Hot and Dry Weather Impacts Crops in Rio Grande do Sul

Brazilian farmers in the southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul are having another difficult growing season. Dry conditions and record high temperatures have taken a significant toll on the state’s 2024/25 soybean crop.

At the start of the growing season last August, Emater estimated the 2024/25 soybean production in the state at 21.63 million tons. Last week, Emater lowered their production estimate to 15.07 million tons, or a reduction of almost 30%. The soybean crop is now estimated at 17.4% below the 2023/24 crop that was impacted by historic flooding.

In fact, the mayor of the city of Passo Fundo in the northern part of the state has declared a state of emergency for 180 days due to the lack of rainfall. The declaration was made to make it easier for rural producers to obtain needed supplies and to negotiate with lending institutions if they cannot pay back their production loans.

This is the fourth drought in a row for some producers and the governor of the state emphasized that the state needs more irrigation for row crop production. Currently, 4% of the planted area in the state is irrigated and much of that is for irrigated rice production. The state has a program that helps to pay for 20% of the cost of installing an irrigation system and the governor is encouraging farmers to take advantage of the program.

Rio Grande do Sul is the largest producer of first crop corn in Brazil. Emater is estimating the corn crop at 4.78 million tons compared to their initial estimate at the start of the growing season at 5.32 million tons. The state does not produce a second crop of corn after soybeans because of colder winter temperatures.

Tags: soybeans, Production, crop, Rio Grande do Sul, dry conditions, high temperatures, estimate, corn, Brazil, rainfall, rice