Jan 15, 2010
Mato Grosso Farmers Could Harvest 4 Million Tons Of Soybeans By End Of January
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Farmers in Mato Grosso started to harvest their early-maturing soybeans before Christmas and in some regions of the state, the harvest is approaching 6-8% complete. The region of Lucas do Rio Verde in north-central Mato Grosso is the most advanced in the harvest because that is where the soybeans were planted first. By the end of January 2010, it is estimated that 4 million tons, or 22% of the total production in the state, will be harvested. At the end of January 2009, 2.7 million tons or 16% of the state's soybeans had been harvested.
Soybean planting in Mato Grosso started about the same time as last year, but the planting season was more condensed this year than in previous years. Usually the rains first appear in western Mato Grosso and work their way east, but this year they started early in all parts of the state and good rains have continued to fall during the growing season. Meteorologists in Brazil attribute the good rainfall to El Nino conditions in the eastern Pacific.
According to Angelo Massambani, an agronomist for Grupo Scheffer who plant 42,000 hectares of soybeans in Sapezal and Campos de Julio in western Mato Grosso, they have already harvested approximately 12% of their soybeans. The yields of the early-maturing soybeans are averaging 52 sacks per hectare (45 bu/ac), which is slightly less than the 54 sacks per hectare (47 bu/ac) achieved by last year's early-maturing soybeans. The later maturing soybeans are expected to yield better, maybe approaching 60 sacks per hectare or 52 bu/ac. They are hoping for a farm-wide average of 57 to 58 sacks per hectare or 49.5 to 50 bu/ac.
Even though the early-maturing soybeans yield a little less than the full season soybeans, the overall profitability per hectare is generally higher with the early-maturing soybeans compared to the later maturing soybeans. Since the early-maturing soybeans are in the field for a shorter period of time, they require less fungicide application to control soybean rust. The early-maturing soybeans usually command a premium from local processors as well. Additionally, the early-maturing soybeans allow for an early planting of the second crop of corn or cotton, which is important for the yields of these crops.
The volume of early harvested soybeans in Brazil is larger this year than it was last year and some of these early harvested soybeans should start making their way to Brazilian ports by the second half of January.