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Sunflower Highlights

Post Date: Jul 31 2017

Crop Progress

Ninety-one percent of Minnesota's sunflower crop is rated in good to excellent condition. In Kansas, the sunflower fields are beginning to bloom, with 24 percent of the crop reported blooming. Sixty-six percent of the Kansas sunflower crop is reported in good to excellent condition.

Crop Progress - Monday, July 31, 2017 State This Week Last Week Last Year 5 Year Average North Dakota         Blooming 34 15 54 34 South Dakota         Blooming 23 5 30 24 Kansas         Blooming 24 14 35 26 Texas         Harvested 5 NA 3 5

Crop Conditions - Monday, July 31, 2017 State Very Poor Poor Fair Good Excellent North Dakota 18 26 38 17 1 South Dakota 11 28 55 6 0 Minnesota 0 0 9 74 17 Colorado 1 4 30 60 5 Kansas 0 2 32 62 4

Bill to Set Aside $250,000 for Blackbird Damage Prevention

Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee, and Rep. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., announced that the Senate and House Fiscal Year 2018 Appropriations bills will make $250,000 available to help prevent blackbird damage to the sunflower crop. The funding will specifically support the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Health Inspection Service's use of fixed-wing aircraft to repel birds from fields. Blackbird damage is a persistent problem for growers costing about $11 million a year on average in ND. Both the Senate and House Appropriations committees have approved their respective bills and now await approval by the Senate and House of Representatives.

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's in the sunflower producer’s best interest to cut them down or spray herbicides to get rid of them as much as possible. For more information on using herbicides click here.

Markets

Birdfood continues to be the market leader as prices move into a $18-$22 per cwt trading range. Birdfood prices have now increased about $4.50-$6.75 per cwt since mid-June. The market is reacting to drought conditions in the Dakotas that will likely lead to yield reductions in the hardest hit areas and will tighten seed stocks in the next marketing year. Nearby prices at the crush plants have also been on the increase gaining $3.70 per cwt since the market low was set. A change in the weather pattern is expected later this week as some cooler temps and rain moves into the hardest areas. The crop is moving from the vegetative to the reproductive stage so the rain will be beneficial to yield. At the CBoT soyoil rallied last week on a court ruling that EPA erred when setting the renewable fuel standard to be included in fuel sold in the US and ordered EPA to recalculate the amount for next year. Traders believe this will potentially boost usage of soyoil in 2017/18 biofuel use and led to a rally in soyoil futures contracts. The dollar continues to tumble against other currencies and is boosting the attractiveness of US products. Evidence of this was last week’s Mexican purchase of 2,900 metric tons of US sunflower oil. Overall, weather and the upcoming USDA August report will guide traders.