Sunflower Highlights

Post Date: Apr 11 2016

Registration is now open for the 34^th annual Summer Seminar, which will be held June 28-30 in Bismarck, ND at the Ramada Hotel. Click here to register online. A block of rooms has been reserved at the Ramada for June 28-29 under the “National Sunflower Association.” To reserve a room, call 1-800-554-7077. The program is being finalized and more information will be coming soon. Check the NSA website for more updates. See you in Bismarck!

New N Calculator Now Available for ND Producers

The North Dakota Nitrogen Calculator is now operational, just in time for planting preparations. You can find a link to the calculator here. The calculator uses the new nitrogen recommendations, which have been updated for the first time since the 1970s. There are also new recommendations for phosphorus (P) for sunflower in the Northern Great Plains. The new N and P recommendations are based on general productivity history and not a yield prediction model. N and P recommendations are based on both documented yield responses to each and economic analysis. The NDSU Fertilizing Sunflower Circular SF713 with the new recommendations can be found here.

NSA Website Has a New Look

If you haven’t visited the NSA’s website lately, you’ll want to check it out here. The site has been redesigned to give it a more modern look, and it is also now a responsive site, which means it is easier to read and navigate on smartphones and tablets. You’ll find all the same information as before, but the site is more user friendly.

Markets

USDA March US acreage report came out opposite what most oil sunflower traders were looking for. Most average guesses had oil acres increasing by 10 percent from 2015. USDA pegged the area intended for oil type varieties down 7 percent from 2015. The area intended for non-oil varieties was about in line with industry expectations. The March report gives farmers a benchmark to see what others are thinking of planting in 2016. It also gives them the chance to change their minds and make planting adjustments to take advantage of market opportunities. Given the potential of a drier or perhaps drought year some farmers might hedge against this by planting sunflowers. At the CBoT, soyoil values have slid in the wrong direction. Traders are concerned that weak global economies may be an impediment to U.S. economic growth and thus dampening demand. A slowdown in export sales with the onset of shipments from South America is adding to the bearish tone. South America is expected to harvest a huge soybean crop this year and will take over most export demand in the months ahead. With the March report out of the way market attention shifts to the South American harvest and to spring weather in the Midwest ahead of planting.