Apr 01, 2020
Southern Safrinha Corn Areas of Brazil need Rain
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
The southern safrinha corn areas did receive some rain over the weekend with Mato Grosso do Sul getting some scattered showers and Parana receiving only light and widely scattered showers. Certainly these rains were not enough to recharge the soil moisture and the forecast for this week is dry again. I would estimate that at least 30-40% of the safrinha corn is in need of rain with the state of Parana probably in most need of rain.
Rio Grande do Sul full-season corn - The full-season corn harvest in the state is 65% compared to 60% last year and 57% for the 5-year average. This represents an advance of 2% for the week. Some farmers in the state do plant a second crop of corn especially for silage, but it has been so dry that the second crop of corn could be a complete failure if they do not receive significant rain in the near future.
Mato Grosso safrinha corn - The weather has generally been beneficial for the safrinha corn in the state and the crop is developing normally. Farmers in Mato Grosso are going to have a very good year financially with good soybean yields along with potentially good safrinha corn yields and record high prices for both crops.
One thing farmers are worried about in Mato Grosso is that the soybeans are moving out of storage slower than normal due to logistical constraints and as a result, there will be less storage space available for corn when the harvest starts at the end of May.
Parana safrinha corn - The Department of Rural Economics (Deral) is estimating the safrinha corn crop at 12.0 million tons compared to 12.4 million estimated in February. The downward adjustment is due to dry weather. There has been some rain that led to a slight improvement in soil moisture, but more is needed very soon.
Mato Grosso do Sul safrinha corn - Due to the delayed soybean harvest, some farmers in southern Mato Grosso do Sul just finished planting their safrinha corn last week, which is three weeks after the ideal planting window had closed. The concern is that the latest planted corn could be hit by frosts and/or dry weather before the crop matures.