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Sunflower Highlights

Post Date: Jul 20 2020

Crop Progress

Sunflower planting is complete in Kansas and in North Dakota, sunflowers are starting to bloom; 7% of the crop in North Dakota is reported blooming.

Crop Progress - Monday, July 20, 2020 State This Week Last Week Last Year 5 Year Average North Dakota         Blooming 7 2 10 13 Kansas         Planted 100 95 96 99 Texas         Planted 95 88 97 99 Harvested 16 10 15 NA

Crop Conditions - Monday, July 20, 2020 State Very Poor Poor Fair Good Excellent North Dakota 0 2 32 60 6 Minnesota 4 4 25 60 7 Colorado NA NA NA NA NA

USDA ARS seeking research leader

The USDA-ARS Sunflower and Plant Biology Research Unit located in Fargo, ND is seeking a full-time, permanent Supervisory Research Plant Physiologist, Research Geneticist, or Research Chemist to serve in a leadership role as a Research Leader for the Unit, responsible for all fiscal, personnel, facilities, and programmatic aspects of the Unit. The primary mission of the Unit is to develop knowledge and technology for sunflower and canola production that benefits oilseed industries and provides value-added ecosystem services through research on biochemistry, physiology, genetics, genomics, pathology, and end-use quality. Click here to learn more about the position. Applications will be accepted through August 10.

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.

Scout for Lygus bug

Lygus bugs have been reported in canola in north central North Dakota and sugarbeets in the Red River Valley. When alfalfa, a preferred host, is cut, Lygus bugs will migrate quickly into nearby field crops and often in high numbers. Hot dry weather favors the buildup of Lygus populations and increases the risk of damage to field crops. The second generation that occurs in late July to early August is usually the most economic population. The economic threshold for confection sunflower is 1 adult Lygus bug per 9 heads.

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. RRSW 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 RRSW, 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 stge. Click here to read more about scouting for insects and the best treatments. To see the insecticides registered in sunflower, click here.

Upcoming events

August 20, 2020 NSA High Plains Committee Meeting Goodland, KS   January 13-14, 2021 NSA Research Forum Holiday Inn, Fargo, ND

Markets

The sunflower market continues to reflect supply and demand fundamentals for this time of year with birdfood buyers and crushers competing for remaining old crop seed stocks. Birdfood prices at some locations gained an additional $1.00-$2.00 per cwt. this week with prices trading at $26.50-$30.00 in South Dakota and as much as $28.00 in North Dakota. Old crop NuSun and high oleic prices were unchanged at the crush plants this week. Planting of the 2020 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, most of the crop is being rated in good to excellent condition in North Dakota and Minnesota. It is a different story in Colorado where drought is affecting crop conditions. Overall, trend yields are expected if current crop conditions continue. Mid-August through September is the critical time frame for sunflowers. Weather has not been much of a concern for CBoT traders so far this summer. The current stretch of hot temperatures across the Midwest has not been much of a price factor as traders’ eye more rain and milder temperatures forecast for the Midwest. China has been on a buying spree of soybeans and corn to meet Phase One trade agreement commitments. Traders are watching diplomatic developments between the US and China as any signs of fallout could lead to sales cancellations.

Weekly Prices Recorded on Monday, July 20, 2020 ($/CWT)   Deliver Last Year Last Week This Week Change 2020 NEW Crop Chicago Oil Nearby 27.73 27.97 29.93 +1.96 30.53 West Fargo, ND NuSun 17.75 20.05 20.05 NC 16.80 West Fargo, ND High Oleic 18.20 20.35 20.35 NC 17.00 Enderlin, ND NuSun 17.65 19.95 19.95 NC 16.80 Enderlin, ND High Oleic 17.96 20.25 20.25 NC 17.00 Goodland, KS NuSun 16.45 18.45 18.45 NC 16.80 Goodland, KS High Oleic 17.5 19.20 19.20 NC 17.80 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 20, 2020 (dollars per 100 lb. internal U.S. location)   Last Year Last Week This Week Change Soybean Oil 27.23 26.73 29.33 +2.60 Cotton Oil (psby) 36.73 43.08 44.93 +1.85 Corn Oil 2900 63.00 71.00 +8.00