Last November 16th the agricultural students visited the exploitation of the dairy sheep farm
of Serradet de Barneres. First, they learn another way to conceive livestock. The farmer
adjusts to the animal's natural rhyme and not only makes connects with them, but also
makes it economically viable. Although it may sound incredible, in this way and with only 100
sheep can live 3 families.
We’ve been visiting them for years, and we state that this option is valid.
Over the years, it
grows stronger and adapts easily to the changes that may occur. In closing, let us thank
Maria Llorens and her hospitality
Day of the cork cam with the students of Exploitation and Conservation of the Natural
Environment (FORESTRY).
Peeling the cork consist of extracting it from the cork oaks(Quercus Suber). The cork, which
is the tree's bark, is peeled with an ax, and it’s cut in vertical cuts (without exceeding the
tree's capacity to regenerate). After that, we lever to remove the cork. Once peeled, the tree
receives treatment to ensure its survival and subsequent exploitation.
It takes an average of 50 years to be able to make the first extraction of the cork oak.
Moreover, it can be peeled every 14 years. We obtain the worst quality of the cork in the two
first extractions, this cork can be used to make a conglomerate for insulation or panels. For
the third time, the cork has better quality, and now it can be used to produce cork cam.
From the Middle Ages to the 16th and 17th centuries, cork was used to make
beehives, shoe soles, or insulators.
On 12 May, The students of 2o years “Cicle Formatiu de Grau mitjà en producció
agropecuària” visited the farm Cal Tubau of 230 beef cows located in Pardines’ town
(Ripollès). Josep Morera was responsible for explaining to students how to manage
the farm placed in a mountain area.
Among other things, the visit allowed the students to know Bruna's breed and
ecological production, planning about using available pastures to feed the cows. He
explained that part of the flock is involved with transhumance in Empordà from
December to May.
From the school, we are thankful for the disponibility and the attention. It allowed our
students to experiment because of the visit.
During all the year, the school changes every two weeks of students: First-year and
second-year students alternate. When the students are not in Quintanes, they are
doing alternative practice. Each student has a practice convention signed, usually
near their residence place.
Once they end their studies, proximity, and knowledge of the area can turn into an
already professional relationship.
In the photo, Roger Carbonell, a student of 2o “Paisatgisme i Medi Rural, on his daily
life practices in the company. In this case, he collaborates on the management of the
ecological vegetable garden of Can Jubany restaurant. The tutor took the photos
during one of the follow-up visits. Where the tutor, in this case, Mr. Quico Arumí talks
to the student to ensure everything is going correctly.
Thank you to all the companies that feed this unique way of teaching us.
This year, the school will participate in floral @campionat_catskills. It will be the first
edition of this discipline. Last year “Jardineria i Paisatgisme” of Quintanes’ team was
placed in the third position.
The competition is about a practice session and tournament day. Two students
participated (principal and reserve). Everyone will do a series of practices, and the
two best-developed ones will come out as representatives.
Today was the day, good job!
Discovering floral art and unknown skills.
Gardening has a very creative side that generally the students don’t have in mind,
and they get surprised once they find out.
Gardening bloom in Quintans: setting up, preserving, and restoring exterior and
interior gardens, like grass of sportive using, and carrying out activities of plant and
florist production, taking place and maintaining the machinery and facilities, fulfilling
with the environmental normative, the quality control and labor risk precaution.
The student Visit was to La Casa de les Abelles (Sant Pere de Torelló), where
Ramon and Cèlia explained to us a lot of things related to the apiculture world.
The visit was divided into two activities: the theoric one and the practice one, visiting
the hives and applying what they explained to us previously. The visit concluded by
extracting honey from a frame recently pulled out of the apiary and tasting it.
In this area, exists microclimates that benefit the existence of a large variety of
flowers. Therefore, it makes possible an enriching and diverse fabrication with a
great range of flavors and colors.
Student Visit of 2o year “Grau Superior de Ramaderia i Sanitat Animal” to Mas La
Carrera.
Mas La Carrera was the first, and for a long time, the only farm of Spain officially
recognized by Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society www.aberdeen-angus.co.uk). An
organization where its headquarter is located in Scotland and is in charge of the
regulation breeding.
For some years, Mas La Carrera completed the breeding and fattening calves cycle
with a feeding base of fodder and commercialized the meat produced with the brand
NATRUS. http://www.natrus.cat/
We are thankful for the student visits to the companies that open their gates and
show us firsthand the reality and the daily life of the sector.
+ info: http://www.maslacarrera.cat/
During the 11th and 12th of March, the students of 2o “Grau Mitjà de Jardineria”
carried out climbing practices and safety techniques in the trees. The sessions were
divided into two days, and the students learned the different knots that are used
(overhand knot, double eight knots, bowline, Prusik ...), the techniques to access
trees, to move through the crown, and to be secure.
Moreover, we worked on how to unload branches in a controlled way from a tree with
the use of pulleys and a brake. The sessions were developed with the participation
of three professional arborist and expert climbers together with the arborist teachers
from second of gardening.
Afterward, the students will have to do a climbing technique exam that validates they
have achieved the basic competencies on these techniques.
The daily life of Quintanes students is very varied. Face-to-face classes, practices in
the company, social gatherings with professionals, group visits to companies
regarding the sector, and capacity professionals.
In the photo, the students of 2o “Grau Mitjà d’Agropecuària” visited Àngel Caralt sl.
