Situation/weather: Goodbye rain, hello heat wave! Temperatures reached stifling highs, exceeding 40°c in many provinces. Lot of cities are suffering from power cuts, creating chaotic situations (traffic, etc – see article from the Buenos Aires Times, dated 11/01/22). Hot, dry weather and low humidity levels are also creating dangerous fire conditions. Firefighters are already mobilized in 8 provinces to fight large fires.

We are not exempted in Corrientes region as the situation has been classified under extreme vigilance by the authorities for forest or brush fires (Article from Télam, dated 10/01/22).

Cattle operation: We have currently above 6,500 heads at the farm. Heat stress can strongly impact the animals at various levels (well-being, production, diet, fertility, etc.). To management this stress, we are adjusting food supply (silage, completed with corn and pellets).

Grassing area has reducing given the lack of water and the steria, sowed earlier this year, is hardly emerging. Thanks to a daily close control, the cattle is overall in good shape so far as you can see but beef production will be affected.

This year, we have subleased to a contractor 215 ha where corn and soybean have been sowed. We will be paid in kind as we need corn and soy to feed our heard. Both crop developments are heavily affected by water stress and the hot temperatures as you can see.

The drought, which is currently devastating crops across South America, has prompted swift cuts to forecasts for the soybean harvest in Argentina (the world’s biggest exporter of soybean oil and meal). The Rosario Stock Exchange has cut so far its estimate for the crop by 11%. The drought and hydrothermal stress have been so severe in the last 30 days that they rule out the possibility of a normal season. The last drought of the magnitude of this season’s, in 2018, cut at least 1% point from Argentina gross domestic product.