Sunflower Highlights
Post Date: Sep 23 2019
Crop Progress
In states reporting crop conditions, the crop is being rated at 71 to 81 percent good to excellent condition.
Crop Progress - Monday, September 23, 2019
State This Week Last Week Last Year 5 Year Average
North Dakota        
Petals Dry 88 78 96 ---
Bracts Yellow 66 49 89 74
Mature 20 7 55 ---
Kansas        
Harvested 1 --- --- ---
Texas        
Harvested 66 62 66 58
Crop Conditions - Monday, September 23, 2019
State Very Poor Poor Fair Good Excellent
North Dakota 1 2 16 78 6
Colorado 0 0 22 67 11
Minnesota 1 1 27 62 9
Grower Report
Lemmon, SD area producer Lance Hourigan says his 2,500 acres of high oleic sunflowers look really good, despite a small amount of lodging. He says that lodging is due to an excess amount of moisture; Hourigan says some fields received more than four inches of rain last week. He says harvest is still about a month away, unless he opts to desiccate his sunflowers. He says the decision to desiccate depends on the weather and if it freezes in the next few weeks.
Canadian Sunflower Production Projected Lower
Canadian farmers seeded 55,900 acres of sunflower in 2019, with Manitoba accounting for about 85 percent of the total. The acreage was down from the 70,700 acres seeded the previous year. Statistics Canada estimates 2019 production at 46,800 metric tons (MT), which compares with the 57,300 MT produced in 2018 and the five-year average of 58,620 MT. Industry estimates peg about two-thirds of the acreage as oilseed sunflower. This represents a shift from previous history as confections had accounted for the majority of Canadian sunflower acres.
Markets
Old crop seed prices were unchanged to up 5 cents last week at the crush plants. Nearby seed prices continue to trade above the 60-day moving average at the crush plants, and new crop prices remain at market highs set in late August. At this same time last year, old crop prices at the North Dakota crush plants were in a range of $17.15-$17.25 for NuSun with high oleic at $17.25-$17.35. This is a difference of $1.15-$1.35 for NuSun and $1.35-$1.55 per cwt. for high oleic versus current prices. Sunflower prices are not facing the headwinds some other commodities are currently experiencing as there is robust market demand for seed.  The need for seed has also helped boost new crop prices for NuSun and high oleic to market highs as well.Sunflower crop development continues to remain behind the five-year average normal pacein most areas. In states reporting crop conditions, the crop is being rated at 71 to 81 percent good to excellent condition. This should mean that yields will be above trend assuming normal weather through the rest of this fall and the lack of an early freeze. In the coming weeks several USDA reports will give producers and industry a better picture of sunflower fundamentals heading into the 2019/20 marketing year.On September 30, USDA will report old crop sunflower stocks and on October 10 USDA will give its first estimate of 2019 US harvested sunflower acres and production. 
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