Sunflower Highlights

Post Date: Dec 02 2024

USDA ARS Hiring Research Leader

The USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is looking to hire a Sunflower Improvement Research Unit Research Leader. The position is located with the USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Plains Area, Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center, Sunflower Improvement Research Unit in Fargo, ND. In this position, you will serve as a Research Leader and will lead research on germplasm development for disease resistance and/or seed quality in sunflower, or identification of biochemical signals or genes associated with agronomic traits of sunflowers. To learn more and apply click on this link: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/818942000 Deadline to apply is December 16, 2024.

Call for Papers

Here’s your chance to be a part of the National Sunflower Association’s Research Forum. We are looking for research papers to be presented at the NSA Research Forum, set for January 8-9, 2025, in Fargo, ND. Presentations may be either oral or in the form of a poster. A time will be designated for authors to be with their posters and answer questions. Each oral presentation will be limited to 15-17 minutes with 2-3 minutes allowed for questions. Visit 2025 Call for Papers (sunflowernsa.com) if you are interested in presenting a paper. You do not have to submit the actual paper or poster at this time, just the information indicated online and the author information. Submissions must be completed by December 9, 2024.

Would you like to get a link to a digital copy of Sunflower Highlights each week in your email? It’s easy! Visit www.sunflowernsa.com/smartmail/ to sign up. You can sign up for a digital copy of our magazine, The Sunflower, there too. And for sunflower prices at various locations, visit www.sunflowernsa.com/growers/Marketing/daily-market-news/#

Markets

Nearby prices are unchanged this week. Sunflower harvest is largely finished up for the 2024 growing season across the country and remains mostly ahead of historical benchmarks as the season ends. With the 2024 U.S. harvest in the books, traders will increasingly look to South America for price signals in the coming months. Oil World recently lowered its sunflower production estimates for Russia to 16.7 million metric tons (MMT) and Ukraine to 12.5 MMT. Some estimates are as low as 10.1 MMT for Ukraine. This is a significant drop off from last year’s production of 18.6 MMT in Russia and 14.9 in Ukraine. Oil World also made sizable downward revisions to production prospects in the European Union and Turkey. The Hamburg based publication expects demand rationing will be inevitable in the months ahead due to lower beginning seed stocks and reduced global sunflower production. The situation bears watching as Russia and Ukraine are the largest exporters of sunflower oil. The potential reduced availability of sunflower seed and oil production poses risks for global markets and prices will be responsive to potential production shortfalls. The next big report on the 2024 US sunflower crop will come in the January WASDE and Crop Production reports, which will feature a final estimate of 2024 yield, acreage, and production. The USDA Grain Stocks report released that day will also provide fresh insights to final 2023/24 usage figures that will determine 2024/25 beginning stocks numbers.

Registration is now open for the 2025 NSA Research Forum, scheduled for January 8-9, 2025 at the Holiday Inn (3803 13^th Ave. S, Fargo, ND) Visit 2025 NSA Research Forum to register for the forum at the early bird price of $150. You’ll find hotel information there as well.

’Getting It Right’ Sunflower Event Date Set

North Dakota State University’s Agricultural Extension Service has already set the date for its next annual ‘Getting It Right’ sunflower production Zoom conference. The 2025 version will take place on Thursday, January 30. Interested parties can get more information and/or register by visiting https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/ag-hub/getting-it-right. That same site carries extensive coverage of the topics addressed during the 2024 ‘Getting It Right’ conference, which was supported by the National Sunflower Association. Several other resources can be found at this website as well, including the NDSU weed control, insect management and plant disease management guides.

Upcoming Events

January 8-9, 2025 - NSA Research Forum; Holiday Inn; Fargo, ND
January 30, 2025 - Getting-it-Right in Sunflower Production; Zoom Conference
June 24-26, 2025 - NSA Summer Seminar; Bismarck, ND

Seed Quality - Monday, December 2, 2024

High Plains	2024	2023	Northern Plains	2024	2023
Oil Content	39.8%	38.6%	Oil Content	43.8%	45.2%
Foreign Material	5.5%	6.5%	Foreign Material	4.5%	3.9%
Moisture	7.1%	7.4%	Moisture	8.6%	8.6%
Test Weight	29.4 lbs.	28.6 lbs.	Test Weight	30.7 lbs.	30.7 lbs.

Markets at a Glance

Weekly Prices Recorded on Monday, December 2, 2024 ($/CWT)

	Deliver	Last Year	Last Week	This Week	Change	2025 NEW Crop
Chicago Oil	Nearby	51.19	41.28	41.27	-.01	41.51
West Fargo, ND	NuSun	NQ	NQ	NQ	NC	NQ
West Fargo, ND	High Oleic	16.50	19.75	19.75	NC	22.00
Enderlin, ND	NuSun	NQ	19.45	19.45	NC	NQ
Enderlin, ND	High Oleic	16.05	19.70	19.70	NC	21.70
Lamar, CO	High Oleic	17.20	20.30	20.30	NC	21.70

U.S. CRUDE OIL VALUES recorded on Monday, December 2, 2024
(dollars per 100 lb. internal U.S. locations)

	Last Year	Last Week	This Week	Change
Soybean Oil	54.74	40.28	40.27	-.01
Cotton Oil (pbsy)	86.24	66.28	66.27	-.01
Corn Oil	64.00	48.00	48.00	NC

Prices recorded here are believed to be reliable at the time of posting. Individual companies have the right to correct any errors that may occur. Contact these facilities for complete market details.

NSA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Anyone requesting special accommodation should notify NSA within a reasonable timeframe. NSA will accommodate reasonable requests.