The Brazilian soybean harvest is 17% complete. According to AgRural’s survey, the harvest is behind schedule, below 19% of the five-year average and 26% a year ago. The rains are damaging crops in some producing regions, especially in the Center-West of Brazil. In Mato Grosso, the largest soybean-producing state, farmers are hoping that the weather will help with the soybean harvest from now on. The high rainfall registered since the end of January in the region is damaging the fieldwork. “We have almost rains every day, and it rains for many hours. We really had a lot of rain compromising the quality of harvest. There are cases of crops that have lost quality and producers are harvesting soybeans with up to 40% moisture. We cannot even calculate the losses yet,” says Carlos Simon, president of the Rural Union of Lucas do Rio Verde, city located in Mato Grosso. According to him, there is sunshine, today, in the city of Lucas do Rio Verde. “Most growers complain of high moisture,” says Simon. “Luckily, today it stopped raining and the producer is harvesting soybeans with 14% or 15% moisture. We expect it to continue like this.” Simon says that even with excessive rains, the crop is considered good and the pace of planting the second corn crop is within normal range in the region. According to AgRural, Mato Grosso had a good harvest advance in the week, from 30% to 45% harvested. “The reports of soybeans with excess moisture have increased, but the losses are timely and, for now, do not threaten the super harvest,” AgRural said in a statement. The state of Paraná, the second-largest soy producer, has only 5% of its harvested area and is well behind last year (20%) and the average of five years (23%), according to AgRural. Source - https://www.agriculture.com