Recent Rain Slows Winter Wheat Harvest In Argentina
By Andrew Owen
Kansas City, January 5 (World Weather Inc.) – Excessive rain was reported in portions of Argentina’s winter wheat production region during the past week. Rain amounts were great enough to keep many farmers out of the fields. Some grain quality concerns arose, although 
most of the unharvested crop will likely come through the period relatively well since there is not much follow up rain for a while. Southern Argentina will trend mostly dry through Saturday, which will promote good drying conditions in the wet areas. Harvest progress will gradually improve once the ground firms. In the meantime, late season planting will advance swiftly over the coming week as the drier bias evolves.
Rain was widely distributed across Argentina during the past week, although a part of northwestern Santa Fe and central Buenos Aires were left dry. Moisture totals elsewhere during the seven-day period ending at dawn today ranged from 1.00 to 3.15 inches with a few exceptions. Portions of northern and northeastern Buenos Aires and eastern Santa Fe and immediate neighboring areas only received 0.60 to 1.00 inch of rain while local totals to 6.45 inches occurred in Cordoba, San Luis, and in Formosa, eastern Chaco, and northern Corrientes.
The recent rain promoted better soil conditions in southern Argentina. Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Cordoba, and neighboring areas had short or very short soil moisture at the end of December and now have more favorably rated moisture conditions. There are still a few pockets of dryness, however.
Winter wheat harvest was 75% complete as of December 30, 2015, compared to 88% complete at the end of 2014. Much of the remaining harvest in in Buenos Aires and La Pampa. Dry weather would promote the best environment for late season harvesting in the near future and conditions should evolve toward a more favorable environment for fieldwork by this time next week.
Corn planting was 78% complete as of December 30, 2015, which was near the previous year’s progress. Peanuts were 98% planted and sorghum was 75% planted. Soybean planting was 87% complete which is similar to last year when 89% of the crop was in the ground. Weather conditions so far this year have been quite favorable for planting, establishment and aggressive growth.
In the meantime, northeastern Argentina remains excessively wet due to the abundant rainfall. The region was already wet in late December and flooding may be a concern in low lying areas. Cotton and other summer crops grown in the region need drier weather in the coming weeks to firm up the topsoil and improve development rates.
Other than brief periods of light rain, Argentina will trend mostly dry through Saturday. Rain amounts for the areas that do receive rain will be too light to counter evaporation and that should help promote the nation’s need for drying conditions. A band of showers and thunderstorms will then 
drift across Argentina Sunday and the first half of next week which may reverse the improving crop and field conditions trend for a few days. Precipitation amounts will be highest in central sections of the production region.
The lack of rain and sunny skies will promote warmer than normal conditions through the end of the weekend. Daytime highs will often warm into the 80s and lower 90s Fahrenheit with warmer pockets in the west and northwest. Some locations in the northwest will reach into the upper 90s and near 100 degrees.
Winter wheat harvesting will advance swiftly in the coming days as the topsoil firms. Even when precipitation potentials increase Sunday and the beginning of next week, there will be periods of dryness that will also promote harvesting. A significant amount of harvest progress should be made in the coming week. A few pockets in La Pampa and Buenos Aires may need additional time to finish the harvest.
Late season planting will gradually come to an end in the next two weeks for much of Argentina, but the double cropped soybeans will be planted into the final days of the month. Most areas will have enough moisture in the soil to promote a good environment for establishment and development in the coming days. A few locations in southern Argentina may eventually become a little too dry, but that will not happen in the next week to ten days and the drier bias will only help to promote more aggressive field progress.
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