Sep 20, 2010
Spring Planting Under Way in Rio Grande do Sul
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
While the summer rains have not yet materialized in central Brazil, there have been ample showers in far southern Brazil to start planting the 2010/11 summer crops. After a relatively slow start to planting, farmers in Rio Grande do Sul are now actively planting their 2010/11 corn and dry bean crops. Some of the earlier planted corn in northwestern Rio Grande do Sul will need to be replanted due to poor germination, but the vast majority of the corn crop is expected to have adequate germination and stand establishment.
No soybeans will be planted in the state until later in October. Currently, nearly all the intended soybean acreage is still occupied by wheat, oats, canola, or other cover crops and the harvesting of these crops will not begin until sometime in October.
In fact, the wheat crop in the state has benefitted from the recent improvement in the weather. Numerous episodes of very cold temperatures during July and August did not negatively impact the wheat crop because the wheat was dormant at the time. Most of the wheat in the state is now in vegetative development or beginning to flower. A few of the more advanced wheat fields have already headed out and are in the grain filling phase.
The farmers in the state are also responsible for growing approximately 60% of Brazil's rice crop and nearly all the rice in the state is flood irrigated. Farmers are happy to see that the reservoirs used to irrigate their rice are full and they are anxious to start planting their rice later in October.
The other major crop grown in Rio Grande do Sul is dry beans which the farmers are currently planting.