Oct 18, 2024
Soybeans 20-25% Planted in Santa Catarina, Corn Acreage Reduced
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Farmers in Brazil's southern state of Santa Catarina have planted 20-25% of their intended 2024/25 soybeans according to the vice-president of the Agricultural Federation of Santa Catarina (Faesc). The weather has been beneficial for planting and there is more rain in the forecast.
Farmers in the state have reduced their corn acreage 10% this year due to low corn prices and a high cost of production. They are also concerned about potential damage from corn leafhoppers which caused a problem last growing season. The state only plants one crop of corn er year because it is too cold for a second crop of corn. Those reduced corn hectares are being switched to soybeans instead.
Santa Catarina is the largest hog producing state in Brazil and they always have a corn deficit, so a reduction in corn acreage could make the deficit even worse. To compensate for a lack of corn production, the state regularly imports corn from Mato Grosso and Goias as well as from southern Mato Grosso do Sul. In recent years, they have also imported corn from neighboring Paraguay.