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Sunflower Highlights

Post Date: Dec 03 2018

NSA Board of Directors Elects Officers

North Dakota producer Clark Coleman is the new NSA Board President. Coleman was elected at last week’s board meeting in Bismarck, ND. Coleman will replace Lindsborg, KS area producer Karl Esping as president. Esping will now serve as NSA Board Chairman. Lemmon, SD producer Lance Hourigan was elected first vice president and Tom Kirkmeyer, producer from Brighton, CO, was elected second vice president. John Zietz of Cargill will continue as NSA Secretary-Treasurer.

Register to Attend the NSA Research Forum

It’s not too late to register to attend the National Sunflower Association’s Research Forum. The forum is set for January 9-10, 2019 at the Holiday Inn (3803 13thAvenue South, Fargo). Visit our website  –  www.sunflowernsa.com/events/2019-NSA-Research-Forum/ – to  register for the forum at the early bird price of $130. Registration will increase to $145 on December 28, 2018. A block of rooms has been reserved at the Holiday Inn at a nightly rate of $98 plus tax. The block will be held until December 9, 2018. Call the Holiday Inn at 877-282-2700 and identify National Sunflower Association.

Seed Quality High Plains 2018 2017 Oil Content 40.2% 39.0% Foreign Material 5.0% 6.2% Moisture 8.7% 8.2% Test Weight 28.2 lbs 28.4 lbs Northern Plains 2018 2017 Oil Content 44.0% 42.4% Foreign Material 3.1% 3.7% Moisture 10.7% 9.5% Test Weight 30.6 lbs 29.9 lbs

Markets

NuSun prices ended the week unchanged to up 5 cents with high oleic prices unchanged to up 25 cents at the crush plants. Delivery after the first of the year might be something to consider if you have available storage. Premiums of 25 to 50 cents per cwt., depending on the month, are being offered at the ND crush plants for later delivery. Sunflower harvest continues to slowly move along in the US. Most states are trailing the five-year average harvest pace per USDA. Wet and below normal cold weather continues to hamper harvest progress in the largest production area of the Dakotas. Seed quality remains generally very good at this time. However, the longer the crop remains unharvested the more susceptible it will be to harvest and quality losses. Many producers are harvesting the crop and drying it to get to acceptable moisture levels for storage or delivery to processing plants.  The United States, Canada and Mexico signed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA last week and should return market certainty to these export markets for producers. Canada is the largest export market for U.S. sunflower oil and sunflower kernel. Mexico is the second largest export market for in-shell seed and kernel. Because it was a renegotiation of NAFTA, opening all chapters, USMCA will have to be approved by Congress, and the earliest it would likely be brought up for consideration would be March 2019.