Brazil’s top soybean producing state, Mato Grosso, has soybean fields ready for harvest but are so muddy it’s difficult to walk through, let alone drive a combine through. A Bloomberg report says a week of persistent rainfall has caused some soybeans to begin fermenting. The beans have become engorged their pods, which have started to open as the oilseeds begin to germinate. Ag forecaster AgroConsult organized a recent crop tour and found damage so bad that some farmers say they’re getting paid a third of what they would have in a normal growing season. Mato Grosso is facing its wettest harvest in five years. Insect and weed problems have multiplied after the recent heavy rains, making soybeans more challenging to harvest and potentially adding transportation costs for farmers. The damaged beans are still good enough to use blended with other good crops, but farmers will get less money for their efforts. That’s a tough blow to Brazilian farmers who’ve seen a multiple-year drop in Ag prices, currency appreciation, and a national recession. An AgroConsult analyst says because the damaged crop can still be blended with good crops, the total production estimates for Mato Grosso should remain the same.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting news service.