Sowing sunflowers using Irisa and Marítimo seeds

A few weeks ago, we sowed the sunflowers, as we’ve been showing you in the videos posted on Instagram and YouTube. The main change this time is that we have switched seed brands and started using Syngenta.

As we have mentioned in previous blog posts, sunflower cultivation in our region is a fairly marginal crop. Hardly any farmers grow sunflowers because we rotate with pulse crops. We continue to keep it because it gives us an extra crop and because it means we can spend more time working on these fields where we sow sunflowers. What’s more, we have more options for controlling weeds. Another problem with growing sunflowers is that in our area the summer is very dry and there is practically no rain from sowing until harvest. That is why we switched to a different variety and tried SY Irisa AR and SY Marítimo AR. These seed varieties are notable for their good yields under water stress, so we’ll keep you updated on how our crop is progressing.

Another point worth noting is that, before heading out to the field to sow the seeds, we carried out some preparatory work at home using Syngenta’s Seed Selector tool. This tool helped us to select the seed variety best suited to the conditions on our fields (agronomic and climatic conditions). A free and very user-friendly tool that we really liked and think is very useful.

If we take a closer look at the two varieties grown, we can highlight the following about each of them:

SY Irisa AR

• High-yield hybridLinoleic variety.
• Excellent emergence vigour.
• High yield and good oil content.
• It is the earliest-flowering hybrid among the herbicide-tolerant varieties (Express™ and Clearfield®).
• High tolerance to both Imazamox (Clearfield®/Clearfield® Plus) and Tribenuron methyl (ExpressTM system) herbicides.
• Flowering: Early.
• Physiological maturity: Early.
• Resistance to Jopo: Very high.
• Resistance to downy mildew: Very high.
• Drought tolerance: Very high.
• Germination vigour: Very high.
• Height: Medium.

SY Marítimo AR

• The first A.I.R.™ high-oleic variety on the market.
• A highly productive hybrid in all growing conditions, performing particularly well under drought and heat stress.
• Strong emergence vigour.
• Good oleic acid content.
• High tolerance to Veriticilium.
• Flowering: Medium.
• Physiological maturity: Medium.
• Resistance to Jopo: Very high.
• Resistance to downy mildew: Very high.
• Drought tolerance: Very high.
• Vigorous emergence: Very high.
• Height: Tall.
• Oil content: Medium-high.

And finally, we’ll mention a few details about the A.I.R.™ technology featured in the two varieties we’ve sowed. This technology is notable for providing strong tolerance to herbicides containing imazamox/imazapyr and tribenuron-methyl, enabling better control of all weed problems. It therefore offers flexibility in the application window for these herbicides, keeping a wide range of weeds and broadleaf weeds under control.

Versión en español.

Sales of new agricultural machinery during 2025, in Spain

A quick glance at the figures shows that 2025 was a fantastic year for new machinery sales in Spain. Sales of virtually all types of machinery are on the rise. With 2025 now upon us, we have seen two years of significant increases since that disastrous year of 2023 in terms of sales and harvest. We can therefore attribute this rise in sales, at first glance, to two years of generally excellent harvests across the country and to the substantial subsidies that the government (both national and regional) often provides for the modernisation of machinery.

If we focus on tractor sales, these are on the rise again and have even surpassed the sales figures for 2019, which we had taken as our benchmark. It is important to note that the data used comes from the ROMA database, which includes ATVs, telescopic handlers, etc. If we exclude these types of vehicles, the actual number of tractors sold would be around 11,000 units… a figure we hadn't reached for many years.

As regards tractor sales, the key points are:

• John Deere continues to lead the market and, together with New Holland, accounts for 32% of sales.
• Fendt continues to increase its sales, as it has done year after year, reaching almost 1,000 units.
• Deutz-Fahr and Case IH continue to hold their positions in 4th and 5th place, respectively.
• Valtra ranks second in the high-horsepower segment.
• Massey Ferguson has seen a significant jump in sales, reaching 595 tractors sold.

As for the best-selling tractor models, the ranking is as follows:

1.     John Deere 6M165: 288 units
2.     John Deere 6M125: 288 units
3.     John Deere 6R250: 283 units
4.     New Holland T5.120: 172 units
5.     John Deere 6R185: 158 units
6.     John Deere 5105M: 157 units

As for new machinery sales, the figures for 2025 are significantly higher than those for the previous year, with a total of 42,187 units sold.We would like to highlight the following points:    

• Trailers: 3,876 units (vs. 3,159 in 2024).
• Soil preparation equipment: 4,150 units (vs. 2,724 in 2024).
• Sowing equipment: 1,349 units (vs. 1,343 in 2024).
• Pesticide application equipment: 7,360 units (vs. 6,157 in 2024).
• Fertilisation and irrigation equipment: 2,247 units (vs. 1,873 in 2024).
• Harvesting equipment: 3,537 units (vs. 2,182 in 2024).

