Jan 26, 2017
Dry Weather in Paraguay starting to Worry Farmers
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
While the flooding in Argentina has captured most of the headlines out of South America in recent weeks, the weather in Paraguay has quietly turned dryer. There were good rains in Paraguay during October, November and until the end of December. Since then, it has definitely turned dryer just as the soybeans have reached their critical pod filling stage.
According to the President of the Soybean and Grain Producers Association in Paraguay, farmers are now concerned that their soybean yield potential may now be limited especially if rains do not return soon. Unfortunately, the forecast is promising with only widely scattered showers for the foreseeable future. The hardest hit area appears to be the Department of Sao Pedro, which is located in central Paraguay. A generalized rain of several inches could still salvage the crop, while continued dryness could result in lower production.
The early soybean harvest has started on the early maturing soybeans that were planted in early September. Probably less than 1% of the soybeans in Paraguay have been harvested. The soybean development is actually slower than anticipated due to cold spring weather that delayed the early growth. Early yield reports are good because these soybeans matured before the weather turned dryer. The bulk of the soybean harvest in Paraguay will occur in mid-February.
The weather in northern Argentina has also turned dryer and that region of Argentina needs to be monitored.