Pioneering Role in Sustainable Agriculture!
In the realm of sustainable agriculture, a pivotal industry that shapes the agricultural landscape across Europe, innovations and commitments to environmental responsibility play a crucial role. This sector endeavors to provide European farmers with cutting-edge genetics and seed quality, empowering them to cultivate sustainable crops that, in turn, bolster competitiveness and augment income levels.
Over the past 14 years, a noteworthy player has risen to prominence, revolutionizing the cotton market in Spain and emerging as a primary cotton seed supplier for companies across Europe.
This transformative force is none other than Guadalsem, an enterprise founded in 2010 with a mission to revolutionize the agricultural landscape. Initially rooted in the southern region of Spain, Guadalsem has expanded its influence beyond borders. The company’s operations span a spectrum of services, all delivered at the industry’s highest quality level.
At the helm of Guadalsem’s progressive journey is the General Manager, Mr. Olivier Crassous, whose professional trajectory spans diverse roles within the seed industry. With a comprehensive understanding of controlling, finance, logistics, production, processing, and sales, Mr. Crassous brings a wealth of experience to the table. Backed by a dedicated technical and commercial team, Guadalsem is committed to delivering the highest quality standards to its customers, fostering collaborations, and actively participating in industry associations.
Embracing technology for optimal field management and seed quality, Guadalsem’s field agronomy team employs digital precision farming tools to ensure the best practices, even in challenging growing seasons.
Guadalsem’s market presence is not merely transactional but grounded in collaboration and innovative promotions. With a professional distribution network, Guadalsem ensures that its superior genetics reach farmers across Spain, supported not only by efficient seed supply but also by technical agronomic advice. Collaborations with leading global breeding companies and public research sectors exemplify the company’s commitment to adapting to changing environmental conditions and regulations.
Let’s delve in to learn more about the approach:
Pioneering Sustainable Agriculture and Boosting Competitiveness in Europe
Guadalsem, a Spanish enterprise, was jointly established in 2010 by Olivier Crassous and Ovidio Castilla, who previously held managerial positions in production at a multinational seed corporation. The company’s mission is to provide European farmers with superior genetics and seed quality, enabling them to cultivate sustainable crops and enhance their competitiveness and income.
Following 14 years, Guadalsem has ascended to the top position in Spain’s cotton market and has emerged as the primary cotton seed supplier for European companies.
Expanding Horizons in Sustainable Crop Production Across Europe
Guadalsem initiated its operations in the southern region of Spain, specifically in Andalucia, where the primary row crops are Cotton, Sunflower, and Cereals. A few years later, Guadalsem expanded its sphere of influence to other Mediterranean countries, establishing collaborations in Greece, Turkey, France, and Italy.
In recent years, the company has broadened its areas of interest to customers in Northern Europe, including Germany, Denmark, and other Baltic countries. Guadalsem has been producing sunflower and rapeseed for these countries, both Winter and Spring types, under optimal conditions in various regions of Spain.
Fostering Industry Collaborations and Advancing Seed Business Services
Guadalsem has fostered robust relationships with the leading entities in the seed industry, providing them with a variety of services at the industry’s highest quality level. The company has established strong collaborations with BASF, BAYER, CORTEVA, LG, LIDEA, NPZ, RAGT, and several other local companies.
The company offers client-customized services across a broad spectrum of the seed business, including:
– Production and processes for breeding programs
– Field trials for agronomic performance
– Maintenance of commercial varieties
– Parental (inbred) seed increase and production
– Commercial seed and hybrid production
– Processing works from cleaning and sorting to treatment and bagging
– Cold room storage
– Certification with local CE and OECD officials
– Quality control in proprietary labs
– Logistics, supply to dealers, and distribution to farmers
Guadalsem is an active participant in the Seed Association ANOVE (Spanish Vegetal Breeders Association), currently spearheading the coordination of the Cotton Group of the Field Crops Section.
Harnessing Industry Expertise for Quality Seed Production and Customer Commitment
Olivier’s professional trajectory spans various seed companies, where he has occupied several different positions in controlling, finance, crop planning, logistics, seed supply lead, and, finally, sales. This diverse experience has endowed him with a comprehensive knowledge that ensures every aspect of seed production is addressed to provide the best service to their customers, underpinned by a passion for quality and perseverance.
Guadalsem boasts a technical staff with a solid industrial background and field experience in some of the largest seed production companies, such as Cargill, Asgrow, and Monsanto. The team is committed to delivering the highest quality level to their customers.
