Sowing season 2025. Crop summary

It has been a few weeks since we finished the sowing campaign, and we would like to summarise our crops and also take this opportunity to introduce you to our friend Nemesio's Gil seed drill.

Regarding the crops we sow, as we have mentioned on other occasions, we mainly rotate crops with pulse vegetables and some sunflowers. Pulse vegetables are working quite well for us because they are inexpensive to grow (mainly because they do not need fertiliser) and also leave very good stubble for the following year's cereal crop... hence why they are called soil-improving crops. We notice this especially with the yeros, which means that the barley for the following year is always slightly more advanced in its growth than ther fields that have not had yeros. The problem with yeros this year is the very low selling price (€170/tonne).

Another pulse crop that is performing very well is pardina and verdina (Ston) lentils. This type of lentil is not as delicate as the Castilian lentil, as it can be harvested with a combine harvester, and its selling price is quite attractive (around €600/tonne). This year we have also sown vetch, whose main challenge is harvesting, as it tends to stay very close to the ground… so we will tell you later how this crop turns out.

As for cereals, we continue to avoid wheat and focus on barley. We have been using Medinaceli barley for years with excellent results, but this year we were short on seed and sowed Záncara barley, which also yielded good results for many farmers in our village last year. Finally, we have sown some Rumboso triticale in areas with a high rabbit population… Some fields are seriously affected by rabbits, which cause significant damage.

We would also like to take advantage of this sowing-related post to introduce you to our friend Nemesio's Gil seed drill. What makes it special? As you can see, the hopper is mounted at the front of the tractor, while the rear only carries the sowing system. This has one main advantage: it allows you to use a high-capacity seed drill with a smaller tractor (Nemesio has the Fendt 314 Vario Profi+). As you know, seed drills (colloquially known as “octopuses”) usually require high-powered tractors to operate smoothly, especially when transporting them and when manoeuvring on slopes at the headlands. With this type of seed drill, a medium-power tractor works without any problems as the weight of the machine is distributed. It is a very good option!

Versión en español.

First mechanised harvest work in our olive grove

At this time of year, it is normal to talk about planting or sowing... but whenever you plant, you harvest, which is what happens with olive groves. The last harvest we do throughout the year is the olive harvest (the work we show you is from December) and for us, on this occasion, it is a milestone as it is the first time we have done mechanised harvesting in our olive grove... quite an advance!

Until now, we have always harvested manually, as the olives on one tree were not yet producing. Last year, these one tree olive trees were harvested, but we did it manually so as not to damage the trunks, as they were a bit thin. This year, we decided to mechanise harvesting work, and it has been a complete success.

It has been a great success, as it significantly reduces the time required and because mechanised harvesting is cheaper than doing it manually. In terms of time, we completed the harvest in two days, whereas previously it took us almost four days. As for costs, manual harvesting costs us 0.2€/kg, whereas mechanisation has reduced this to 0.08€/kg. This cost can even be improved when we have higher production, as the olive trees are young and production is set to increase in the coming years.

Finally, we would like to thank Juan Pedro for his excellent work operating the harvesting machine (umbrella).

Versión en español.

Seeding… with Tungsten Carbide

In several previous posts, we have already talked about the points and shares (wear parts in general) that use Tungsten Carbide and have delivered outstanding results in terms of durability. On more than one occasion, we have even explained how these wear parts are manufactured and how Tungsten Carbide plates are brazing to the critical wear areas. This seeding season, we have expanded the use of this material to the shares on our seed drill, and we would like to share our experience with you.  

Our friends at Bellota sent us some parts (15023 CP C1 DURATOP) to test on our seed drill, allowing us to compare them with standard shares. At the end of the seeding season, we will assess the wear on both types, but based on our experience, these parts will be practically everlasting for us.  

One of the key features we highlight in these seeder shares is their thickness, which is usually much thinner on standard models (in fact, this one weighs over 1 kg), as you can see in the image showing its technical specifications. In addition, the Tungsten Carbide plate is located in the most critical wear area, making it a very well-designed and well-manufactured wear part.

As you can see in the photos, they also sent us some points for our Ovlac cultivator. What makes them special, besides the use of Tungsten Carbide? The angle of attack to the soil is different… but we’ll talk about that in a future post.

Versión en español.