South America Calling

Drought has continued to stress and damage corn in central Brazil. A stalled front will offer some limited precipitation chances during the next week but will not provide much benefit.

Rains continue over northern Argentina and southern Brazil, good for some wheat and southern safrinha corn areas. Dryness continues to stress and damage crops across central Brazil.

Some isolated showers fell over southern portions of central Brazil last week, but amounts were not enough to reverse the declining yields. Precipitation over southern Brazil has been and is forecast to continue to have a more positive impact for corn. Argentina is doing better...

Heat and dryness across central Brazil continue to lower yield prospects. There could be signs of some stabilizing rains with a couple of frontal boundaries this coming weekend into next week; but downward trends in crop prospects continue.

Soil moisture continues to decline in Brazil safrinha corn areas ahead of pollination.

Dry weather during the last two months is wilting the safrinha corn crop in central Brazil. There are no signals to the contrary in the forecast.

Dry forecasts continue to imply poor growing conditions continuing for safrinha corn in Brazil through pollination and grain fill.

Brazil rain has turned well-below normal in April. That trend looks to continue during the important safrinha corn months of May and June.

Brazil rain through the end of April is unlikely to offer moisture support for record safrinha corn yields.

Central Brazil corn areas have seen only brief dryness easing in the past week. Dryness is set to return to safrinha corn through next week.

Dryness in central Brazil has started to concern safrinha producers with decreased yield potential. Showers look like they will pop up for the first week of April, easing some concerns. Models continue to paint a picture of overall dryness for the month of April despite next...

A drier period has developed over central and northern Brazil this week. Models indicate that below-normal rainfall could last all the way through April, giving rise to greater concern for a safrinha corn crop that is already behind.

Recent moderate to heavy rainfall over Argentina and southern Brazil has had a significant positive impact on immature corn and soybeans. More showers in the same region through the next week will eat further into drought conditions.

Dry conditions in Argentina during the last few months have had a negative effect on corn and soybean yield prospects. Rainfall looks to increase early next week as a system moves through. It will be timely for most but may be too late for others.

Soybean harvest continues to lag the normal pace, but the rate of progress is normal, given the two-week delay to the start of the main growing season. Dryness in Argentina will continue during the next 10 days while showers in Brazil will become more isolated next week.

Long-range forecasts for below-normal March precipitation in Brazil and Argentina are a concern.

Daily showers continue to bring widespread rains to central and northern Brazil. It has dried out across southern Brazil and most of Argentina. A couple of fronts will bring only low chances of brief showers to those regions through the next week. They may be enough to...

The six- to 10-day forecast offers a window of drier conditions for southern Brazil harvest, but places harvest-disrupting rain over central Brazil.

A front moving through Brazil will stall from Mato Grosso to Minas Gerais this weekend. Areas to the south should see improved conditions for soybean harvest and safrinha corn planting, though it may be short. Northern areas should expect to see more delays.

February could be sketchy for safrinha corn planting as showers are too abundant over the south and likely not enough across the north. Here's an extended look at what Brazil crops can expect for weather into May, thanks to a La Nina pattern.