Visiting Mato Grosso do Sul (MS) on the 3^rdday of our Crop Tour;
Several areas affected by frost, with mills having to harvest cane ahead of time to prevent further losses;
Drought is also a concern in the region and ag. yields could be lower than last season;
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Two Types of Frost Impact

Cane burned by frost, apical bud dead due to frost and lateral sprouting – 10 month cane

Frost damage was widespread in MS state, to various degrees;
The most damaging is when the apical bud dies due to frost and the cane will start sprouting sideways;
If the cane is close to the harvesting period, the loss in ag. yields might not be that significant;
However, the mills must act fast in order to prevent fall in ATR (sugar content) as the plant might start sprouting on the side and it will use the sugar in order to do that;

Cane affected by frost, apical bud not dead but increase in sugar content – 11 month cane

Despite the awful look of the cane, this area was less affected;
When cutting the cane, we can see that the apical bud is not dead but with a colour denoting an increase in sugar content – in this case the frost acts as a maturator;
If close to the harvesting period, then its beneficial; if not, then this cane will still be able to gain mass and develop further.

Overall Conclusion for MS

MS Cumulative Cane Crush

Data until the end of June shows crush 7% ahead yoy for the MS state, thanks to the dry spell registered since April which benefited operations;
However, data from July onwards could show a different picture;
Several areas were affected by frost early in July, and mills had to harvest cane ahead of time to prevent further losses;
Not to mention reports of large areas with cane completely lost;
Additionally, rains below average are also a concern reported by millers and ag. yields onwards could show a larger reduction than initially expected.