Nov 08, 2019
Farmers in Parana May Now Plant Soybeans Past December 31st
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Farmers in the state of Parana in southern Brazil petitioned the state government to allow them to plant their 2019/20 soybeans past the previous cutoff date of December 31st. The Plant and Animal Protection Agency agreed with their request and now there is no cutoff date for planting soybeans in the state of Parana, at least for the 2019/20 growing season. Instead, the requirement is that all soybeans in the state must be harvested by May 15, 2020.
Even though farmers in the state of Parana will now be allowed to plant soybeans past December 31st, they still will be prohibited from planting a second crop of soybeans in the same field during the same growing season.
Farmers in the southern and southwestern parts of the state contended that the climate in their part of the state makes it difficult to meet the December 31st deadline. Some farmers want to plant a first crop of corn or dry beans followed by a second crop of soybeans, but that was made more difficult by the deadline. By allowing soybeans to be planted in January, it gives them more flexibility in the crop planning.
As part of their argument, they pointed to the fact that farmers right across the state line in the neighboring state of Santa Catarina are allowed to plant soybeans up until February 10th.
Even though farmers in the state will now be allowed to plant their soybeans later, they will still be required to have all their soybeans harvested by May 15th. The soybean-free period in the state is from June 10th to September 10th during which no live soybean plants will be permitted. A soybean-free period is in place in most of Brazil as a way to slow the spread of soybean rust from one growing season to the next.