May 11, 2023
Late Planted Corn in Parana Needs 60 days to be Safe From Frost
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
In the southern Brazilian state of Parana, approximately 35-40% of the safrinha corn was planted extra late and even later than what could be covered under crop insurance. The delayed planting was the result of a delay in planting the soybeans and then wet weather at harvest that resulted in further delays.
According to the president of Aprosoja-PR, the weather up to this point has been beneficial for the corn, but the crop will need another 60 days without frost to reach its full yield potential.
The forecast is calling for a chance of frost late this week in the higher elevations of southern Brazil, but it should be outside of the safrinha production areas. This is the third episode of frost in the last four weeks, but thus far, the safrinha corn has escaped any damage.
In addition to being worried about frost, farmers in Parana are concerned about the declining corn prices. Farmers will need to maximize their corn yield potential if they hope to make a profit on their safrinha corn production.
The safrinha corn will account for approximately 75% of Brazil's total corn production.