Nov 08, 2016
Planting Pace in Argentina Slower than Average due to Wet Weather
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
The 2016/17 Argentine corn crop was 39% planted as of late last week compared to 35% last year and 43% average. The corn planting advanced 2.8% last week, which is typical for the month of November. It is expected that the corn planting will advance 2-3% per week until the about the end of November when the planting pace will accelerate.
The most advanced planting is in the core regions where 85% of the corn has been planted. In the province of Cordoba the corn planting has been slowed by wet weather. In southern Cordoba the corn is 30% planted and only 15% of the corn has been planted in central and northern Cordoba.
The Buenos Aires Grain Exchange reported late last week that 81% of the corn that has been planted has a soil moisture rating of good or optimum and that 17% of the corn has excessive soil moisture.
There have not been any nationwide planting estimates as yet, but I would guess that maybe 5% of the soybeans have been planted compared to approximately 7% last year and 9% average. The Buenos Aires Grain Exchange reported that in Buenos Aires province, 13% of the soybeans have been planted compared to 23% last year.
The eastern province of Entre Rios is usually where some of the first soybeans in Argentina are planted, but cold and wet weather has slowed the early plating pace in the province. Approximately 7% of the soybeans in Entre Rios are planted compared to an average of approximately 17%. In the southern regions of the province, 9-10% of the soybeans have been planted while only 1-5% of the soybeans have been planted in the northern regions of the province.
November and December are the two main soybean planting months in Argentina, so there is still plenty of time to get the soybeans planted in a timely manner. On average, approximately 40% of the soybeans in Argentina are planted by the end of November and 85% are planted by the end of December.