Dec 19, 2018
Dry Weather worries Soybean Farmers in Southern Brazil
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
The current weather concern in Brazil is the extended period of dry weather that has impacted parts of southern Brazil. The driest areas are probably northern Parana, southern Mato Grosso do Sul, and Sao Paulo with some areas more than 30 days or more without significant rainfall. Over the last 1-2 weeks, the dryness has also been moving into central Brazil.
In the driest areas of western and northwestern Parana, agronomists are worried that the extended period of dry weather occurred just as the early planted soybeans were starting to fill pods. Estimates are that soybean yields could be down 10% statewide for both Parana and Mato Grosso do Sul and as much as 20% to 40% in the hardest hit areas. The later planted soybeans or the later maturing soybeans could still recuperate with good rains because they are still in the vegetative development stage.
It is going to be very difficult for Parana to set a new record high soybean yield given the current situation. I would say the situation is similar in southern Mato Grosso do Sul and Sao Paulo. The situation is not as dry in parts of Mato Grosso, Goias, and Minas Gerais, but these regions all could use a rain. Unfortunately, there is not much rain in the forecast for this week in central Brazil, but the rainfall chances do improve for next week.
Farmers in southeastern Paraguay are also worried that the hot and dry weather hit the early maturing soybeans just at the wrong time when the crop was filling pods. In the hardest hit areas of Paraguay, the yields of the early maturing soybeans could be down as much as 50%.