Jul 08, 2021
Corn Yields Down 20-30% in Sinop in Northern Mato Grosso
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
The President of the Rural Syndicate of Sinop in northern Mato Grosso estimates that the safrinha corn yield in the municipality will be down 20-30% due to adverse weather. Instead of the usual 100 to 110 sacks per hectare (95.4 to 105.8 bu/ac), he is expecting yields in the range of 75 to 80 sacks per hectare (71.5 to 76.3 bu/ac). Mato Grosso is the largest safrinha corn producing state in Brazil.
The corn that has been harvested thus far is the earliest planted corn which is expected to have the highest yields this year. The later planted corn is expected to have the lowest yields, but harvesting has not yet started for the later planted corn. Approximately half of the corn in the municipality has been harvested and the corn yields may decline as the harvest progresses to the later planted corn.
The later planted corn ran into a series of weather and pest problems during the growing season. After being planted as much as a month later than normal, heavy rains shortly after planting washed away some of the newly applied nitrogen fertilizer. After that period of heavy rains, the remainder of the growing season was relatively dry, and the summer rains ended earlier than normal. Additionally, some farmers in the region reported an infestation of corn leafhoppers, which ended up being hard to control.
The Mato Grosso Institute of Agricultural Economics (Imea) reported late last week that farmers had harvested 22.4% of their safrinha corn in Mato Grosso compared to 46% last year and 39.5% average. This represented an advance of 12.7% for the week.
Farmers in Sinop had forward contracted approximately 70% of their anticipated corn production before the harvest started for prices as high as R$ 72.00 per sack (approximately $6.50 per bushel). The current spot price for corn is even higher due to a series of frost last week in south-central Brazil that resulted in significant yield for the safrinha corn.