Dec 11, 2019
2019/20 Argentina Soybeans 50% Planted, Dryness Worries
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
The weather in Argentina has never really gotten "on track" thus far this growing season. In the core production areas, the weather has been good, but in the southern and western areas, the rainfall amounts have been below average and the coverage has been uneven.
The forecast in Argentina is becoming more worrisome. Both the near term forecast (week one) and the longer term forecast (week two) are calling for below normal rainfall and warmer than normal temperatures. If this forecast verifies, moisture stresses will start to become more widespread in Argentina especially in the southern and western areas.
The soybeans are only about half planted in Argentina and you can't get too negative about soybeans this early in the growing season, but the weather has not been very good thus far and the forecast looks more worrisome.
Farmers in Argentina had planted approximately 50% of their soybeans as of late last week according to the Buenos Aires Grain Exchange. This represents an advance of 10.3% for the week and it is 11% slower than last year. The soybeans in the core production areas are approximately 75% planted with 30-60% planted in southern Argentina and 1% planted in far northern Argentina.
The soybeans are in vegetative development and the crop is rated 0% poor, 0% very poor, 31.8% fair, 62.8% good, and 5.4% excellent, which is a slight improvement compared to the prior week. The soil moisture for the soybeans is rated 10.5% short to very short and 29.8% optimum to surplus, which is about the same as last week.
The soils in Argentina have a very good water holding capacity, so that enables crops in Argentina to withstand short periods of dryness. The problem in southern and western Argentina is the fact that the soils have not been fully recharged this spring, so additional rainfall will critical in the coming weeks.