Embrace change, or get left behind - it’s a philosophy which drives many things, including business. On one Western New York family farm, the farmers are the ones driving technological change. It’s already paying dividends.

If necessity is the mother of invention, the cows on the Neal farm in Albion are the beneficiaries.

"We’ve developed this over the past few years," said Jody Neal, owner of Orleans Poverty Hill Farms, while explaining the reason behind his family’s latest invention.  

Neal’s developed the concept for a device intended to prepare cows for milking. It’s called The Vortex, a fitting name for a patented product intended for use in washing cows udders. One which produced some unintended but welcome results.

"We ended up trying to control the water flow, creating a vortex pattern," said Neal. "We realized, real quickly stimulated the cow, and got them to let their milk down faster."

Spectrum News 1 first visited Neal’s Orleans Poverty Hill Farms a few years ago for a story on farm technology. It is a true family farm. Just like The Vortex is a true family project.

"It was all trial and error," he said.

"So this is at least the 55th revision," said son Jayden Neal, a robotics manufacturing major at Rochester Institute of Technology, who designed it. "I think we can tell we’re getting somewhere because revisions are getting farther and farther apart."

Good enough that Jody, Jayden and brother Zachary entered The Vortex in an American Farm Bureau ag innovation contest.

"I was the presenter," said Zachary Neal, who majors in business management and social entrepreneurship at Roberts Wesleyan University.

"The competition has been great," he said. "It was, to be completely honest, a little stressful at first."

What started as an idea eight years ago by a farmer looking for a more sanitary way to clean his cows before and after milking, was now on a big stage.

"When we initially found out we made it into the final four, here was like, you know, relief at first," said Zachary. "And then about 20 seconds later, like, oh, we need to prepare another presentation."

The Neals had a good run, finishing second. Validation which comes with a $20,000 prize.

"It's very validating to see years of work, to get recognition for it," said Jody Neal. "Personally, it was an honor for me to be on stage with my sons."

With what was initially intended for their use, on their farm, the Neals now have bigger plans. They’ve formed a company, 'Udder Ways,' and after further testing to work out a few small bugs hope to go to mass production.

"There's about 10 million milking cows in the U.S.," said Jody Neal. "So I think we can get a pretty good chunk of that."

A small invention that could soon get a whole lot bigger.