Dreams come true in Žantov (CZE)
All animals dream of juicy forage. For the herd of horses of Marek Černý from Žantov in the Mladá Boleslav region, their dream is coming true, thanks to the ROZMITAL machines that serve dutifully on the farm. The dream has come true also for the farmer himself, of owning his own farm and working with horses.
Marek Černý is a horse breeder, he also runs a riding school for children and the renowned Loučný mlýn guesthouse.
"I have always been drawn to horses. Even as a child, I dreamed of making a living out of it and I didn't want to work anywhere outside my own farm. And it happened," Marek Černý begins his story. "Twenty-four years ago, we bought a run-down old mill that was falling apart, two of the three roofs were rained into. But I was young and foolish (laughs) and I wasn't afraid of it. So the whole family jumped in and we've been putting it back together for over 20 years."
Successfully, needless to say. Not only do the houses have new roofs, but gradually the grounds of the broken and desolate mill have been transformed into a repaired and maintained space for horses. With stables and paddocks for the horses, a guest house, a training riding area, a new hay barn and this year they have also completed an equestrian hall.
"We currently keep over 30 horses here, 22 of which are owned by us and the rest are stabled with us. We also run a riding school, specifically we work with children from the age of 3 and we are the only ones in the region who are able to take children in pony sport to the national championship level, which we are proud of," says Černý.
In terms of acreage, the farmer manages 18 hectares of meadows, some of which are used as paddocks for horses to graze freely throughout the year. "The advantage is that we manage the adjacent land so we don't have to go anywhere on the road. We mainly deal with haylage, but even so, we cannot make enough from our land all year round and we have to buy some of the feed," Černý explains.
Four years ago, the farm decided to replace the forage harvesting equipment, opting for a six-rotor OZ-676 tedder and a year later for a single-rotor SB-4231 windrower. "The purchase of the new equipment was also helped by the fact that the General Beneficial Society for the Bohemian Paradise helped us to obtain a subsidy for the purchase of new machines under the Rural Development Programme," Černý explains how they financed the purchase of the equipment.
"Why did I choose ROZMITAL? I prefer personal relationships and helpfulness. I know Jan Bartos, the owner of the Agribar dealership, from school, so I turned to him for help. Another reason was that the new machines would not cost unreasonable money. Thanks to the fact that the dealership is a short distance away, I can deal with the guys quickly and efficiently. Every spring they come here, go through and check the machines and I can be sure that everything is correct and properly prepared for the season," says Černý, adding: "ROZMITAL suits me. By riding it myself, I also have a relationship and feel for it, which is why I haven't had any problems all the time."
When selecting the machines it was important that I have an older Zetor 7211, so it was necessary to take into account that it could pull everything. In this case I have the advantage that our land is flat, although parts of it are waterlogged and reeded, as the water table is relatively high. The tedder works perfectly in my conditions, I have tested it on meadow edges where in the floating position the rear wheel follows the ground nicely, elevates the machine and the hydraulics let go and it doesn't thump the ground anywhere. The delivery rake is borderline for my tractor, but by having a front loader, I have the tractor tightened up, so I can handle that too," says Černý.
"I like the wide range of the tedder, and the fact that it can be nicely stacked and it throws the forage around nicely. For example, here where we are standing is green forage, plus it's in a meadow that's waterlogged, so there's denser material and higher humidity, plus it was cut a few hours ago, and yet it's nicely spread out over the whole area," says Černý.
"As for the delivery rake, it's built differently in terms of technique. It can copy slight hills and bumps nicely, but sharp edges or sudden obstacles can be a problem. We're fighting wild boar here, especially pigs are tearing it up. That's why I have the machine set as high as possible, so that the fingers won't catch on unexpected obstacles and scoop up dirt. This also applies to waterlogged ground, when my machine digs more into the ground," says Černý.
It is evident in the farmer and his farm that he does everything he does with love and feeling. The animals and the equipment are well cared for. We wish Mr. Černý to continue to fulfill his dream and raise many successful Czech riders.
OZ-676 fodder tedder and SB-4231 delivery rake
The OZ-676 has long been one of the most popular tedders offered by Strojírny Rožmitál. The six-rotor machine with a working width of 6.7 m has a hydraulically folded structure, which is automatically locked in the transport position. The rotors have a diameter of 1.36 m and are equipped with 6 arms. The operator can adjust the amount of forage spread behind the machine by adjusting the height of the running wheel holder using a screw. The machine is characterised by excellent ground following, which can be further improved by fitting the following wheel on an innovative three-point hitch and, since last year, the machine can be fitted with hook fingers in the accessory work, for a better forage spreading rate and lower risk of contamination.
The SB-4231 single-rotor carried delivery rake has a working width of 4.2 m. The large rotor has 10 arms, each with four working double fingers. Under the rotor is a four-wheel tandem chassis for better ground following and greater machine stability. The wheels of the chassis are positioned just behind the working fingers so that the rake follows the terrain well. The machine can be fitted with a front copy wheel on request.
