The family farm in Bronów is run by Mr. Marek Burzyński and his sons: Paweł and Mateusz. They have no shortage of ideas for development and investments and implement them meticulously.
Not the quantity of cows, but their quality
The farm has an area of about 170 ha. The main crops are: corn, which is 70 ha, alfalfa on an area of 5-60 ha, and 10-15 ha are occupied by cereals. The rest of the area is meadows, including flood meadows on the Narew.
In the barns of the Burzyński family, great emphasis is placed on animal welfare. One of the latest investments was the replacement of fans, photo: kh
The Burzyński farm is focused on dairy cattle breeding. The entire herd numbers around 550, with 200 dairy cows. Annual milk production exceeds 2 million liters. This makes the farm from Bronów the tenth largest supplier of milk to the Piątnica dairy and the first in terms of microbiological quality and dry matter. In addition to milk sales, additional income is generated by the sale of pregnant heifers and first-born calves.
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170 cows are Holsines-Friesians, of which about 10 percent are of the red-and-white variety. The remaining 30 are of the interesting and quite rare Brown Swiss breed.
– We are developing the breeding of these cows because they do very well in the barn together with HF cows. In addition, they are characterized by high longevity – we already have cows in their fifth lactation, and a high content of dry matter in milk and several other important advantages. The average yield of the stata is slightly over 11 thousand kg per lactation – explains Paweł Burzyński.
A great deal of emphasis is placed on improving the utility type of cows. Breeding is the apple of Mr. Paweł's eye, who this year at the regional exhibition of breeding animals in Szepietowo, won the title of champion and three vice-champion titles.
– The goal is to be among the European leaders in farms with up to 200 cows – says Mr Paweł.
Modern hoof disinfection mat with automatic supply of disinfectants, photo: kh
The nearest plans include the construction of a new barn with a calf house, but not to increase the number of animals, but precisely in the direction of improving the genetic material and improving the welfare of the animals, and thus their efficiency, longevity and milk quality. Thus, it is to be very modernly equipped, including automatic control of light, humidity and temperature.
In addition to the HF breed, there is also the Brown Swiss cattle, which, as the farmers claim, has many good features, photo: kh
Biogas plant – energy for the farm and valuable fertilizer
An integral part of the farm and one of the last major investments is a biogas plant with an installed capacity of 40 kW, which is powered by slurry from the barns (the slurry is transported via pipelines). About 25 percent of the energy produced is used for own needs – a significant part of it is used in the summer to power efficient fans in the barns, which reduce the animals' heat stress.
The interior of the biogas plant. The electricity generated by the biogas plant is partially used on the farm. The by-product – hot water, is used to heat two houses, and the digestate largely replaces mineral fertilizers, photo: kh
In addition, the heat generated during the energy production process is used to heat two houses. The remaining 75% of energy is sold to the grid, and the digestate is used on the farm and is considered by the farmers as an economical and excellent fertilizer.
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Auction of agricultural machinery in a bankrupt factory
The use of post-fermentation means a significant reduction in the use of artificial fertilizers. As Mr. Marek says, thanks to the use of this organic fertilizer, no other multi-component fertilizers were used in the cultivation of cereals, only a small nitrogen supply in spring. It is similar with grasses, which are fertilized with post-fermentation and very small amounts of nitrogen fertilizers, and only waste from the biogas plant is used in alfalfa.
Biogas plant with an installed capacity of 40 kW, photo: kh
Modern technologies in the field
The farm also invests in modern equipment. It is worth mentioning the Fliegl slurry tanker with a 18,000-litre barrel and a 16-metre-wide skate applicator, or the Kuhn Axis H fertiliser spreader equipped with precise fertiliser spreading technology. As Marek Burzyński says, thanks to this tool alone, last year's savings on fertilisers reached PLN 30,000, and this year around PLN 15,000.
Fendt 828 Mario with a 18,000-litre Fliegl slurry tanker with a 16-metre-wide shovel injector, photo: kh
The fields are currently being mapped, and there is also a weather station. The machinery park is dominated by John Deere tractors, but there is also a new Fendt 828 Vario. The equipment is kept in a garage and is largely repaired and serviced in-house.
