Apr 24, 2024
2023/24 Argentina Corn 17% Harvested vs. 32% Average
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Wet weather slowed the harvest pace in Argentina last week, especially in Entre Rios and the northern core area. Rain will favor northeastern Argentina this week and shift into southern Brazil next week. Harvesting will be slow in northeastern Argentina this week while it will progress well elsewhere.
The corn in Argentina was 17.2% harvested as of late last week compared to 32% average. This represents an advance of 2% for the week. In the core region, the corn is 50-60% harvested with 5-15% harvested in southern locations and 0% in far northern Argentina.
Corn yields in Argentina are averaging 8,790 kg/ha (139.7 bu/ac), which is down 0.8 bu/ac from the prior week. The best corn is in the core region where the yields are averaging approximately 10,200 kg/ha (162 bu/ac). The lowest yields are in southern Buenos Aires and southern La Pampa where they are averaging 5,110 kg/ha (81.2 bu/ac). The Buenos Aires Grain Exchange left their corn estimate unchanged at 49.5 million tons.
Corn yields are expected to decline significantly as the harvest moves into the later planted corn which is being impacted the most by corn stunt disease. It is hard to say how much of the corn in Argentina has been impacted by the disease, but I would estimate that maybe 30-40% of corn has some level of infection.
We will not know the yields of the infected fields until the crop is harvested. I anticipate that my corn estimate for Argentina will move lower, but I am unsure how much lower since the situation in Argentina is unprecedented. Losses from corn stunt can vary from 5% to as much as 100% in some cases depending on when the crop was infected.
Below is the Argentina corn harvest progress from the buenos Aires Grain Exchange.
The 2023/24 Argentina corn was rated 36% poor/very poor, 44% fair, and 20% good/excellent as of late last week. The good/excellent percentage is up 1% from the prior week. The soil moisture for the corn was rated 22% short/very short, 77% favorable/optimum, and 1% saturated. The favorable/optimum percentage is up 11% from the prior week. Below is the corn rating in Argentina for April 17, 2024 from the Buenos Aires Grain Exchange
2023/24 Argentina Corn Ratings*
| Condition | Soil Moisture | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poor/V. Poor % | Good/Excellent % | Short/V Short | Favorable/Optimum | |
| Mar. 13, 2024 | 17 (60) | 25 (7) | 23 (63) | 76 (37) |
| Mar. 21, 2024 | 21 (58) | 24 (5) | 21 (55) | 77 (45) |
| Mar. 27, 2024 | 25 (53) | 22 (9) | 28 (49) | 71 (51) |
| Apr. 4, 2024 | 32 (52) | 17 (6) | 33 (45) | 66 (55) |
| Apr. 11, 2024 | 36 (53) | 19 (6) | 34 (46) | 66 (54) |
| Apr. 17, 2024 | 36 (54) | 20 (6) | 22 (45) | 77 (55) |
*Source: Buenos Aires Grain Exchange – Crop Condition & Development Stages