Last week, Colorado Mills in Lamar, CO rolled out a 2026 new crop Act of God High Oleic contract at $23.00. According to the September USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) crop acreage report, area planted to sunflower in 2025 totals 1,280,125 acres up 72 percent from last year. USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is using a planted acreage estimate of 998,000 acres. According to FSA, planted area of oil-type varieties is 1,181,582 acres with acreage of non-oil varieties, at 98,543 acres. NASS has pegged the planted area of oil-type varieties at 881,000 acres and non-oil varieties, at 117,000 acres. Delayed spring planting conditions resulted in 19,640 prevent plant acres in 2025 with South Dakota accounting for 11,636 acres of the total. 2025 U.S. sunflower production is still undetermined and will not be known until harvest gets rolling and some yield results are reported. In October, USDA will provide its first estimate for oil and non-oil sunflower production. On September 30, USDA will report old crop sunflower stocks. These USDA reports will give producers and industry a better picture of sunflower fundamentals heading into the 2025/26 marketing year. The weather forecast for the next two weeks is predicting above normal temperatures in the sunflower growing region, which bodes well for crop dry down.
ADM Enderlin, Cargill West Fargo and Colorado Mills crush plants are offering 2026 new crop cash and Act of God (AOG) High Oleic contracts. ADM is at $23.00 cash and $22.50 AOG. Cargill is at $22.90 cash and $22.40 AOG. Colorado Mills is at $23.00 AOG. Something else to consider is the oil premiums that crush plants pay on sunflowers. Sunflower is the only oilseed that pays premiums for oil content above 40%. Considering oil premiums that are offered at the crush plants on oil content above 40% at a rate of 2% price premium for each 1% of oil above 40%; this pushes a contract with 45% oil content gross return 10% higher per cwt. The AOG $22.40-$22.50 contract increases to a range of $24.65-$24.75, and the cash $22.90-$23.00 contract moves up to $25.20-$25.30.
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