The best seeds help farmers succeed in the land of the gauchos

Farmer Luís Parra and Alfonso_Caligari, commercial director of KWS Argentina, hug each other.

Nothing shapes life in Argentina as much as tango, soccer and beef. Luís Parra is a farmer and cattle breeder – not to mention a fan of River Plate, the arch-rivals of Boca Juniors. Alfonso Callegari is commercial director at KWS and a Boca Juniors fan. Even though they will never agree on soccer, Callegari and Parra are pulling together as business partners. Callegari is willing to go a long way for this to happen.

If you want to go to Luís Parra's ranch, make sure you aren’t in a hurry: From the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires, it’s about 600 miles inland. In the Rio Negro region Luís Parra grows corn, alfalfa and barley and is breeding third-generation cattle. Parra produces his own animal feed out of conviction – after all, his cattle should get only the best.

Personal advice on sowing, cultivation and harvesting

To ensure the quality is always as it should be, Parra obtains his seeds from KWS. In the region that serves as the gateway to Patagonia, high-quality seed is of the utmost importance because the landscape knows drought too well.

  • Farmer Luís Parra stands beside KWS consultant Alfonso Caligari in front of a pickup truck loaded with seeds.
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    Farmer Luís Parra (left) is delighted about the arrival of KWS consultant Alfonso Callegari on his farm.

  • Farmer Luís Parra (left) and KWS consultant Alfonso Caligariat take a look at the corn plants.
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    Farmer Luís Parra (left) and KWS consultant Alfonso Callegari are more than merely business partners. They also see each other as friends.

  • Farmer Luís Parra and KWS consultant Alfonso Caligari sit on a bench together, laughing and enjoying a cup of maté tea.
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    That’s why they always find time to have a good conversation and a cup of maté tea as well as taking care of business.

  • A pickup loaded with seeds drives along a dusty road in Patagonia.
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    KWS consultant Alfonso Callegari drives more than 600 miles, deep in the south of Argentina, to ensure that farmer Luís Parra gets his seeds.

  • A pickup truck crosses a bridge over the river Rio Negro.
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    Although AWS consultant Alfonso Callegari must cover difficult terrain on the long drive from Manuel Ocampo to Luis Beltrán, the view is simply magnificent.

Alfonso Callegari is a KWS employee and has worked with Parra for many years. Callegari not only sells Parra the seeds, but also advises him on sowing, cultivation and harvesting. Once this has been successfully taken care of, the friends like to devote themselves to their other two passions: Argentinian barbecue, which is called “asado” in the South American country, and of course soccer. As fans of two arch-rivals – River Plate and Boca Juniors – the two men will have plenty to talk about for a long time to come.

Info graphic: The route leads over 600 miles through Argentina

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