Mar 07, 2018
2017/18 Brazil Soybean Crop 35% Harvested, Farmers Encouraged
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Good weather in northeastern Brazil and improved conditions in Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil has resulted in increasing estimates for the 2017/18 Brazilian soybean crop. Northeastern Brazil is a semi-arid region, but that has not been the case this year. The rainfall started good and remained good all across northeastern Brazil and as a result, the soybean yields in the area could be comparable to last year's record yields.
The soybean yields in Rio Grande do Sul will not equal last year's record yields, but recent rains across the northern half of the state where approximately 80% of the soybeans are produced, have tended to stabilize the yields in the state. It has remained very dry across the southern half of the state where the soybean yields will be very disappointing.
February was a very wet month in central Brazil, which made it a challenge to harvest soybeans and plant safrinha corn. The weather has been dryer for the last few days, but the forecast is calling for heavy rains to return to central Brazil this week.
According to AgRural, the 2017/18 soybean crop in Brazil is 35% complete compared to 47% last year and 37% for the 5-year average.
In Mato Grosso the soybeans are 71% harvested compared to 78% last year and 71% average. This represents an advance of 12.5% for the week. The most advanced regions are western Mato Grosso where the harvest is 92% and the mid-north where it is 90%. The slowest continues to be northeastern Mato Grosso where the soybeans are 38% harvested. The soybean yields in Mato Grosso are good, but not exceptionally high like they were last year.
In the state of Parana, dryer weather allowed farmers to increase their soybean harvest to 35%, which represents an increase of 11% for the week. The soybean harvest in Goias is 41%, Mato Grosso do Sul is 39%, and Minas Gerais is 29%. In northeastern Brazil, the soybean harvest is 1-7% complete and the harvest has not yet started in any significant manner in Rio Grande do Sul.