From sowing to growth and harvest, agricultural activity is increasingly exposed to unpredictable climatic events, thus greater risks. In particular, recent forecasts suggest a likely return of the La Niña phenomenon in 2024 which, combined with extremely high global temperatures, could have significant impacts on grain harvesting in the coming months or weeks.
How can you protect yourself from this and safeguard the investment of a crop that takes months to grow and transform into a high-quality marketable product?
Mecmar experts explain it to you in this short article.
What are the effects of La Niña on crops?
Historically, this phenomenon has negatively impacted global soybean production and had variable effects on many other crops, such as rice, corn, and wheat. These variations are due to changes in precipitation levels and temperatures, which can directly alter the critical growth phases of crops.
In regions such as South Asia and South America, for example, cereal grains risk significant water stress caused by a reduction in rainfall, while in other areas, such as Southeast Asia and parts of Africa, above-average rainfall may occur.
In Italy, however, the excessive rains in March, April, and May have damaged the germination of cereals, and several farmers have had to reseed or change crops compared to their plans.
Thus, climate variations influence not only the quantity and quality of crops but also the daily decisions of farmers.
- Wheat. Traditionally, the climatic conditions brought by La Niña have improved wheat yields in countries such as Argentina and Australia, where cooler and wetter weather helps growth in the fields. However, in some areas of the United States and East Africa, the effect has been the opposite: wheat has suffered due to prolonged drought periods.
- Corn. Being particularly sensitive to drought conditions, corn is negatively affected by La Niña in countries such as Argentina and Paraguay. Conversely, in regions of southeastern Africa and India, yields can benefit from cooler and wetter climatic conditions.
- Rice. Surprisingly, during La Niña events, rice tends to show slightly better yields, especially in Asia, where higher humidity favors the growth of this water-dependent crop.
- Soybeans. In most cases, soybeans show a slight decrease in yields during La Niña, mainly due to drought conditions in areas such as the United States.
La Niña is not the only risk; climate changes are a challenge to manage and not suffer from. How does Mecmar respond to this?
Undoubtedly, in the face of such a risk, there are different paths we can take:
- Avoid the risk by changing activities, but this is not a practical solution.
- Repair the damage, with additional costs, which would also be inappropriate.
- Anticipate the risk by equipping ourselves to prevent damage and maintain the quality and quantity of harvested cereals. This is the management strategy we believe should be supported.
This is where Mecmar makes a difference with advanced grain drying solutions.
Mecmar dryers are designed to optimize the drying process under variable climatic conditions, ensuring that cereals are effectively treated even in the presence of excessive or insufficient humidity, common conditions during La Niña events.
In particular, mobile dryers offer several advantages, including:
- Easy installation and commissioning in a few days.
- The ability to be easily moved from one rainy area to another.
- They allow early harvesting even with wet product, without having to wait for the cereal to dry in the sun, thus reducing exposure time to potential climatic adversities.
Long drying waits carry risks of mold, quality, and value loss: the cereal should be dried immediately after harvest with reliable machines. In this perspective, mobile dryers are reactive and flexible solutions capable of drying quickly and anywhere. They are indeed suitable for different types of cereals and various latitudes.
Mecmar agricultural dryers allow precise regulation and control of humidity and temperature, two key variables that influence the final quality of the product. This is essential for two main reasons.
- Preserving the nutritional and organoleptic properties of cereals: maintaining the right level of humidity, cereals better retain their flavor, aroma, and nutritional value.
- Preventing mold growth and the proliferation of mycotoxins: non-optimal humidity conditions can favor the development of mold and harmful mycotoxins.
Faced with these climatic phenomena, which make the harvesting and drying phases uncertain, Mecmar solutions provide essential support for farmers. These machines allow control of the post-harvest process, ensuring efficient and uniform drying of cereals.
This not only maintains high crop quality but also allows the products to be stored until market prices improve. In a period of variable prices, being able to store the crop without quality loss gives farmers the freedom to sell when prices are most favorable, covering production costs and ensuring a good profit.
In conclusion…
Projections for 2024 suggest that cereal prices could undergo significant variations due to changes in production yields. But thanks to Mecmar, the uncertainty linked to climatic conditions translates into greater economic stability for cereal producers.
Being able to rely on an efficient and safe drying system will allow you to quickly adapt to such changes, without worries. Contact us for more info.
