Experience with Disc Cultivator in the RABBIT Group

ZP Keblov

The company is located in the Central Bohemian Region, in the district of Benešov, and it is  part of the group called RABBIT Trhový Štěpánov a.s. It manages an area of 850 hectares, out of which 750 hectares is arable land and 100 hectares is covered with permanent plant stand. The company deals with both plant and animal production. As far as plant production is concerned, they specialise in growing barley, wheat and clover. They use the plant production for their own animal production. Ing. David Martínek, the agronomist, told us what their yield was this year: “We had 7.8 t/ha of wheat, 6.5 t/ha of winter barley, 5.2 t/ha of oilseed rape, 4.2 t/ha of peas, 32 t/ha of maize for silage, and the corn is yet to be harvested.”

The offices of ZP Keblov

The division of ZP Keblovin Mnichovice

“In animal production, we breed pigs and cattle. We have about 1,800 pigs and 350 dairy cows,” the agronomist adds. ZP Keblov mostly manages medium-heavy soils and they regularly use the seven-step crop rotation procedure.

Selection of the disc cultivator

In 2016, they started looking into getting a new disc cultivator. They had rented several disc cultivators from various manufacturers, including a SWIFTERDISC XO 8000 F. They tested all the machines in their soil conditions. The agronomist of ZP Keblov told us about the tests: “We tested the disc cultivators in various situations, such as a stubble field after barley, wheat, oilseed rape, and with various moisture levels. The BEDNAR machine was the most convincing with its quality of work in these conditions.”

Jan Holada, operator

Ing. David Martínek, ZP Keblov agronomist

“One of the decisive factors was also the fact that it is a Czech manufacturer of agricultural technology. We decided not to invest into foreign machines and to buy a disc cultivator from a domestic manufacturer,” adds Mr. Martínek.

Assessment of the machine work

Jan Holada, the operator of the machine, shared a lot of information with us about the machine: “This is the third season I have been driving the BEDNAR disc cultivator. The working speed ranges between 13 and 15 km/h. The working depth is set according to the requirements of the agronomist, up to the maximum depth. I am able to work over 80 hectares per day according to the soil conditions.”

SWIFTERDISC XO 8000 F aggregated with the CLAAS 940 AXION tractor

Thanks to the distribution of the centre of gravity, the machine has perfect stability, even at high working speed

”I like the simplicity of the machine. It is easy to set up and control. I do not have any issues with maintenance. I am completely satisfied. I am also satisfied with the work of the machine. It mixes crop residue nicely and does what it is supposed to do. I would recommend this disc cultivator to anyone who is looking for a simple solution for stubble cultivation,” adds Mr. Holada.

Cooperation with BEDNAR FMT

The cooperation with ZP Keblov is has not been for long. Netrvá dlouho. Ing. David Martínek, the agronomist, provides more information about this short cooperation: “We have been cooperating with BEDNAR for about three years. Even though it has been such a short time, our cooperation has been very beneficial for both sides. Moreover, it is easy to arrange and test anything. The BEDNAR service is very user friendly and it is easy to get any spare part.”

The perfect level of the field is provided by the rear packer consisting of 3 overlapping parts

SWIFTERDISC XO 8000 F has the travel axle located in front of the rear packers, which allows for a small turning diameter

Ing. Zdeněk Souhrada, BEDNAR FMT s.r.o. [email protected] Marketing Specialist

GALLERY