Adverse weather impacting Brazilian corn production

Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
 

The full-season corn crop in southern Brazil has also been impacted by the dry weather, but to a lesser degree comparted to the soybeans. A lot of the soybeans were at the same critical phase in their development when the hot and dry weather hit. That was not the case for much of the full-season corn. Some of the corn was pollinating and filling grain while in other areas the corn was already approaching maturity and in other areas, the corn was still in vegetative development.
 

The two largest full-season corn producing states are Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul with about equal acreage. The state of Parana is a distant third with less than half of the corn acreage compared to the other two.
 

In Rio Grande do Sul, the corn is 98% planted with 25% emerging or in vegetative development, 17% pollinating, 39% filling grain, 15% mature, and 4% harvested. The rainfall in Rio Grande do Sul has been good and there is more rain in the forecast, so I think the corn in Rio Grande do Sul will be OK.
 

I am becoming more concerned about the safrinha corn crop due to the irregular weather patterns in Brazil. It is too early to say for sure, but if the pattern of below normal rainfall in central Brazil continues going forward, it might signal an early end to the summer rainy season, which would present a very big problem for the safrinha corn.