Mar 28, 2018
Brazil Soy Crop 65% Harvested, Yields Good in Rio Grande do Sul
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
The weather last week in Brazil was once again on the wet side from about central Mato Grosso northward. Southern Mato Grosso did not get much rain at all last week. They also had quite a bit of rain over the weekend in far southern Brazil which was good news for the later maturing soybeans in Rio Grande do Sul. The forecast for this week looks like there will be more wet weather in north-central Brazil, but drying out somewhat in southern Brazil.
The 2017/18 Brazilian soybean harvest advanced 7% last week to 65% complete according to AgRural. This compares to 68% harvested last year and 62% for the 5-year average. In Mato Grosso, the soybean harvest is 95% complete compared to 97% last year. The slowest harvest pace in Mato Grosso is in the northeastern part of the state where the soybeans are 78% harvested.
One of the last areas to harvest soybeans in Brazil is the state of Rio Grande do Sul where the soybeans are currently 36% mature and 13% harvested. In northern Rio Grande do Sul, the soybean yields are in the range of 3,200 to 3,600 kg/ha (46 to 52 bu/ac), which is better than initially expected. In some areas, the yields are more than 4,200 kg/ha or 61 bu/ac. Much of the state received rain over the weekend, which should help the later maturing soybeans.
The other area of Brazil where the harvest is later is northeastern Brazil. The weather in northeastern Brazil has been very favorable for the entire growing season and farmers are expecting their soybeans to set another record high yield. The last remaining concern for farmers is if there will be too much rain during harvest.