Sunflower Highlights

Post Date: Apr 19 2021

Minnesota Sunflower Council elects board members

John Swanson and Kevin Capistran have been re-elected to the Minnesota Sunflower Council. Swanson farms near Mentor, Minnesota. He grows oil sunflower as well as spring wheat, corn, and soybeans. Capistran grows oil sunflower, spring wheat, barley, soybeans, and sugarbeets on his farm near Crookston, Minnesota. Both men will represent Region 1 on the Minnesota Sunflower Council.

BeSure! This Growing Season

Planters are rolling, and the growing season is upon us! This year, BeSure! is back with its third annual national campaign to promote best management practices. Agriculture stakeholders appreciate how neonicotinoid seed treatments, foliar sprays, soil drenches and granules increase yields and boost revenues, but they are also committed to protecting bees and other wildlife. This spring, growers and applicators can follow a few simple guidelines to BeSure! they’re using pesticides safely. To learn more visit: GrowingMatters.org/BeSure

Reducing blackbird damage

A good strategy to reducing blackbird damage is to plant as early as possible and desiccate the crop. In many cases, producers have been about to get the cop all harvested before the birds even more in. The earliest plant date for Minnesota is April 21. In North Dakota, it is May 6 for most counties north of Highway 200 and May 11 for the remaining counties, based on the USDA RMA early planting dates. Why take a chance when it comes to blackbirds when you can have a good sunflower crop? Maximize your return by planting early and getting the crop harvested as soon as possible.

Markets

It was another good week for sunflower prices at the crush plants. Old crop NuSun prices increased $1.45 with high oleic adding $1.20-$1.70 per cwt. New crop sunflower prices remained higher than a year ago at this same time with oil crushers still offering Act of God and cash contracts. Last year at this same point, new crop prices were $17.05-$17.80 for NuSun with high oleic at $17.40-$17.90. This week new crop NuSun cash prices are in a range of $24.45-$24.55 up $6.75-$7.40 per cwt. with high oleic at $24.50-$25.20 which is $7.10-$7.35 per cwt higher versus last year. The hot sunflower market has provided an opportunity to lock in some very attractive prices for fall delivery. Sunflower prices are being supported in part by strong global vegetable oil prices. Vegetable oil prices have been on the upswing from previous levels due to low stocks, a slow recovery in output and higher global use in biofuel production. Major vegetable oil prices such as sunflower, palm and soybean oils have hit multi-year highs in 2021, lifted by a mix of production interruptions, recovering food consumption and an upbeat outlook for biofuel demand. A constrained recovery in palm oil production due to an enduring labor shortage in Malaysia, and a slowdown in soybean oil output in China due to stalled soymeal demand growth, will prevent prices from falling in the near-term giving support to all vegetable oil prices which is good news for sunflower.

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