Sep 19, 2022
Soybean Planting Starting in Brazil, Weather Remains Uncertain
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
As of last week, Brazilian farmers were allowed to start planting their 2022/23 soybeans. Most of the southern state of Parana, which is the second largest soybean producing state in Brazil, has ample soil moisture to start planting and the Department of Rural Economics (Deral) estimates that less than 1% of the soybeans in Parana have been planted.
In the state of Mato Grosso in central Brazil, which is Brazil's largest soybean producing state, farmers were allowed to start planting their soybeans as of last Friday, but the soils are too dry in most of the state for farmers to risk planting their soybeans. Farmers who have irrigation, probably started to plant last Friday.
The Brazilian National Weather Service (Inmet) recorded a few widely scattered light showers last week across central Brazil with amounts ranging from 15 mm to 20 mm (0.6 to 0.8 inches). The forecast for this week is calling for increased chances of showers in central Brazil, but still on an irregular basis. Inmet is forecasting widespread beneficial rains in central Brazil only to start sometime in early October.
Longer range forecast for southern Brazil and Argentina are problematic due to the third year in a row of La Nina. La Nina usually results in dryer-than-normal conditions in southern Brazil and Argentina at least through the first half of the growing season.