Sales of grain harvesters have risen significantly once again, reaching 233 units, compared with 177 in 2024. Claas retains its top position and strengthens its leadership in this segment. This market is dominated by Claas, New Holland and John Deere, although this year Deutz-Fahr and Fendt have managed to make some significant sales (17 units in total).

Finally, sales of new self-propelled grape harvesters have risen significantly this year, reaching 112 units compared with 103 units in 2024. New Holland remains by far the best-selling brand.

Data sources: ROMA and https://masquemaquinas.blogspot.com

Versión en español.

Heavy rain and strong winds: fallen olive trees

During the first few months of 2026, rainfall has been very abundant—too much, in fact, in many areas. In our case, we’ve had as much rain in January, February and March as we would normally receive over an entire year.

What happens with so much rain? Well, the ground often turns to mud, and the stability of the trees decreases. If you combine that with a day of strong winds, you get the result you can see in the photos.

Across all the olive groves we have, the wind knocked over quite a number of olive trees. The almond trees weren’t affected, as they are still very young and, during the winter period, they have virtually no canopy since they’ve just been pruned.

Fortunately, just a few days after all this damage occurred, we were able to lift them back up thanks to the work of a backhoe. In the end, a few olive trees were lost, but not many, even though the number that fell was quite high.

As for the olive trees that have dried out as a result of root damage, we now need to remove them and replace them with new ones… and we’ll have to wait several years again before they start producing olives. That’s farming.

Versión en español.

Fertiliser, roller and weeder for cereals

Over the past few weeks, despite rainy and windy conditions, we have completed the remaining tasks on the cereal fields: fertiliser application, rolling, and weed control. With this work finished, the next machine to enter the fields will hopefully be the combine harvester. As usual, we like to carry out these operations in the order mentioned in the title.

Regarding fertilisation, in recent years we have been using YaraVera™ AMIDAS with excellent results. This year we’ve had to make a change, since the fertiliser used often depends on availability at the supplier’s warehouse. We therefore applied ENTEC® EVO™ 24 (+15 SO₃), which contains sulphur, at a rate of 225 kg/ha. Together with the basal fertilisation applied at sowing, this provides enough nitrogen for a good yield, provided rainfall conditions remain favourable.

Once the fertiliser has been applied, the next step is rolling the ground. This process serves three main purposes:

1. To consolidate the soil and improve root–soil contact
2. To press down stones, reducing potential issues during harvesting
3.  To help incorporate the fertiliser and reduce losses due to exposure

Finally, for cereals, we carry out phytosanitary treatment to eliminate broadleaf weeds. As it has been a very wet winter this year, we’re taking this opportunity to apply a fungicide, which will help maintain plant health.

The following products were used:

• Dingo (2,4-D 30% + Florasulam 0.62% w/v. SE). Dosage: 0.7 l/ha
• Trimur (Tribenuron-methyl 75% WG). Dosage: 15 g/ha
• Geriones (Tebuconazole 25% w/v EW). Dosage: 0.5 l/ha

With all these tasks completed, the crop is now well established and on track for the coming months. From here on, the weather will play a key role, so we will continue to monitor the fields closely and hope for a favourable season ahead. Here are a few videos of these works... we hope you like them.

Versión en español.

Pruning Makako almond trees

In late December and early January, during some of the coldest days of the year, we carry out the pruning of our almond trees, as described below. These are tasks that we perform in our spare time left by our main crops, which are cereals and pulse vegetables. Moreover, this is the ideal time of year, as the trees are about to start blossoming and the work that follows involves applying plant protection treatments to take care of them. Almond trees are pruned twice a year. The work described here corresponds to winter pruning, while the second pruning (spring pruning) will be discussed in due course.

Regarding pruning, we apply two types of training pruning, as we have Makako almond trees planted in 2023 and 2024. For the younger trees, pruning is simple: all branches are removed and the main trunk is cut back to the height where we want the crown to form. From that cut, the tree will sprout and start producing new branches. This will become the first tier or set of main branches. Usually, three main branches are formed, although in some cases we have left a few more.

As for the trees planted in 2023, they are now more established. Pruning is still focused on shaping the tree, but the aim is to determine where the second tier will be formed. As you know, almond trees sprout where the branch is cut. New branches grow from that point, forming the next tier. As shown in the video, the idea is to leave a branch about 40 cm long and then cut it. In this way, the tree gradually develops the desired structure.

Versión en español.