v. a Dutch Limited Company

Olaf Van Der Lely

Karel Van Den Berg

Ary Van Der Lely

Alexander Van Der Lely

Rene Fransen

Alfonsus Jacobus Van Den Engel

Norbert Van Hemert

Ronald M Pols

Frans J A De Groen

Franciscus J A De Groen

Cornelis J G Bom

A device for wrapping bales of agricultural produce such as bales of hay, straw or green crop with a film. The bales are completely wrapped with the film and are marked to set forth the quality of the bale as silage and with further information. The information may include the amount of film used to wrap the bale and thus the number of wrapping layers, and the name of the person responsible for wrapping the bale. Electronic devices may be applied to the wrapping film for ascertaining the location of the bale after it has been wrapped by GPS or DGPS. The information can be imprinted directly on the film used for wrapping the bale or on labels applied to the film.

Device and method for wrapping bodies, especially bales of harvested agricultural produce

A method and apparatus for automatically feeding calves and other animals a substance comprising milk, mother's milk, foremilk, beestings, beestingslike milk, or colostrums or a combination thereof by conveying same from a first animal to a second animal via an automatic milking machine and a transport system. The transport system includes an analyzing device to determine the composition of the substance received from the first animal and a metering device for feeding the substance to the second animal. The transport system also has two storage areas for receiving samples of the substance and storing same in a cool, frozen or dried frozen state. A mixing mechanism is also provided for adding material such as water, medicants, vitamins, nutritive supplements, immunological stimulants, growth stimulants, hormones, and combinations thereof to the substance consumed by the second animal for the nutritive needs of the second animal. The second animal's physical condition and state of health are monitored by sensors.

Method and apparatus for automatically feeding animals

A method of training animals that are milked in a fully automated milking system wherein they enter a milking parlor at their own volition, not to enter the milking parlor too soon after the previous milking by causing the animal that does so to experience unpleasant procedures. The circumstance that the animal is visiting a milking parlor too soon after its last visit is sensed by the milk flow from at least one of the teats or because the automatic milking machine is unable to connect the teat cups to the animal's teats. In the latter event, the animal is immediately caused to depart from the milking parlor. In the former event, either the teat cups are immediately disconnected and the animal is caused to depart or the animal is milked for a prolonged period of time which is less than pleasant to the animal and then caused to depart. The prolonged milking may be coincident with alteration of the milk vacuum level. On the other hand, the milking parlor includes many attractions such as feed and drink to entice the animal to enter the milking compartment. The unpleasant procedures which occur when the animal enters the milking parlor too soon after a previous milking teaches it to space its entries into the milking parlor to when it needs to be milked.

Method of automatically milking animals and a fully automatic milking machine provided with a milking robot, said milking machine being suitable for performing same

A method and apparatus for obtaining optimal cultivation of a parcel of land. A soil working machine with drivable working members, such as a rotary harrow, is provided with soil working members which rotate about approximately vertically orientated axes, and cooperates with a geographic positioning system such as DGPS, GPS, Lorean or a dead reckoning system to determine on a continual basis the actual position of the soil working machine on a parcel of land. Simultaneously, the condition or the composition or both of the underlying soil is determined and data of same is transmitted to a processing unit which maps the parcel of land into subareas wherein the states of the soil are the same. A control unit applies this mapping for controlling the soil working members during the soil working machine's operations so that each subarea of the same soil state is optimally cultivated. Variations in the cultivation are obtained by controlling the soil working members' rpm's or their working depths or both and also, optionally independently or in combination with other variations, controlling the soil working machine's speed as it transverses different subareas to optimize cultivation in each subarea. These variations in cultivation can occur during the mapping process or subsequently the mapping can be used for further cultivation operations of the same parcel of land.

Means for controlling a driven soil working machine on the basis of information derived from a map

A racking, pickup and windrowing implement for moving crop lying on the ground laterally which includes a first machine comprising rake wheels that rotate about substantially vertical axes and move the crop inwardly where it is picked up by a pick-up implement and conveyed to a displacing device which displaces the crop laterally and discharges it back on the ground in a windrow which is proximate the boundary of the strip being worked or, in one embodiment, the windrow is formed by discharging it laterally from the displacing device at a further distance away from the boundary of the strip being worked which is substantially equal to the width of the strip being worked. The displacing device comprises two endless members in series. Such endless members and the rake wheels are foldable upwardly so that the entire machine combination has a width suitable for transport. The pick-up implement can also be raised above the ground by a hydraulic piston and cylinder associated with the coupling device which connects the first machine to the pick-up implement.

Machine combination, a rake and pick-up and displacing member, as well

The combination of a master vehicle which may be an agricultural tractor, transport or self-propelled implement, and one or more satellite vehicles which also may be tractors, agricultural transports or self-propelled agricultural implements. The satellite vehicle is controlled by a control system from the master vehicle, such control being exercised radiographically or by cable via a tramline system. The satellite vehicle has video cameras arranged to view both forwardly and to the rear and transmit views which can be seen on a monitor in the master vehicle. The control system includes computer programs for selectively causing the satellite vehicle to travel either parallel to the master vehicle at a selected distance therefrom or to follow the track of the master vehicle. Control of the satellite vehicles is selectively automatic in at least two modes or manual, the manual controls being utilized at the end of a pass across a parcel of land to turn the satellite vehicle into a position for commencing a second pass over the parcel of land. A coupling member is provided so that the satellite vehicles can be towed by the master vehicle.

Vehicle combination

Automatic milking and milk cooling apparatus

Implement for automatically milking animals

An apparatus including an implement for milking animals such as cows in one or more milking compartments, having at least one automatic feeding system, and at least one animal identification system, both connected to a computer. During the milking of the animal, a quantity of fodder which is adjusted for the particular animal is automatically supplied to that animal by a computer-controlled feeding system. This quantity of fodder is supplied so as to be distributed over the expected milking period.

Construction including an implement for automatically milking animals

A milking apparatus comprising a circulation line in a milk circuit which includes a bulk milk tank, and a pump for circulating milk around the circuit including through the tank and through the circulation line. There are one or more milking compartments for automatically milking animals, such as cows, which are connected to the circulation line by supply lines. A milk filter can be incorporated in a circulation line or in a supply line or both. In one embodiment the milk filter is automatically renewable. It comprises a band of filtration material wound on two bobbins wherein the filter band intercepts the milk line at a bias cut between two clamping plates, one of which can be pivoted whereby the filter band is advanced automatically on a bobbin. Other filtration units are disclosed which may be manually replaced, one of which is contained in the bulk milk tank. Each milking compartment can be isolated whereby the milk lines, a deaeration container, an implement for cleaning animal's teats and udders, and the interiors and exteriors of the teat cups can be cleansed and rinsed with various combinations of hot and cold water, acid and alkaline liquids, and a disinfectant fluid.

Growing community of inventors

Zug, Switzerland

Olaf Van Der Lely