Aug 16, 2010
Winter Crops in Rio Grande do Sul Little Affected by Cold Weather
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
The principal winter crop grown in Rio Grande do Sul is wheat, but the farmers in the state also grow barley and canola during the winter season. Winter temperatures in Rio Grande so Sul have been very low this year, but the winter small grains seem to have come through it OK.
The wheat crop in the state is generally in good condition after what has been a very cold winter season, at least by Brazilian standards. Some of the earliest planted wheat in the northwestern part of the state is in the elongation phase and a few heads are starting to emerge. The majority of the wheat in the state is still in vegetative development. Some freeze damage was reported, but it should have only a minor impact on the crop.
The wheat in the state is generally harvested during the month of November and virtually all the wheat in the state will be followed by double crop soybeans.
The barley crop in the state is still in vegetative development and the crop seems to have had no affect on the crop.
A small, but increasing crop in the state is canola, which is grown in the northern half of the state. The canola crop is now starting to flower and the crop is generally rated in good condition.