The 2023 North American corn and soybean harvest faces one of the worst scenarios in the last 4 years. The effects of heat and water stress were such that only 53% of corn crops are classified as good or excellent. Soybeans have a very similar scenario, with 52% of crops classified as good or excellent, since a large part of the crops are concentrated in the Corn-Belt, also known as the “Corn Belt”, a large corn-producing region.
The advancement of maturation and harvest made rain unnecessary. On the contrary, persistent rains at this time will compromise harvesting or ripening operations.
The situation is worrying, since the 2023 soybean harvest presents the worst performance of the last 4 years, behind even 2019. Until the monitoring date, American farmers had harvested 43% of soybeans.
Conditions are very similar for corn, however the 2023 harvest presents a performance similar to that recorded in 2022 in the same period, despite maturation this year having advanced more significantly – as a consequence of the strong heat in the Corn Belt. Operations are progressing in 34% of areas monitored by the USDA.
Based on this data, it is not an exaggeration to say that the 2023 US harvest is already defined. During this period, the rains will completely harm field operations, and even if the rains are good, the damage caused by thermal and water stress can no longer be recovered at the current phenological stage.
Source: Gabriel Rodrigues and Seane Lennon | agrolink
