South America Calling

Argentina Flooding Poses Crop Loss

Bryce Anderson
By  Bryce Anderson , Ag Meteorologist Emeritus
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Heavy rain over the past weekend in already-saturated north-central Argentina crop areas likely destroyed a significant amount of high-productivity acreage for this year. (Brazil Meteorological Institute graphic)

Another round of very heavy rain hit north-central Argentina during the weekend of Jan. 14-15, with notable crop damage and possibly acreage destruction for this year. Heaviest rains of 2 to 4 inches (50 to 100 millimeters) were noted in northern Buenos Aires, Santa Fe and Cordoba provinces -- a sector of the Argentina crop belt which already had extensive flooding.

Rainfall amounts this month have been extremely heavy in these areas. Rainfall totals logged by DTN senior ag meteorologist Joel Burgio show these totals just during January:

CORDOBA

Cordoba 2.34 inches 99% of normal

Rio Cuarto 3.34 inches 182% of normal

Marcos Juarez 7.95 inches 368% of normal (more than 3 times normal)

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SANTA FE

Ceres 9.43 inches 390% of normal (almost 4 times normal)

Parana 9.42 inches 420% of normal (more than 4 times normal)

Rosario 7.26 inches 251% of normal (more than 2 times normal)

BUENOS AIRES (northern stations)

Junin 7.50 inches 319% of normal (more than 3 times normal)

Ezeiza 3.74 inches 162% of normal

This January rain is on top of heavy rain that fell during the last week of December. As a result, some large acreage loss is now feared, mostly planted to soybeans. One private estimate made available puts the acreage loss at possibly 2 million hectares, which equates to 5 million acres or close to 10% of the Argentina soybean planted acreage.

At the same time, southern Argentina crop areas just stay bone-dry. Two reporting stations in southern Buenos Aires, Neuquen and San Antonio, have not recorded a single drop of precipitation so far this month. That means crop loss threat from southern areas continues.

Bryce Anderson can be reached at bryce.anderson@dtn.com

Follow Bryce Anderson on Twitter @BAndersonDTN

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