The main cost item in dairy business is feed. Proper cow nutrition can turn the expenses related to it into profit, because the better a cow is fed the more milk it yields. Every step of fodder preparation and feed mixing is important. Specialists develop a detailed plan of the entire process and choose appropriate machinery models to ensure maximum efficiency. At a large-scale event, held at Ogneva Zaimka dairy, a part of Sibirskaya Niva-Cherepanovo, EkoNiva experts presented the machinery necessary to serve the feeding needs of a modern farm to specialists and managers of the largest farming enterprises in Siberia.

Open doors of EkoNiva

Ogneva Zaimka dairy, Novosibirsk oblast, Cherepanovo district, was launched at the beginning of 2020. Today, EkoNiva ranks among the top-5 largest milk producers and the new facility is a new round of development of the company’s dairy business. The project capacity of the farm is 3,500 head of cattle. The daily output of Sibirskaya Niva, a branch of EkoNiva-APK Holding, is about 420 tonnes of milk, including around 100 tonnes produced on Ogneva Zaimka. At the Fodder Preparation and Modern Livestock Farming Technologies seminar, EkoNiva experts took the visitors on a tour of the farm. The attendees could see how the feeding and manure removal processes are organised and ask questions about herd management and reproduction. Special attention was paid to farm mechanisation and state-of-the-art machines, which make for the maximum efficiency of dairy operation. Some 20 items of farm machines and equipment were presented to the audience.

Vaderstad's top performance

Sibirskaya Niva-Cherepanovo farming enterprise cultivates over 20 thousand hectares of land. Most part of it is occupied by crops grown for forage and feed. Farm specialists have established a stringent quality control system. The sowing depth, the distance between the seeds and the sowing rate are strictly monitored. To meet the required quality parameters, farm specialists use machinery of the world-known brand Vaderstad. The main sowing combinations on the farm are the Vaderstad Rapid 800C and the Vaderstad Spirit 900C seed drills, which are engaged in conventional and minimum tillage, while the Vaderstad Tempo TPL16 plants row crops. Their distinctive feature is immaculate precision at a high speed. The working speed of Vaderstad seed drills is 18 km/h, which is higher than any competitor can offer. Patented design of the planting unit and high coulter pressure (up to 195 kg in seed drills for grains and up to 325 kg for row crop seed drills) guarantee even seed placement and homogeneous emergence. The units perform a number of operations – seedbed preparation, fertiliser application and furrow packing – in one pass. This minimises resources consumption causing less impact on soil. One of the latest Vaderstad’s developments is the SeedEye seed distribution control system, which makes it possible to set the seeding rate in accordance with the number of seeds per unit of surface, for example, square metre.

Quick harvest

The John Deere 8500 combine harvester is undoubtedly a star performer in Cherepanovo. This reliable low maintenance machine prepares green mass to meet all the requirements herd managers on a farm set out – necessary chopping quality, high kernel processing scores etc. The John Deere 8500 features a hydro-mechanical drive and a system of infinitely variable length-of-cut. The speed of the front-mounted implement adjusts to the cutting length set by the operator, which makes for maximum use of the power the unit delivers. Besides, it boasts best-in-class throughput capacity. Thanks to the electronic control systems like, for example, Active Fill Control, even an inexperience operator can reap a high yield. The John Deere 8500 is usually coupled to the John Deere W260 self-propelled windrower which comes with a 5-metre 500R header for fodder crops. Its main advantage is the potent engine delivering 250 hp and ensuring the operating speed of up to 25 km/h. Maximum efficiency is obtained through the use of AutoTrac automated steering system which minimises human error.

Fodder without foreign materials

Fodder production is an extremely important process. It is essential to select the most efficient machines for each step. The harvested material must be formed into swaths containing no foreign materials such as sand, earth or stones. The cleaner the fodder is, the less cases of gastrointestinal infections are identified in the herd. Furthermore, the absence of admixtures means less wear to other machinery involved in fodder preparation (a harvester or a baler). The continuous ROC RT1220 merger has a competitive edge over the rotary rakes: it collects the material and transfers it via the conveyor belt straightaway eliminating foreign matter and collecting a swath without harm to the crops. High efficiency of the machine with a working width of 12.2 m is guaranteed even at minimum tractive force starting from 110 hp. At Sibirskaya Niva-Cherepanovo Operation the ROC RT1220 is coupled to the 6 Series John Deere tractor. After swath-making, the John Deere 560М baler enters the scene. Its variable chamber produces bales with a diameter ranging from 0.8 m to 1.8 m. The John Deere 560М delivers unparalleled performance. Last season, its output amounted to 500 bales per day with a weight of 350 kg each! The bale density was three times higher than the general standard.

Tireless worker

At the final stage of fodder preparation, the guests saw two more units. One of them is the Haybuster H1130 Tub Grinder nicknamed the ‘big bro’ in the Series with a capacity of 22-25 tonnes/hour. The unit ensures 90% uniform fraction delivering the length of cutting between 5 and 10 cm depending on the settings. Bales can be chopped for bedding or fodder. In this case the straw will have a sharp cut for stimulating digestion in cattle. Besides, the machine is used for cracking grain and corn.

The tireless BvL V-MIX Giant 463S, a 46 m3 mixer wagon used on the farm with three mixing augers enabling it to feed up to 400 cows in one pass. High-quality metal, overlapping welds and the powerful speed-reducing gearbox guarantee unfailing operation. After a year of operation, only the knives were replaced in the machine.

Among other products demonstrated to the attendees of the seminar were a Vaderstad RS1020 roller, a Vaderstad NZA1000 seedbed cultivator, a Vaderstad TopDown 500 multipurpose cultivator, John Deere 6B, 6М, 7R, 8R and 9R Series tractors, a John Deere M962i trailed sprayer and JCB telehandlers.

All the units operating at Ogneva Zaimka underwent a tough wear and tear test, which proved their 100% reliability. Specialists of the enterprise are sure that powerful robust machinery is the key to success of any megafarm!