Apr 11, 2018
Safrinha Corn Production in Central Brazil looks Good
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
I would classify the safrinha corn production in Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Goias as being in very good to excellent condition in most locations.
The most advanced safrinha corn has already pollinated and is in the midst of filling grain. Most of the latest planted corn is approximately 1-2 feet tall with a few fields 6 inches tall. I would say 50% of the corn has already pollinated or will pollinate within 1-2 weeks, 40% of the corn is 2-4 feet tall, and 10% is less than 2 feet tall. The early planted corn looks better than the later planted corn, but they both look very good. The corn has good height, good color and normal plant populations.
Some of the corn in central Mato Grosso is probably some of the best safrinha corn I have seen in Mato Grosso. The corn in southern Mato Grosso, northern Mato Grosso do Sul, and western Goias is also good, but not quite as good as central Mato Grosso.
It is no secret why the corn is so good, it has been raining a lot since the crop has been planted. During the first week that we were in Mato Grosso, it rain 6 out of 7 days with two days registering real tropical downpours. During the second week, it has rained less but still there are afternoon showers almost every afternoon.
There was a lot of water standing at the ends of the fields and in the side ditches in central Mato Grosso. The rains could end in central Mato Grosso tomorrow and there would probably be enough soil moisture for a very good corn crop. It was not quite as wet in southern Mato Grosso and northern Mato Grosso do Sul, but the soil moisture was still good.
In central Mato Grosso, it looked like all the safrinha corn that the farmers wanted to plant was planted, but that does not appear to be the case in southern Mato Grosso where there were numerous fields of soybeans that were not followed by safrinha corn.
Farmers in Mato Grosso appear to have increased their cotton acreage probably by about 15%. The earliest planted cotton is waist high and blooming and the crop looks very robust. The latest planted cotton is approximately a foot tall. The cotton has good height, good color, and I would classify the cotton as generally good to excellent condition.
While the safrinha corn is good in central Brazil, the safrinha corn in southern Brazil is yet to be determined. The safrinha crop started off slower than normal in southern Brazil and now the weather looks dryer than normal going forward. Therefore, I left the corn estimate unchanged for the time being. If the rains resume in southern Brazil, then the safrinha corn estimate will increase. If the weather stays dryer than normal in southern Brazil, then I will probably leave the estimate unchanged.