ROW-MASTER RN Is Used for Weeding in Haňovice

The Haňovice farming cooperative became a new user of the ROW-MASTER cultivator in 2020. We asked Mr. Pavel Obrátil, the head of plant production, about the reasons for purchasing the machine, what they use it for and how satisfied they are.

The inter-row cultivator is equipped with the self-guiding CultiCam system that contributes to achieving high daily outputs

The high frame clearance of 80cm allows for weeding various types of crops; in Haňovice, they use the machine for weeding sugar beet and corn

The Haňovice farming cooperative has had a long tradition in the region; it gradually transformed from the original cooperative by mergers and transformations to its current form. The Haňovice cooperative mostly grows malt barley, winter wheat, winter rapeseed, corn and since they are in a sugar beet production area, sugar beet is also an important crop.

Universal Frame for Weeding Both Sugar Beet and Corn

“We farm light, sandy soils, namely in the valley of River Morava. It is mostly brown earth. Sugar beet is planted on an area of 270 ha, corn takes up 350 ha. We have had an average sugar beet yield of 68 tonnes per hectare and about 50 t/ha of corn. We use the corn for feeding in animal production as well as in our own biogas station”, says Pavel Obrátil, the head of the plant production.

The machine equipment includes protective plant discs or rear levellers that pull weeds out

The working speed of the set is about 8.5 km/h with a daily output of up to 40 hectares

A Change in Technology Led to a New Machine

When asked about the reasons for purchasing the machine, Mr. Obrátil replied: “We did not used to weed wide-row crops but a change in the technology led us to purchase an inter-row cultivator. We chose BEDNAR based on the references from neighbouring businesses that have been using the ROW-MASTER. Weeding sugar beet helps remove the soil crust, aerates soil and removes weed beet. We also weed corn because we apply digestate in the field after seeding or in the early growth stage. The liquid component of the digestate gets absorbed in the soil but the solids stay on the surface and form a crust – weeds grow under the crust, and they have to be removed mechanically.”

They use ROW-MASTER in corn vegetation to disrupt the crust formed by digestate applied after seeding or in early growth stage. The machine removes the crust, aerates soil and mechanically removes weeds

The cooperative in Haňovice purchased the ROW-MASTER RN 6400 equipped with twelve cultivation units used for weeding sugar beet. They try to weed twice depending on the conditions. The inter-row cultivator is then readjusted for corn weeding. The set in aggregation with a STEYR tractor with continuous gear reaches a daily output of about 40 hectares and the fuel consumption is 3L per hectare.

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BEDNAR FMT s.r.o.