Oct 30, 2020
Farmers in N. Mato Grosso Working Double Shifts Planting Soy
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
After a delayed start to soybean planting, farmers in northern Mato Grosso are working double shifts trying to get their 2020/21 soybeans planted as quickly as possible. In the municipality of Nova Xavantina for example, which is located in northern Mato Grosso, farmers started planting their soybeans on October 25th and they expect to finish by about November 5th.
The start of planting this year is about 30 days later than normal, but the soybeans could still achieve normal yields if the weather cooperates for the rest of the growing season. Farmers used a high level of technology in this year's soybean crop and they feel that will offset any potential yield drag caused by irregular rains resulting from La Nina.
According to the president of the Rural Syndicate of Nova Xavantina, farmers did not want to risk planting their soybeans before they received enough rain to insure adequate germination and stand establishment.
In a normal year, the soybeans should have all been planted by October 25th in order to allow enough time to plant the safrinha corn during the ideal planting window. As a result, farmers in the region are now concerned that their safrinha corn yields may be at risk due to delayed planting. The safrinha corn yields will now be dependent on the rainfall during next April.
The correlation between La Nina and the weather in central Brazil is not very strong so it remains to be seen how the weather develops over the growing season. The correlation is much stronger for the weather in southern Brazil which is forecasted to be hotter and dryer than normal during the months of November, December, and January.
Farmers in the Nova Xavantina region have sold 55% to 60% of their anticipated 2020/21 soybean production for prices in the range of R$ 80.00 to R$ 85.00 per sack (approximately $6.75 to $7.15 per bushel), which were good prices at the time, but current prices are now much higher.