FORTHCOMING

The Rajhrad farm of the Srnec family is a symbol of tradition, tenacity and love for agriculture. The history of their farm dates back to the 19th century, and today Tomáš Srnec and his father farm 130 hectares of land in an organic regime. They raise 100 beef cattle of the Charolais breed and grow crops such as wheat, corn, sunflowers and feed barley. The family, which went through difficult beginnings in the 1990s, prides itself on independence and quality technology.

Farm history and growth
"After restitution in the early 1990s, my father started farming 50 hectares. In addition, we had a few dairy cattle housed in an inadequate cowshed," recalls Tomáš Srnec. "My father had the courage to build a completely new cowhouse on a greenfield site. We did everything on our own, he took out a loan, and step by step we got to where we are today." The family gradually built the cowshed, outbuildings and technical facilities, and finally the house where the family lives.

The farm currently farms 130 hectares of land, half of which it owns. In addition to crops, they also produce their own beef cattle. "We are in organic mode, it's not easy, but so far it's paying off. In addition, we have a herd of 100 beef cattle, this helps us to overcome especially the winter period when there is no income from the fields," adds Srnec.

ZETOR as the heart of the farm machinery

Farm equipment on the Srnec family farm is almost exclusively from the Czech brand ZETOR. The farm has older models, such as the 6211, which was the first tractor they bought after the restitution, as well as two more modern Forterra HD 150s. They use a Valtra with 120 hp for forage, but the ZETOR holds the upper hand. "We have always been able to repair everything that needed to be repaired on the Zetors ourselves. And when professional service was needed, it was affordable, which is a big difference compared to the competition," explains the farmer.

When ZETOR contacted him with an offer to test the newly developed 6 Series, Tomáš Srnec did not hesitate. "We wanted to be there because every new Zetor model has always been a step forward."

Series 6: First impressions and experience
"We've been testing the 6 Series since the summer and I have to say it's a big leap forward," says Srnec. "It's a modern machine with a number of automatic modes that you don't have to interfere with, and the tractor adjusts itself for the job or for specific field conditions. For me, the 6 Series has caught up with the premium competition."

In the summer, the Series 6 proved its worth in transport on the farm, with a 14-tonne tandem trailer handling dozens of hours of transport during harvests. In the autumn, the farmer put it into discing, with a heavyweight four-metre Kuhn subsoiler. Measurements showed a consumption rate of just 7.5 litres/ha in difficult conditions. "That's amazing," says Srnec.

The next test was scraping with a Lemken combination scraper, which has 11 flakes, 3 metres working width and combines both disc and crushing roller/rollers, the working depth of the rig was 35 cm, reaching 40 cm in places. "The scarifying pressure and resistance were high, but the tractor managed without any problems," confirms the farmer. The Series 6 worked about 70 ha on the farm during discing and scarifying.

The most challenging test took place during our visit. The machine was deployed to plough a seven-year-old alfalfa crop on an area of 10 ha. "I was surprised how the Series 6 coped with such difficult conditions in aggregation with the Kverneland five-row plough. Yes, we are travelling at 3 to 5 km/h when working, but that's because of the conditions, not the tractor," says Srnec.

An interesting fact was the farmer's story about how they tested the Series 6 on a specific waterlogged land, where their Forterra HD 150 had been buried up to the gearbox in the past. However, the 6 Series succeeded. "The 6 Series made it through that spot several times with absolutely no problems, thanks to the ability to use the differential lock," commends the farmer.

Operating comfort and easy maintenance
"The controls are well thought out, everything is at hand. The large 24-inch monitor is clear, which even my 70-year-old father appreciated," says Srnec, "The coolers and lubrication points are easy to access, and DPF regeneration is fully automatic. Comfort is on a whole other level, and the suspension is perfect."

In recent weeks, the farmer had the opportunity to test the Series 6 equipped with an eco gearbox with up to 54 forward and 27 reverse speeds. "It's incredibly comfortable to operate, the machine runs smoothly and the gear changes are jerk-free," concludes Srnec.

Test results and future plans

There are a total of 2 prototypes of the Series 6 which have been tested by farmers in the Czech Republic and Germany during the year. Both machines have worked more than 1,000 motor hours in the fields. In the Czech Republic alone, the tractor has completed over 800 motor hours per year in various operations, from transporting harvest and silage, to ploughing, disking, scarifying and other soil preparation, as well as in various climatic conditions, in frost and summer heat.

Sales and production of the new 6 Series are planned for 2025. This modern tractor promises to become a reliable helper not only on the Srnec farm, but also on other farms around the world.

The small village of Světnov is located just a few kilometers from Žďár nad Sázavou, surrounded by beautiful nature, typical for the Vysočina region. Even though it has only around 500 inhabitants, there is more than enough work here. That is why the municipality acquired a new reinforcement at the end of 2020. It was ZETOR PROXIMA CL 100. "In the past, local farmers used to help us with some work, but they were not always available and the cost of specialized companies was high. So, we decided to buy our own tractor for the municipality," explains Mr. Pavel Štefan, Mayor of Světnov.

Work of all kinds

So far, the tractor works mainly in winter. "The terrain in Světnov is very hilly. We have about 6 kilometers of roads in the village and they have to be gritted, otherwise, the garbage men won't even take the bins out. Sometimes we shovel snow from 5 am and the afternoon shift ends at 10.30 pm. So, with PROXIMA, it's up to whoever is on hand," says Mr. Štefan about the main job of the tractor. "We also sometimes use the tractor to pull out cars stuck in the snow, because the winter here in Vysočina is hard and there is a lot of snowing," he adds with a smile.

Most often PROXIMA works with an arrow plow (which is highly praised by the locals because it plows snow on both sides) and a spreader in the back.

However, PROXIMA is not only used in winter. In addition to the plow, the municipality has also purchased a container carrier, so that they can now take the containers away themselves, and a sweeper for cleaning the roads and pavements. "This is a really big help for us. The ZETOR also proved its worth last year when we asphalted the road to Stržanov and the PROXIMA helped to remove the cut trees," adds the mayor.

They are very satisfied with the tractor in Světnov. It handles all the work without any problems, is still under warranty, and has had no serious breakdowns. The village wanted the ZETOR from the very beginning. Mainly because of the favorable price and easily accessible service. After all, the company Agrozet Havlíčkův Brod, where they bought the PROXIMA, is only 30 km away and it is easy to get there "on the wheels".

Plans for the future

In Světnov they are already thinking about how to use the potential of the new PROXIMA. The first step will be to add another pair of hydraulic sections forward and backward. In the future, they are considering buying a mowing arm to use in the maintenance of local roads and around Světnov. "We pay for the service now, so we would be self-sufficient in that as well. In addition, we can transport the mown greens to a nearby biogas plant and reduce our costs," says Mr. Štefan. Another possibility would be to use PROXIMA to take out the sludge from the local wastewater treatment plant. So far, they are outsourcing this service, but soon, it could be another way to save some money from the municipal budget.

And we wish the whole Světnov many satisfied motor hours and as much work well done with the ZETOR as possible.