El Niño & planting decisions: Brazilian soybean growers are starting the 2026/27 cycle while weighing rising costs and an El Niño forecast that could bring above-average rain to the South, pushing farmers to lean harder on soil care and productivity to protect margins. Argentina crop outlook: Argentina’s Rosario exchange cut its 2026/27 soybean harvest estimate to 47.8M tons as corn margins pull acreage, while lifting wheat output to 21M tons on good early conditions. China demand for soybeans: Traders say China bought about 1M metric tons of U.S. soybeans ahead of Xi’s U.S. visit, supporting grain futures and tightening global oilseed supply expectations. Biosecurity push in Brazil’s pig sector: ABPA launched a biosecurity awareness campaign urging stricter farm access controls, hygiene, and traffic management to defend Brazil’s disease-free status. Food supply chain tech: The IQF fruit market is projected to grow to $8.3B by 2034 as quick-freezing helps Latin American producers ship more year-round with less post-harvest loss. Deforestation risk in Paraguay charcoal: A Global Witness investigation links UK charcoal brand Big K’s Paraguayan supply chain to deforestation in the Gran Chaco, raising pressure on enforcement of anti-deforestation rules. Climate heat stress: An AFP analysis using Copernicus data reports the hottest June–August on record for 1.3B people, with El Niño already contributing to extreme heat and drought impacts across parts of Central America and northern South America.