Ag Weather Forum

Details On Brazil Dryness Issues

Bryce Anderson
By  Bryce Anderson , Ag Meteorologist Emeritus
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Mato Grosso, Brazil farmer and farm organization leader Ricardo Manoel Arioli Silva and I have been exchanging e-mails about the recent dryness in central Brazil and its effect on farming there. Here is an e-mail that Ricardo sent Friday, October 17 that spells out in close detail the kinds of problems that this dry pattern is already bringing on in Mato Grosso.

Bryce

Twitter @BAndersonDTN

We had some rain in just some areas in our region 2 weeks ago. Some farmers decided to plant, and now the planted area is suffering with no rain at all, since then.

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It's not a very big area, maybe just 5 percent, but we will have to wait until the rain comes to check if replanting will be needed.

By this time of October, at least 40 percent of the area should be already planted.

That's a very important delay, compared to other years, with some reflex (impact):

- in the yield: we know that November soybeans normally yield less than October soybeans, due to the rust control. So, we will have less than 10 days left to plant in October, since forecast for rain is next October 21st (Tuesday).

- second crop: Plans for the corn and cotton second crop will have to be reviewed. The best time for planting the second crop is January and February, and that means October soybean planting. We will probably have to reduce the area for corn and cotton, or take a very big risk depending on some rain during the dry season.

- in the harvest season: Every farmer will try to plant as soon as possible, before November, and the concentration of the harvest season can lead to problems as lack of dryers, combines and trucks. That could mean bad soy quality, as last season.

Even the soybeans we planted in our center pivots--having irrigation every night--are suffering during the day with the high temperature (around 105 F).

(CZ)

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