With fertilizer prices at the highest levels in the past several years and producers looking to control costs, check out the North Dakota Nitrogen Calculator for sunflower. You can find the calculator at https://lamp.ndsu.edu/soils/FourCropsNitrogenCalculatorWebApp/

The calculator uses new nitrogen recommendations, which were updated for the first time since the 1970s. There are also new recommendations for phosphorus (P) for sunflower in the northern Great Plains. The new N and P recommendations are based on general productivity history and not a yield prediction model. N and P recommendations are based on both documented yield responses to each and economic analysis. The NDSU Fertilizing Sunflower Circular SF713 with the new recommendations can be found online at www.sunflowernsa.com/uploads/3/Fertilizing.Sunflower.NDSU.SF713_Feb.2016.pdf

Producers who have stored seed are reminded to keep a close eye on their seed to keep it in good condition. As outdoor temperatures increase, stored grain requires attention to prevent losses. The stored grain temperature increases in the spring not only due to an increase in outdoor temperatures but also due to solar heat gain on the bin. Solar energy produces more than twice as much heat gain on the south wall of a bin in early spring as it does during the summer. The moisture content of the seed can also become a concern as temperatures increase. It is a good idea to have bins probed and tested regularly to protect your investment.

Nearby prices were unchanged while new crop prices were down 20 cents to unchanged this week at the crush plants. Commodity futures have been volatile in recent sessions as war in the Middle East disrupts global markets. The ongoing uncertainty over the Middle East war is adding to the broader risk-on mindset across markets. Traders are hopeful recent news that President Trump indefinitely extended the ceasefire with Iran could lead to a resolution to the confrontation. Traders are also monitoring harvest progress in South America. In Brazil, the 2025/26 soybean harvest is nearly complete, and the Safras & Mercado consultancy has slightly raised its production estimates to 6.548 billion bushels. This is in line with most estimates, which are generally coming in between 6.5 billion and 6.6 billion bushels. That would be a record-breaking crop, if realized. Brazil’s record large soybean crop is projected to produce a challenging global supply environment for U.S. exports in the months ahead and put pressure soybean prices. There is still time to adjust plans to take advantage of the market opportunities that sunflowers can offer. The sunflower market is mainly centered on the U.S. market. It has not faced the same market pressure and offers the opportunity to diversify market risk in these turbulent times.

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