Nov 05, 2021

92% of Safrinha Corn In Mato Grosso to be Planted in Ideal Window

Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.

Early planting of safrinha corn and cotton in Mato Grosso is critical for high yields. Early planting though can only occur if the first crop of soybeans are harvested in a timely manner. The 2021/22 soybeans in the state are being planted the fastest in the last five years, so it looks like the soybeans in Mato Grosso will be harvested early this growing season.

The Mato Grosso Institute of Agricultural Economics (Imea) is estimating that 92% of the safrinha corn in the state will be planted within the ideal planting window that closes about the end of February. This should allow the safrinha corn to reach its yield potential provided that the weather cooperates. Imea is estimating the 2021/22 safrinha corn production in Mato Grosso at 39.57 million tons.

While the safrinha corn will be planted on time, there are still concerns about the high cost of fertilizers driving up the production costs and if the fertilizers will be available. The high production cost could influence the amount of fertilizers used for the 2021/22 safrinha corn.

The average price of corn in Mato Grosso this week was R$ 71.51 per sack (approximately $6.01 per bushel), which was down 1.1% from the prior week.

The early harvesting of the soybeans is also good news for the safrinha cotton in Mato Grosso. Imea estimates that farmers in the state will plant 153,270 hectares of full-season cotton and 950,090 hectares of safrinha cotton for a total of 1,103,360 hectares (2.72 million acres). This is 2% higher than their estimate last month and 14.6% higher than last year. Imea is estimating that cotton yields in the state will increase 3.7% compared to last year.

Full-season cotton is usually planted in December and the safrinha cotton is planted in January after the first crop of soybeans are harvested. The ideal planting window for safrinha cotton in Mato Grosso usually closes by the end of January.

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