Jan 18, 2023
2022/23 Argentina Corn 83% Planted, 1.2 mha Left to Plant
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Argentina's corn estimate was lowered due to lower yields from the earlier planted corn and lower acreage for the later planted corn. The weather in Argentina over the weekend was generally dry and the forecast is calling for scattered showers and warmer-than-normal temperatures.
The corn in Argentina was 83% planted late last week compared to 86.4% last year and 89.1% average. This represented an advance of 13% for the week. The main area left to plant is far northern Argentina where the corn is 25-30% planted. The corn planting window in Argentina closes about the end of January and there are still approximately 1.2 million hectares left to plant. The Buenos Aires Grain Exchange estimated last Thursday that approximately 200,000 hectares of corn will not be planted, which would be about 3% of the intended corn acreage. As with soybeans, farmers may try to plant their corn later than what is recommended if the weather would start improving by the end of January.
The corn in Argentina was rated 47% poor/very poor, 46% fair, and 7% good to excellent as of late last week. The good/excellent percentage was down 6 points from the prior week. The soil moisture for the corn was rated 60% short/very short and 40% favorable/optimum. The favorable/optimum percentage is down 21 points from the prior week.
The earlier planted corn is 41% pollinating and 5% filling grain. The later planted corn is 73% germinating/emerging and 43% in vegetative development.
The Rosario Grain Exchange lowered their corn estimate to 45 million tons, down from the 55 million tons previously estimated while the Buenos Aires Grain Exchange left their corn estimate unchanged at 50.0 million tons but warned that a worst-case scenario could be as low as 37.8 million tons. The satellite company, EarthDaily Analytics, is estimating the Argentina corn crop at 45.4 million tons.
Below is the Argentine corn planting progress (black line) from the Buenos Aires Grain Exchange.
Below is the corn condition rating in Argentina from the Buenos Aires Grain Exchange for January 12, 2023.
2022/23 Argentina Corn Ratings*
| Condition | Soil Moisture | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poor/V. Poor % | Good/Excellent % | Short/V Short | Favorable/Optimum | |
| Dec. 1, 2022 | 25 (0) | 14 (91) | 30 (7) | 70 (93) |
| Dec. 7, 2022 | 26 (0) | 18 (85) | 33 (5) | 67 (95) |
| Dec. 15, 2022 | 23 (1) | 18 (83) | 28 (4) | 72 (96) |
| Dec. 22, 2022 | 26 (1) | 15 (76) | 34 (7) | 66 (93) |
| Dec. 29, 2022 | 28 (8) | 15 (58) | 36 (21) | 64 (79) |
| Jan. 5, 2023 | 32 (20) | 13 (41) | 39 (37) | 61 (63) |
| Jan. 12, 2023 | 47 (36) | 7 (23) | 60 (53) | 40 (47) |
*Source: Buenos Aires Grain Exchange – Crop Condition & Development Stages