Our farm "El Campillo", located in the northwest mountains of Murcia, in the southeast of Spain, is named after the place where it is located. We are in the green heart of Moratalla, in a privileged environment belonging to the Natural Reserve of Sotos y Bosques de Ribera de Cañaverosa, separated from Calasparra and Moratalla by the river Segura. In this area of the river the otter breeds and there is a wide diversity of wildlife.
El Campillo is mainly made up of a typical Mediterranean scrubland that we regenerated 25 years ago by planting more than 30,000 trees of native varieties native to the area (holm oak, pine, mastic, wild olive, etc.) that today provide shelter for large and small birds, rodents, wild boar and wild goats with which we share the space and part of our crops. In the cultivated areas we sow alfalfa meadows, cereals and grain legumes to feed our goats. With hedges, crop rotations and allowing the native flora that the goats graze to seed, we promote a suitable natural environment and encourage as much biodiversity as possible.
Our main source of water comes from the "Fuente del Portichuelo", a spring that rises on the farm itself and provides us with drinking water (for us and our goats), for sanitation, cleaning the facilities and production processes, as well as for watering the gardens and crops. In addition, there are two small wells installed with photovoltaic energy to fill the reservoirs in winter that allow us to irrigate the alfalfa meadows in spring and summer by sprinkler irrigation with a pivot.
At El Campillo we have been certified in Organic Farming since 2000, and we follow the biodynamic method although we are not currently certified. We use biodynamic preparations to improve the structure and fertility of the soil and we have been organising and participating in biodynamic training activities since 2005, on the farm itself, shared on our website and social networks.
The heart of the farm, the one that makes the soil the most important living being on the farm, is our compost. Thanks to its circular management and biodynamic preparations, it becomes a "humus" carrier and catalyst of life for the microscopic livestock of El Campillo to convert the seed, water and sun into generous harvests for our goats.
We are located between two small villages of less than 10.000 inhabitants and 7km from the nearest one, Calasparra, with a tradition of organic rice cultivation with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) since 1980, being the first product with organic guarantee in Spain. We promote employment in our area. We are currently a team of 12 people, 6 men and 6 women. Some of them have been with us for more than 20 years, and others joined as the project grew to its current/optimal size (6 goats ha/10,000m²). There are two more trainees and replacements who will be joining in 2022.
In addition to improving the salary fixed in our agreement, BEEE maintains a participatory system for the organisation of tasks, family reconciliation, breaks, travel expenses and above all in the creation of a responsible work environment, and a positive and proactive attitude oriented towards the common good that is the aim of BEEE's policy and that we all share.
As livestock farming is a DAILY job, the production teams also rotate the milking and herd care tasks to ensure a fair and equal workload, particularly at weekends and on public holidays, ensuring an equal distribution of all tasks and a truly exemplary team atmosphere.