Sunflower Highlights

Post Date: Feb 21 2017

USDA to Survey Producers’ 2017 Planting Intentions

What is on the horizon for U.S. farmers in 2017 as they finalize plans for planting this spring? The March Agricultural Survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will survey approximately 84,000 of the nation’s farmers to determine their plans for the upcoming growing season. NASS will mail the survey questionnaire in February, asking producers to provide information about the types of crops they intend to plant in 2017, how many acres they intend to plant, and the amounts of grain and oilseed stored on their farms. NASS encourages producers to respond online or by mail. Those producers who do not respond by the deadline may be contacted for a telephone or personal interview. NASS will compile and analyze the survey information and publish the results in the annual Prospective Plantings report and quarterly Grain Stocks report, both to be released on March 31, 2017.

South Dakota 2017 Pest Management Guides Now Available

The South Dakota 2017 Pest Management guides are now available online as free PDF downloads or as hard copies at SDSU Extension regional centers, offices, and events. The guides provide recommendations for herbicides, insecticides, seed treatments, and fungicides that are available in South Dakota to control weeds, insects, and diseases. The guides were updated for 2017 to include new products, new product names, and the corresponding changes to the labels, including application rates, rotation restrictions, and additive rates Cost estimates are included for the herbicide products. Download the guide for sunflower here.

NSA Board of Directors Meets This Week

The National Sunflower Association Board of Directors will meet this week, February 22 and 23, in Fargo, ND. The meeting’s focus will be primarily on research—the board will decide which research projects to fund. They’ll also hear presentations from USDA-ARS, NDSU and SDSU researchers plus tour the CHS Sunflower Pasteurization Facility.

Colorado Sunflower Administrative Committee Recognizes Leon Zimbelman

The Colorado Sunflower Administrative Committee (Colorado Sunflower) presented past board member Leon Zimbelman with an “Outstanding Service” recognition plaque. Zimbelman has served on the Board of Directors for both the Colorado Sunflower and the National Sunflower Association. In addition, Zimbelman was one of the Colorado Sunflower Board’s founding members. The Board organized in March 2001.

NSA Scholarship Available

The National Sunflower Association is seeking applicants for the Curtis Stern Memorial Scholarship. In tribute to the dedicated work of Curtis Stern, an industry advocate and former NSA board member, the NSA Board of Directors established a memorial scholarship in his name. Funds assist students who study in the field of agriculture with a special emphasis on sunflower production, promotion, or research. Application deadline is April 1, 2017. $4,600 is available for the scholarship this year. Applications can be submitted on the ND Community Foundation website. Contact Tina Mittelsteadt with any questions.

Upcoming Events

March 22, 2017 – NSA High Plains Committee Meeting, Goodland, KS
June 27-29, 2017 – NSA Summer Seminar, Rapid City, SD
January 10-11, 2018 – NSA Research Forum, Fargo, ND

Markets

We are still in the price discovery process for 2017 crop insurance price elections. Currently, oil type sunflowers are at $18.40 and confections are $27.40 per cwt, both are higher than last year at this same time. In 2016, oil types were at $17.00 and confections were $26.80 per cwt. To follow sunflower price election trends, watch the 2017 CBoT December soyoil contract through February 28. Final price elections will be announced in early March. Traders continue to focus on South America crop prospects. Recent weather events have done nothing to change thoughts that South America will harvest a big oilseed crop. Brazil's soybean harvest is moving along rapidly. Traders also got a reminder about the potential for a big increase in soybean acres this spring, when USDA released its 10-year baseline projections for agriculture last week. While the forecasts didn't include anything new about 2017 planting intentions, it reinforced the idea that soybean acres could increase significantly. USDA will update its statistical guesses at its annual Agricultural Outlook Forum this week. Traders will pay close attention to USDA’s expectations for 2017 planted acres, supply & demand outlooks along with ending stocks figures. This will give the market some numbers to crunch ahead of the March reports.

Weekly Prices Recorded on Tuesday, February 21, 2017 ($/CWT)

	Deliver	Last Year	Last Week	This Week	Change	2017 NEW Crop
Chicago Oil	Nearby	31.49	34.17	32.67	-1.50	33.68
Fargo, ND	NuSun	16.45	14.70	14.70	NC	16.00
Enderlin, ND	NuSun	16.60	15.25	15.20	-.05	16.35
Goodland, KS	NuSun	16.45	14.25	14.10	-.15	NQ
Goodland, KS	High Oleic	17.35	15.90	15.75	-.15	NQ

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 Tuesday, February 21, 2017
(dollars per 100 lb. internal U.S. location)

	Last Year	Last Week	This Week	Change
Soybean Oil	29.24	31.97	30.37	-1.50
Cotton Oil (psby)	46.48	42.17	40.67	-1.50
Corn Oil	42.00	43.50	43.50	NC