ZD Sloupnice is engaged in a wide range of activities, from crop and livestock production to the operation of a mini dairy, its own butcher’s shop and a 1 MW biogas plant.
Near Rychnov nad Kněžnou, the ZD Sloupnice agricultural cooperative farms an area of almost 3,000 hectares, of which 2,500 hectares are arable land.
ZD Sloupnice is engaged in a wide range of activities, from crop and livestock production to the operation of a mini dairy, its own butcher’s shop and a 1 MW biogas plant.
Ing. Jaroslav Vaňous Jr., chief agronomist of the Sloupnice Agricultural Cooperative
This spring, the Sloupnice Agricultural Cooperative purchased the STRIEGEL-PRO PN 9000 straw harrow. We went to ask Jaroslav Vaňous Jr, the company’s chief agronomist, why they opted for this particular machine:
Our cooperative grows malting barley, corn, potatoes, sugar beet, winter rapeseed and other crops. We raise 1,000 heads of Holstein cattle as part of our livestock production. We try to process many products in-house, which is why we run our own mini dairy and butcher’s shop. We supply quality, fresh and local food,” says Vaňous, introducing the company.
„Our search for a straw harrow started in 2021. Problems existed with the efficiency of spreading harvest residue, because we were using old harvesters incapable of cutting and spreading the straw evenly. It is not only a problem of old combines, but we also generally encounter it with new combines, contractors and the like,” chief agronomist Vaňous explains concerning harvest residue issues.
Problematic distribution of harvest residues after passes by the combine
Spreading harvest residues with the STRIEGEL-PRO PN straw harrow
In this way, the company addressed in particular the issue of uneven harvest residue distribution. This caused problems during subsequent soil tillage when the disc harrow was frequently clogging. Isolated areas formed where, due to bad straw distribution, the local incidence of diseases and pests increased and the crop sprouted unevenly.
Use of the STRIEGEL-PRO PN straw harrow in spring
Straw harrow working in tow behind a 230-hp tractor
“These problems made us think a lot. Based on positive references from existing users and due to the high robustness of the machine, we decided to purchase a BEDNAR straw harrow. We specified the straw harrow according to our needs, so we also chose TURBO coulters, which are key for us to shorten the length of the remaining straw. However, STRIEGEL-PRO PN is not only used for harvest residue management, but also for spring maintenance of grassland: cleaning up meadows, pulling out old growth or aerating the grass turf. The zootechnician also praised how well this machine works, as the quality of the meadow haylage has increased. For spring use, we have additional levelling board segments for STRIEGEL-PRO PN. The ease with which TURBO coulters and levelling board segments can be replaced is also a major plus,” says Vaňous.
JOY OF FARMING
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