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Sunflower Highlights

Post Date: Jul 22 2019

Crop Progress

Sunflowers are beginning to bloom across North Dakota; 12 percent of the crop is reported in the blooming stage. And the crop there looks good too, with 78-percent of the crop rated in good to excellent codition.

Crop Progress - Monday, July 22, 2019 State This Week Last Week Last Year 5 Year Average North Dakota         Emerged 100 99 100 100 Blooming 12 6 26 14 Colorado         Planted 100 97 100 100 Kansas         Planted 96 93 98 99 Texas         Harvested 20 4 44 NA

Crop Conditions - Monday, July 22, 2019 State Very Poor Poor Fair Good Excellent North Dakota 0 3 19 72 6 Colorado 0 0 22 73 5 Minnesota 0 0 17 72 11

Start Scouting for Banded Sunflower Moth and Red Sunflower Weevil

As sunflower fields begin to bloom, adults of red sunflower seed weevil (RSSW) will be emerging and will fly to the nearest flowering sunflowers RSSW are small (2.5 to 3.1 mm long) with a snout and are reddish-orange. Banded sunflower moth can be identified by their small size (1/4 inch-long) and forewings with a triangular, dark brown band across the middle of the wing. Once the decision to treat has been made, it is critical to time the spray application correctly to get effective management of all sunflower head insects, including RSSW, SSM, sunflower moth and Lygus bug. The best sunflower plant stage to treat is when the majority of plants are in the R5.1 growth stage. Click here to read more about scouting for insects and the best treatments. Click here to see the insecticides registered in sunflower.

Australian Agriculture Company to Open Research and Development Facility in California

An Australian agriculture company recently began construction of a research and development center in West Sacrament, CA. Nuseed, a subsidiary of Australia-based pesticide and crop company Nufarm, will be opening up an innovation center in the Riverside Commerce Center. The facility will include a molecular lab and a greenhouse for sunflower, sorghum and canola development. It will employ 20 workers in areas such as research and development, finance, human resources, information technology and commercial management, with plans to expand by 40 to 55 jobs in the next five years.

Consider Cattail Control

July to mid-August is a good time to remove blackbird roosting locations, such as marshes, sloughs and cattails. Cattails serve as blackbird habitat, so it is in the sunflower producer’s best interest to cut them down or spray herbicides to get rid of them as much as possible. Click here for more information on using herbicides.

Upcoming Events

August 8, 2019 NSA High Plains Committee Meeting Goodland, KS   January 8-9, 2020 NSA Research Forum Holiday Inn, Fargo, ND

Markets

Planting of the 2019 sunflower crop is complete in most states. Some double crop sunflowers were still being planted in the High Plains but that should have wrapped up as well. In states reporting crop conditions, the crop is being rated at 78 to 83 percent good to excellent condition. This comparable to last year at this same time. Above trend yields are expected if current crop conditions continue. Mid-August through September is the critical time frame for sunflowers. Sunflower prices have held up quite well given all the market turmoil. Old crop was mixed at down 5 to up 20 cents with new crop down 5 to up 15 cents this week. The sunflower market is reflecting supply and demand fundamentals for this time of year.News was scant after negotiators from the U.S. and China spoke by phone for only the second time since the trade war truce at the end of June. Lack of Chinese buying of U.S. farm goods has been a key source of friction in trying to get the talks going again.Weather has not been much of a concern for CBoT traders so far this summer. The current stretch of hot temperatures across the Midwest hasn’t been much of a price factor as milder summer temperatures are expected to return and will be more crop friendly even though there is not much rain in the forecast for the next two weeks. In the week ahead, sunflower trading will be influenced by crop conditions and progress along with weather conditions.

Weekly Prices Recorded on Monday, July 22, 2019 ($/CWT)   Deliver Last Year Last Week This Week Change 2019 NEW Crop Chicago Oil Nearby 27.97 28.28 27.7 -.55 28.17 Fargo, ND NuSun 17.65 17.70 17.85 +.15 17.00 Fargo, ND High Oleic 17.65 18.00 18.20 +.20 17.05 Enderlin, ND NuSun 17.65 17.50 17.65 +.15 17.00 Enderlin, ND High Oleic 17.65 17.80 17.95 +.15 17.20 Goodland, KS NuSun 16.35 16.50 16.45 -.05 16.25 Goodland, KS High Oleic 17.35 17.60 17.55 -.05 17.50 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, July 22, 2109 (dollars per 100 lb. internal U.S. location)   Last Year Last Week This Week Change Soybean Oil 26.22 27.78 27.73 -.55 Cotton Oil (psby) 26.94 37.31 36.73 -.58 Corn Oil 32.00 29.00 29.00 NC