Another busy today in the Brazilian state of Parana. We started the morning by visiting Romi farms in the Dutch Cooperative of Castrolanda. The farm started as a dairy farm but converted to a grain farm in 1972. Ten years later the farm converted to 100% no-till. Romi farms they produce soybeans, dry beans, and corn during the summer and oats and wheat during the winter. It was very interesting that they use the same row spacing for both soybean and corn planting.
The next stop was the ABC foundation which does research and develops as solutions for the Dutch cooperatives.
After lunch we toured the Castrolanda cooperative facilities in Castro. The receiving facilities were similar to those in the states except they use wood to fuel the dryer. Then we walked across the street to the Dutch Immigration Memorial. We went up in a windmill and learned about the heritage of the Dutch immigrants.
The last stop of the day before going to the hotel was Selvaverde Dairy. They currently have 730 cows in lactation and milk twice a day. Their cows average 28 L of milk/cow/day. Their feed is mainly corn silage and ryegrass.
Boa noite.
Ross Recker
Crop Science - 2012
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