Feb 29, 2024
C.Vale Members in Brazil Report Disappointing Soybean Yields
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
The Technical Director of the C.Vale cooperative, Carlos Konig, indicated that coop members in various Brazilian states such as Mato Grosso, Parana, and Rio Grande do Sul have had a very challenging 2023/24 soybean growing season.
C.Vale is the second largest agricultural cooperative in Brazil with 27,000 members and 189 business units in the states of Parana, Santa Catarina, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, and Paraguay.
According to Konig, 93% of the coop's members in Mato Grosso completed their soybean harvest with yields varying from 20 to 70 sacks per hectare (18 to 62 bu/ac). He estimates the average yield will be between 41 to 52 sacks per hectare (36 to 46 bu/ac). The normal yield for these producers is approximately 63 sacks per hectare (56 bu/ac).
In the western regions of the state of Parana, the cooperative members have harvested 98% of their soybeans with an average yield of 52 sacks per hectare (46 bu/ac). The yields were impacted by irregular rain and high temperatures especially in the lower elevations. In northwestern Parana, the harvest is not quite as advanced due to delayed planting. Yield losses are not as severe as in western Parana due to more moderate temperatures at the higher elevations.
For C.Vale's members in Rio Grande do Sul, the soybean harvest will get underway starting in mid-March. Excess rainfall delayed the soybean planting until November and December. A 20-25 day period of dry weather in January impacted the plant development. After the rain returned to the region, there has been increased pressure from soybean rust.
Mato Grosso, Parana, and Rio Grande do Sul are the three largest soybean producing states in Brazil. As of late last week, farmers in Brazil had harvested 40% of their 2023/24 soybean production.