ZEMOS a.s., part of the Navos subholding, has opened a new large-capacity barn with a milking parlor for 556 dairy cows in Uherčice. The total investment amounted to CZK 114 million.
The grand opening was attended by Petr Foukal, CEO of Navos; Zdeněk Horák, Director of Zemos; Ivo Bednárik, Head of Zemos’ Construction Group; Věra Palásková, Zemos' Economist; and Milan Škvor, Director of AGROFERT’s Primary Production Division.
“For Navos, livestock production is a key priority, which is why we dedicate so much effort, care, and hard work to it. I’m very pleased that we can open this beautiful new barn today—a barn you built yourselves, which I consider quite exceptional. A big thank you goes to Zdeněk Horák, who oversaw the entire project, and also to Věra Palásková, whose efforts enabled more than 60% of the investment to come directly from the company’s profits,” said Petr Foukal in his opening speech.
The construction of the new barn took just 20 months and was largely carried out by Zemos itself. External companies built the barn’s framework, Farmtec provided the barn and milking technologies, and the rest was completed in-house. “During the winter months, we utilized workers from our maintenance, crop production, and finance departments. It may have taken a bit longer, but the costs were significantly lower,” explained Zdeněk Horák, Director of Zemos.
The total investment reached CZK 114 million, with CZK 72 million allocated to the barn and technology, and CZK 42 million invested in a parallel milking parlor with 2×14 stalls.
“In addition, the new barn is identical to the one we have in Velké Němčice, which allows us to flexibly deploy our workforce. If there’s an unexpected shortage of staff in one barn, we can easily replace them with colleagues from the other location. There’s no need for training, as the barn layout, number and composition of animals, milking system, and all procedures are exactly the same,” added Zdeněk Horák.
Zemos expects the new barn to significantly improve animal welfare, with features such as automated ventilation, electric roll-up curtains, heated stainless-steel water troughs, unlimited access to feed, and bedding made of a separated mixture with added straw and limestone. Employees will also benefit from the new facilities, which include modern staff amenities.
“This is the largest investment in recent times, but not the last. We’re planning further developments, including storage capacity for bulk feed and bedding, as well as housing facilities for raising young cattle,” concluded Zdeněk Horák.
In 2024, ZEMOS a.s. was named the Best Farmer in the Mixed Production category of the Farmer of the Year competition, organized by Profi Press.
Photogallery
