Brazil nears U.S. soybean crop size

The planets seem to have aligned for Brazilian soybean growers next year, with conditions in place for the world's No. 2 producer to finally give the U.S. a run for its money at the top spot.

Weather, high international prices compounded by a favorable exchange rate, and a bumper Brazilian corn crop this year have generated widespread expectations for a record soybean harvest in 2013. That would come as a huge relief to local farmers who could only watch as a drought devastated their fields early this year.