2022/23 Argentina Soybeans 28% Harvested, Yields Disappoint

The soybeans in Argentina were 28.2% harvested as of late last week compared to 32.9% last year and 53.7% average. This represents an advance of 11.5% for the week. In the core production areas, the soybeans are 40-45% harvested with 5-15% harvested in southern Argentina and 5-10% harvested in far northern Argentina. The early planted soybeans are 41% harvested and the late planted soybeans are 1.5% harvested.

The soybean yields in Argentina are highly variable and the soybeans continue to underperform compared to corn. The average soybean yield harvested thus far is 1,590 kg/ha (23.6 bu/ac), which is up 0.3 bu/ac from the prior week. In the northern core region, the early planted soybeans are 71% harvested and the average yield is 1,700 kg/ha (25.3 bu/ac). In the southern core, the early soybeans are 59% harvested and the average yield is 1,636 kg/ha (24.3 bu/ac). In western Buenos Aires and northern La Pampa, the early soybeans are 65% harvested and the average yield is 2,000 kg/ha (29.8 bu/ac).

Yields of the double crop soybeans are expected to be lower than the early planted soybeans with a higher percentage of abandonment. The Buenos Aires Grain Exchange left their soybean estimate unchanged at 22.5 million tons and indicated that it could move lower in subsequent reports if the soybean yields do not start to improve.

The soybeans were rated 65% poor/very poor, 32% fair, and 3% good/excellent. The good/excellent percentage was unchanged from the prior week. The soil moisture for the soybeans was rated 52% short/very short and 48% favorable/optimum. The favorable/optimum percentage is down 1% from the prior week.

Below is the soybean condition rating in Argentina from the Buenos Aires Grain Exchange for April 27, 2023.

2022/23 Argentina Soybean Ratings*

*Source: Buenos Aires Grain Exchange – Crop Condition & Development Stages

Tags: harvest, soybeans, yields, Argentina