France accelerates winter grain sowing and completes corn harvest

French farmers have significantly accelerated winter grain sowing, moving ahead of last year’s planting pace. As of November 2, 2026, soft winter wheat had been sown on 84% of the planned area, compared with 62% a week earlier and 77% at the same point last year. This represents an increase of 22 percentage points in just one week.

Winter barley planting is also nearing completion. According to FranceAgriMer, farmers had sown 89% of the planned area, up from 72% the previous week and 82% a year earlier. Meanwhile, durum wheat sowing remains at an earlier stage, with 24% of the planned area planted, compared with just 4% a week earlier. At the beginning of November last year, the figure stood at 23%.

Meanwhile, France has completed its corn harvest. By early November, the entire crop had been harvested, allowing farmers to focus their resources on completing the autumn sowing campaign. Overall, planting progress for the main winter grain crops is currently ahead of the corresponding period in 2025.

Tags: corn, France, wheat, harvesting