Nov 08, 2010
Farmers in Mato Grosso Planting Around the Clock to Catch Up
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Frustrations mounted daily as farmers in Mato Grosso were forced to wait for a rain before they could start planting their 2010/11 soybean crop. In Campo Verde for example, located in southeastern Mato Grosso, the first significant rainfall of the season fell only last Sunday when more than three inches of rain were recorded. For the farmers in the region, this was the first rain after six months of dry weather.
In order to make up for lost time, farmers in the region are planting their soybeans in shifts. One shift plants during the day and the second shift plants at night if the conditions permit. As one farmer explained, with his three planters working 20 hours per day, he can plant approximately 170 hectares per day or the equivalent of 425 acres. If his planters worked only during the day, they could plant approximately 100 hectares per day or about 150 acres.
The farmers in the region are not too concerned about how the delayed planting will affect the soybean yields; their main concern is how the delay will affect the planting of the safrinha corn crop after the soybeans are harvested. Late planted soybeans generally have the same yield potential as early planted soybeans, but late planted safrinha corn is very problematic. The later the corn is planted, the greater the risk of yield losses due to the fact that the crop may run out of water before it completes the grain filling process.
Farmers in the region always plan on planting a second crop of corn after they harvest their soybeans, but those plans may now be jeopardy. The final decision on safrinha corn acreage will depend on corn prices and the weather next February and March. If corn prices continue to strengthen, then the potential for lower yields may be compensated for by higher prices. But, if it looks like the rainy season may end early like it did last year, then farmers may not want to risk planting a second crop of corn.
The Mato Grosso Institute of Agricultural Economics (Imea) estimates that 50% of the soybeans have been planted in the Mato Grosso compared to about 70% planted last year at this time.