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Sunflower Highlights

Post Date: Apr 03 2023

Sunflower Production Conference Video Link Available

If you missed the ‘2023 Getting-it-Right in Sunflower Production,’ video conference you can access it on-line. Topics covered ranged from hybrid selection, what has been learned from the fall sunflower surveys, plant nutrient and soil management, updates for weed, disease and insect management, combine fire prevention and sunflower marketing. The program was conducted by North Dakota State University Extension. Recording and resources are available at https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/ag-hub/getting-it-right, scroll to the conference video section and click the sunflower meeting link. Each individual talk has its own video clip. Additional publications and resources are available under the sunflower conference resources.

Reducing blackbird damage

As producers gear up for planting, now is a good time to think about blackbirds and reducing the damage they could cause to this year’s sunflower crop. USDA/APHIS/Wildlife Services recommends not planting sunflower in close proximity to large cattail sloughs (blackbird roosts) if at all possible. If you do plant close to cattails, consider spraying cattails with glyphosate in accordance with the label, or mowing cattails if possible. Something else to consider is developing roads or trails in larger fields (quarter or more) to allow access to the middle of fields. Birds always go to the center of the field where you can’t reach them. Trails or roads allow you many more locations and better accessibility to move blackbirds out of the field and reduce losses. Visit www.sunflowernsa.com/growers/black-birds/ for more tips to reduce blackbird damage.

Markets

Nearby prices were down 40 cents to unchanged with new crop unchanged this week. USDA released its first estimate of 2023 planted acres. Sunflower growers intend to plant 1.36 million acres in 2023, a decrease of 20 percent from 2022. Compared with last year, growers in seven of the eight major sunflower producing states expect a decrease in sunflower acreage this year. Area intended for oil type varieties, at 1.20 million acres, is down 22 percent from 2022. Area intended for non-oil varieties, estimated at 158,000 acres, is up 10 percent from last year. Soybean planted area for 2023 is estimated at 87.5 million acres, up slightly from last year and below the trade’s expectation. Corn planted area for 2023 is estimated at 92 million acres, up 4 percent from last year. Spring wheat acreage is expected to be trimmed to 10.6 million acres, down 2 percent from last year, with durum increasing 9% from last year to 1.78 million acres. The March acreage and grain stocks reports will guide the market as we head into the planting season. It will also give farmers a look at what others are thinking of planting this year and may adjust their plans. Currently North Dakota and Minnesota have a large area with a deep snowpack. Below normal temperatures are forecast to linger into mid-April. A lot can change in the next several weeks, and final acreage could be far different.

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