 Sunflower Highlights Crop Progress
Colorado's sunflower crop is doing well, with 80 percent of the crop reported in good to excellent condition. In Minnesota, 86 percent of the sunflower crop is rated good to excellent.
| Crop Progress - Monday, September 18, 2017 |
| State |
This Week |
Last Week |
Last Year |
5 Year Average |
| North Dakota |
|
|
|
|
| Petals Dry |
93 |
84 |
89 |
88 |
| Bracts Yellow |
77 |
57 |
73 |
59 |
| Mature |
32 |
14 |
31 |
---- |
| South Dakota |
|
|
|
|
| Petals Dry |
71 |
56 |
60 |
77 |
| Bracts Yellow |
35 |
23 |
27 |
47 |
| Mature |
10 |
5 |
---- |
---- |
| Kansas |
|
|
|
|
| Blooming |
100 |
97 |
---- |
---- |
| Petals Dry |
63 |
39 |
61 |
66 |
| Bracts Yellow |
38 |
18 |
33 |
36 |
| Mature |
16 |
4 |
12 |
---- |
| Texas |
|
|
|
|
| Harvested |
NA |
46 |
40 |
46 |
| Crop Conditions - Monday, September 18, 2017 |
| State |
Very Poor |
Poor |
Fair |
Good |
Excellent |
| North Dakota |
8 |
13 |
44 |
34 |
1 |
| South Dakota |
8 |
21 |
45 |
24 |
2 |
| Minnesota |
0 |
1 |
13 |
64 |
22 |
| Colorado |
1 |
3 |
16 |
70 |
10 |
| Kansas |
0 |
2 |
29 |
60 |
9 |
Grower Report
Bismarck, ND area producer Clark Coleman says his sunflower crop is looking pretty good. The fields are starting to mature and he says harvest will be here soon. He decided not to desiccate the crop this year, as there are not a lot of blackbirds in the area. He hopes to start harvest on his 1,000 acres of high oleic sunflowers in the next couple of weeks.
Sunflower Stem Diseases
A visit to sunflower fields at this time of year can provide information on what diseases you might face in future years. This is particularly true with stem diseases. Two stem diseases (charcoal rot and verticillium wilt) tend to be more common in dry years, while Phoma, Phomopsis, and Sclerotinia stalk rot tend to be more common in years with adequate or excessive moisture. Learn more about these and other diseases on our website and also on NDSU's website.
Consider Cattail Control
Now is a good time to remove blackbird roosting locations such as cattails. Cattails serve as blackbird habitat so it’s in the sunflower producer’s best interest to get rid of as much as possible. The USDA can also help with blackbird control. Click here to for a map with phone numbers for USDA Wildlife Services personnel that can help North Dakota producers that have blackbird problems. They will respond to you during the damage season by providing loaner cannons and pyrotechnics. These offices will provide further assistance in an attempt to break up large roosts. Using a combination of cattail management, cannons, harassment, desiccants, and repellants can be even more effective when used in combination. For more information on blackbird control, click here.
Upcoming Events
December 5-6, 2017 - Ag Horizons, Pierre, SD
January 10-11, 2018 – NSA Research Forum, Fargo, ND
June 26-28, 2018 – NSA Summer Seminar, Arrowwood Resort, Alexandria, MN
Markets
Sunflower prices at the crush plants ended the week mixed at down 15 cents to unchanged. According to the September USDA Farm Service Agency crop acreage report, area planted to sunflower in 2017 decreased 16 percent from 2016 and totals 1.33 million acres. Planted area of oil type varieties, at 1.17 million acres, is down 17 percent from 2016. Planted acreage of non-oil varieties, estimated at 156,000 acres, is down 12 percent from last year. Initial estimates peg the US sunflower crop at around 800,000 MT, which compares to last year’s total of 1.2 million metric tons (MMT). If realized this level of production will create very tight ending stocks at the end of the 2017/18 marketing year. USDA will release its final acreage and production estimates in January. USDA shocked the market with a bearish US 2017 soybean crop estimate last week. USDA estimated the US 2017 soybean crop near 4.431 million bushels versus the 4.328 million expected by traders. This would be a new record high for US soybean production. USDA did lower US 2016/17 and 2017/18 soyoil end stocks due to higher domestic biodiesel demand. This was positive news for CBoT soyoil prices and should also be good news for sunflower prices as they follow soyoil values for the most part. Sunflower harvest should be starting soon as many acres are maturing quickly and could be desiccated to begin harvest.
| Weekly Prices Recorded on Monday, September 18, 2017 ($/CWT) |
| |
Deliver |
Last Year |
Last Week |
This Week |
Change |
2017 NEW Crop |
| Chicago Oil |
Nearby |
32.83 |
34.79 |
34.19 |
-.60 |
34.43 |
| Fargo, ND |
NuSun |
17.55 |
17.45 |
17.25 |
-.20 |
16.90 |
| Enderlin, ND |
NuSun |
17.70 |
17.00 |
16.80 |
-.20 |
16.80 |
| Goodland, KS |
NuSun |
16.65 |
17.05 |
16.80 |
-.25 |
16.80 |
| Goodland, KS |
High Oleic |
18.50 |
18.05 |
17.80 |
-.25 |
17.80 |
Prices recorded here are believed to be reliable at the time of posting. All prices are subject to change. Contact these facilities for complete market details.
U.S. CRUDE OIL VALUES recorded on Monday, September 18, 2017
(dollars per 100 lb. internal U.S. location) |
| |
Last Year |
Last Week |
This Week |
Change |
| Soybean Oil |
31.08 |
33.38 |
32.69 |
-.69 |
| Cotton Oil (psby) |
41.98 |
33.79 |
33.19 |
-.60 |
| Corn Oil |
46.00 |
37.50 |
37.50 |
NC |
|
| | | |