Additionally, the commercial team has built a highly competitive farmers’ network in the prime areas of seed production in Spain. This network is based on a long-term strategy of collaboration and partnership, always focusing on best practices both in field management and in the processing plant.
Embracing Technology for Optimal Field Management and Seed Quality
The field agronomy team at Guadalsem maintains a close relationship with farmers, conducting regular follow-ups of each production field. This involves both farm visits and direct crop monitoring, as well as the use of digital precision farming tools, such as remote sensing, teledetection, and in-situ sensors. These measures are designed to ensure the best field management practices, allowing for optimum seed quality.
For instance, during the challenging 2023 growing season, which was marked by persistent drought problems in the Southern areas of Spain, 84% of Guadalsem’s cotton production and 92% of its sunflower production exhibited extraordinary quality characteristics, with a germination level exceeding 90%.
Upholding Sustainability and Environmental Responsibility through ESTA Certification
Since 2019, Guadalsem has been certified by the European Seed Treatment Assurance (ESTA). The company adheres to the strictest procedures for the application of chemical and biological phytosanitary products as seed treatments. This provides their customers with the certainty and security of continuous monitoring of compliance with best practices. It ensures sustainability and minimizes the environmental impact of these products.
Strengthening Market Presence through Collaboration and Innovative Promotions
Guadalsem’s market access has always been grounded in robust cooperation with its professional distribution network and highly effective promotional campaigns. One of the primary activities involves organizing “field days” where customers and distributors can interact directly with the crops and compare new advanced germoplasm and varieties for upcoming seasons side by side.
A prime example is “ExpoAlgodón,” an event organized by Guadalsem, which is now considered a major reference for the entire Spanish Cotton market. ExpoAlgodón convenes key experts in R&D and promotion of the main inputs of cotton crops, such as fertilizers, seeds, and crop protection products, and also for the enhancement of harvest management to obtain high-value cotton seed. This critical topic has been recognized by the interprofessional as EU cotton.
Building a Professional Distribution Network for Superior Genetics
Guadalsem has established a highly professional network of distributors to ensure maximum coverage in the Spanish market. This network provides farmers with the opportunity to discover and plant the finest genetics. Local or regional distributors for cotton sales collaborate not only in providing a swift and efficient seed supply to customers but also in delivering technical agronomic advice akin to the services offered by local seed producers for cereals.
Advancing Breeding Programs for Sustainable and Adaptable Cereal Varieties
Since 2014, Guadalsem has set up an ambitious breeding and screening program for non-GMO cotton seed for Europe in collaboration with the leading worldwide breeding companies. The company’s sustained effort to maintain a reliable seed supply of non-GM cotton varieties from the best breeding programs worldwide for the European market is a key factor for the entire industry in Europe.
This includes not only field production but also the ginning and spinning industry. As a result of this testing and production strategy, a number of excellent cotton varieties have already been registered in the European Catalogue of Commercial Varieties like FILIA and CONCHA. These varieties show significant improvements in main traits such as yield, drought resistance, gin turnout, and gin quality.
Since 2017, Guadalsem has initiated its own Spring cereals breeding program, primarily focused on durum wheat, soft wheat, and oats. The company has established several collaborations with the public research sector and breeding organizations like CSIC, IRTA, IFAPA, ITACYL, and ITAP, as well as with GENVCE for testing in different agroclimatic environments. These collaborations have been critical in providing the first varieties in the registration process. The breeding effort, developed in Andalucia—an area with extreme environmental factors such as very high temperature and water limitation—is enabling Guadalsem to select sustainable varieties that are much better adapted to current and future growing conditions due to climate change and European regulations.
Guadalsem’s breeding efforts are based on the balance between yield, grain quality, low input, and reduction of available crop protection products. In these conditions and envisioning future challenges of the Mediterranean zones, Guadalsem is testing its new varieties in ranges of low input and low water availability environments.
Upholding Quality Standards and Ensuring Reliable Seed Supply in Europe
In its nearly 14 years of business history, Guadalsem has earned a strong reputation among national seed companies in Spain and Southern European countries. The company is leveraging the concept of quality seed in crops that are either facing significant challenges for the European markets, like cotton, or in crops where traditionally, Spanish farmers have not found very high standards when managed by non-certified seed producers, like cereals. This is why major multinationals have established long-term agreements with Guadalsem to guarantee a sustainable and reliable seed supply for commercialization in Europe.
Award
Guadalsem’s accomplishments have been duly recognized with the prestigious “Andalucia Excellent” award in the “Sustainability” category for the years 2021 and 2022.