Angel has 37.4k followers on his Instagram profile @angelocromatto, which is not a
coincidence! We asked him why he believes so. We made him think a little bit:
“Our specialty is ensile fodder, as a consequence the machinery team are big and in
large quantity, this makes it very exciting to the public, a lot of people is passionate
on this world, but never does it as the way I do.”
So, making things with passion is the point!
One of our principal activities in the forest is dragging. An antique and hard job
where the persons used to descend all the cut wooden trunks from the wooded area
of the harbor to places with easy access. It was an animal draught work, where the
co-protagonists were, without doubt, the horses.
Currently, the activity is the same. It keeps being one of the primary forestry
activities, but it’s clear that technology has helped make labor less physical than it
was in the past. Dragging is carried out with a skidder or capstan tractor, or,
depending on the floor conditions, with a self-loading truck.
This 2021 “Premi Emprenedoria Quintanes / BBVA de l'entorn rural” celebrates the third edition, and it's done by increasing until four award-winning names. Among the newness of this new edition stand out the best project with 15,000 economic amount euros, and the three secondary awards it will be granted of 2,000 euros each. The
three runners-up will be distributed among the different sector's participants:agro-stock, forestry, and gardening.
The people with enterprising spirit, self-employed and small companies with a maximum of 25 workers that have activities in the agro-stock, forestry, and gardening
actor in Catalonia, can present their candidacy. The announcement of the third
edition, “Premi Emprenedoria Quintanes/BBVA de l’entorn rural ” will be open until
April 30, 2021.
The candidatures can be submitted through the questionnaire available on the web.
EFA Quintanes school, with Fundació Antiga Caixa Manlleu, BBVA, and Casa
Tarradellas motivate the announcement of this award that highlight the importance of
the companies and the agrarian activities. And recognize the entrepreneurs who
manage a prosperous environment through initiatives that watch over for
sustainability.
This award with a biennial feature has been carried out since 2016 and has the
objective to spread the enterprising principles and innovation in the rural world. This
third edition is celebrated in 2021 and not in 2020 due to the generated Covid-19
situation.
Follow us on our new social network of the award: IG - FB
@premiquintanesbbvaentornrural // TW @PQuintanesBBVA
+ info: http://www.quintanes.com/premi-emprenedoria-quintanes-bbva
The 2º students of “Grau mitjà de jardineria” have done height pruning practice and the use of the elevator platform in the Despujol gardens. These gardens are in the Les Masies de Voltregà town council building. The school keeps a collaboration convention with the town council, and for four years, we are carrying out pruning and forest maintenance.
Moreover, the students have worked on how forest management is developed, the risk management of the urban trees, trees inventory, and other technical aspects.
In March, will be complemented the practices of climbing and security to access the trees.
These practices are included on the students' curriculum of the "Grau mitjà de jardineria" and are complemented, with an specific certification on lifting platform handling and height pruning.
The intervention consists of different sessions throughout the school year, with forestry students (the ones in the photo), and "Cicle formatiu de grau mitjà de jardineria; paisatgisme, medi rural and forestals de grau superior ". A detail that makes it more interesting because of the focus labor in multidisciplinary form.
Another year, the 1º students “Grau Superior de Ramaderia i Sanitat Animal “visited Mas Bes agriculture farm. Mas Bes is a company that produces milk for the ATO Natura brand.
Joan Viñolas explained to all of us the evolution and current functioning of the farm, the biogas plant where they produce electricity, and the solar photovoltaic plates for their self-consumption. Moreover, the visits to the farm they offer to all types of interested groups.
Generally, the Mas Bes visitors can complete the experience by visiting the “Museu de Pagès” to discover the life evolution of the countryside, the agro shop where you can buy products of own production, and finally, eat at the farm restaurant. The current circumstance and the limitation to receive visits due to the Covid -19 pandemic has driven Mas Bes to increase sum catalogs of nutritional products, creating new elaborate products and offering new service as, for example, selling Christmas baskets.
Mas Bes is an example of an open public company that progresses and risks new projects. From the school, we want to express our gratitude to Mas bes for this opportunity to conduct this interesting visit.
We hope soon, farms like Mas Ben will be able to retake their excellent production and educational activity that allows all kinds of public to understand and appreciate the importance of basic food fabrication like milk and meat.
+ info: https://www.masbes.com
We have participated at the "Bones pràctiques" table in FP dual in the "XVIII Jornada de Qualitat" in Ensenyament, where we have exposed our experience and curiosity.
As stated by the Department of education, these conferences aim to promote management improvements: effective and efficient. And help centers gaining excellent results in all their processes, especially those on learning and teaching. It has been very enriching sessions because of participation. And we could listen to other examples that will help us improve the system we are carrying out yet.
We appreciate the opportunity that the Department of Education has given us by inviting us to participate.
+ info: https://sites.google.com/xtec.cat/xviiijornadadequalitat/inici
This week we have increased the machinery park with the acquisition of the new forestal strimmer of 4 -cycles UMK 450 of 50cc courtesy by Honda-Echo and Aldimak.
After some years, requesting Honda to build 4-cycle strimmers of bigger cylinder capacity for forestry works, finally, they have put on sale this season a strimmer with these characteristics.
This strimmer would be able to carry different cut tools in addition to the wire and garbage disposal blade as well. The last one is a very relevant aspect for our students to see the advantages and strong points between 4-cycles and 2-cycles motors, always having as reference the forestry works.
Principal advantages are 25% savings in combustibility, less noise, fewer vibrations, less contamination, to sum up, and excellent economic and ergonomic efficiency.
Eager to try it!
