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Sunflower Briefs

Tuesday, October 1, 2024
filed under: Sunflower Briefs

USDA’s October Production Estimate
        USDA released its first sunflower production forecast for 2024 on October 11.  The forecast came out at 1.30 billion lbs, down 42% from the revised 2023 production level of 2.26 billion lbs.  Area planted, at 720,000 acres, was down 20% from the June estimate and down 45% from last year.  Sunflower growers were expected to harvest 691,000 acres this year, down 20% from the June forecast and down 45% from 2023.
        The October yield forecast, at 1,889 lbs/ac, is 102 lbs higher than last year’s average yield and will represent the highest on record for the U.S, if realized. The forecasted production in North Dakota, the leading sunflower-producing state this year, is 591 million lbs, a decrease of 47% from 2023.  Compared with last year, the average yield forecast of 1,997 lbs/ac in North Dakota is down just 1.0 lb/ac.  In South Dakota, the average 2024 sunflower yield is forecast at a record high of 1,998 lbs/ac, up 288 lbs. from last year.  Minnesota’s average yield projection in the October report is 2,133 lbs/ac, which would be down, if realized, by 183 lbs from 2023.  Other than South Dakota, the nicest projected yield increase is for Kansas, where the 1,204 lbs/ac projection is 287 lbs above the 2023 yield.
        The next USDA estimate of 2024 U.S. sunflower production will be released in January.
 
Plant Pathologists Garner USDA-AFRI Funding
        North Dakota State University plant pathologists Febina Mathew and Sam Markell, along with University of Nebraska-Scottsbluff pathologist Bob Harveson, have received a $300,000 grant from the USDA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Critical Agriculture Research and Extension (CARE) program.  AFRI is widely regarded as the most prestigious competitive grants program for promoting plant health in the United States.
        In 2022, these three plant pathologists identified strains of Diaporthe helianthi, one of the primary fungi responsible for Phomopsis stem canker, that are completely resistant to QoI fungicides.  Fungicide resistance in fungal pathogens poses a significant challenge for farmers as it undermines the efficacy of fungicides in protecting yield.  Their USDA-funded research aims to determine the prevalence of fungicide-resistant strains in Diaporthe/Phomopsis species and develop strategies to educate farmers on managing fungicide resistance.
 
Frey New Dakota Wildlife Services Director
        Carl Frey is now the state director for the Wildlife Services Program in North and South Dakota.  Stationed in Bismarck, N.D., Frey replaced John Paulson, who retired last year. 
        Frey, who received his B.A. in Natural Resources with a Fish and Wildlife emphasis from Northland College in Wisconsin in 2004, is originally from southwestern Michigan. He has held several positions in various capacities within the agency.
 
Papers & Posters Call: 2025 Research Forum
        The National Sunflower Association is inviting submissions for research papers to be presented at the annual NSA Sunflower Research Forum, set for January 8 and 9, in Fargo, N.D. Presentations may be either oral or in the form of a poster.  A time will be designated for authors to be with their posters and answer questions.  Each oral presentation will be limited to 15-17 minutes with two to three minutes allowed for questions.
        Those interested in presenting a paper should visit sunflowernsa.com/Research/2025-Call-for-Papers/ for details. The actual paper or poster need not be submitted at this time; just the information indicated online and the author information. Submissions must be completed by December 9, 2024.
 
Colorado No-Till Conference Is February 4 & 5
        The Colorado Conservation Tillage Association’s 2025 High Plains No-Till Conference is scheduled for February 4 and 5 in Burlington, Colo.  Along with keynote speakers Allen Williams, Roy Pfaltzgraff and Don Day, Jr., more than 45 learning sessions are scheduled on topics covering soil health, no-till, regenerative grazing and farm business management.  For more information on the February event or to register for it, visit www.HighPlainsNoTill.com.
  
‘Getting It Right’ Confab Video Link Available
        If you missed the ‘2024 Getting-It-Right in Sunflower Production’ video conference, you can access it online. Topics covered ranged from sunflower agronomy, hybrid data, soil considerations and plant nutrition, to updates for weed, disease and insect management, as well as a market update.
        The program was conducted by North Dakota State University Extension.  Recording and resources are available at https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/ag-hub/getting-it-right.  Scroll to the conference video section and click the sunflower meeting link.  Each individual talk has its own video clip.  Additional publications and resources are available as well under the sunflower conference resources.
 
‘Getting It Right’ Webinar Jan. 30
        The next North Dakota State University Extension now-annual ‘Getting It Right’ sunflower webinar is scheduled for Thursday, January 30, 2025, from 8:30 a.m. to noon, CST.  Sponsored by the National Sunflower Association, the webinar is free to all interested persons.  It features presentations by NDSU sunflower crop specialists on a variety of topics pertaining to current research and crop management recommendations.
        To register, utilize the QR code in the advertisement on page 21 of this issue of The Sunflower. It is also found here: QR code webinar registration
 
Story Suggestions Welcomed
        With another production season now concluding, the National Sunflower Association staff likewise is working toward the next publishing season of The Sunflower magazine. 
        “As has always been the case, our goal with the magazine is to provide news and articles of real interest and use to our readership — which consists mainly of sunflower producers around the U.S. and Canada,” says John Sandbakken, NSA executive director and magazine editor.  “Our ongoing objective is to provide information that our readers won't find elsewhere, and we always welcome readers’ suggestions for potential topics or persons to interview for articles.” 
        Prospective story ideas can be submitted to:  johns@sunflowernsa.com.
 
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