Mar 19, 2021
Poorer than Average Quality for Mato Grosso's 2020/21 Soybeans
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Excessive rains during the second half of February and early March kept many Mato Grosso farmers from harvesting their soybeans even though the soybeans were mature. As a result, many of the seeds were damaged, shrunken, or moldy resulting in discounts when they were delivered to the grain elevator.
Additionally, the soybeans were generally high in moisture and they had to be dried before being put into storage resulting in even further discounts.
Between February 19th and March 4th, farmers in the state harvested 3.37 million hectares of soybeans (8.3 million acres) for an average of 224,500 hectares per day (554,500 acres). During that period, the amount of damaged seed averaged 9.08% and the maximum amount allowed is 8%. That was the average, many farmers harvesting seed in even poorer condition according to the Mato Grosso Institute of Agricultural Economics (Imea).
Part of the problem this growing season is the fact that the planting was very concentrated due to the delayed start of the summer rains. There were 6 million hectares of soybeans planted in Mato Grosso during the two week period between October 23rd and November 6th. Additionally, 2.5% of those soybeans had to be replanted due to poor plant populations.
The concentrated planting meant that the harvest would be concentrated as well and the farmers in Mato Grosso could not harvest all their soybeans in a timely manner. Wet weather forced the farmers out of the field leaving many mature soybeans to sit in the rain for several weeks. Once mature soybeans are left in the field, every wet and dry cycle can result in a deterioration of the seed quality.