Every year, the National Sunflower Association presents its Gold Award to an individual who has contributed extraordinarily to the overall sunflower industry, either through his or her occupation or through the National Sunflower Association. This award is considered to be the highest award that the NSA presents to individuals. The award has been given since 1989. Some past Gold Award winners include John McLean, Larry Kleingartner, Duane Berglund, Sen. Mark Andrews, Chuck Moses, Jim Krogh, Gary Fick and Robert Majkrzak. Nominations are now being accepted for the 2026 NSA Gold Award. Visit www.sunflowernsa.com/all-about/goldaward/ for the eligibility and criteria requirements. Nominations must be received by February 6, 2026. The NSA Board of Directors will review all submitted applications and choose a recipient. The Gold Award will be presented during this year’s NSA Summer Seminar, set for June 23-25 in Deadwood, SD.

Growers are invited to attend elections in their county for the sunflower representatives to the North Dakota Oilseed Council. Elections are being held in several areas in January and February. Here’s a list by county:

• Barnes: January 29, 9:30 a.m., Ag Country, Valley City 
• Cass: February 5, 3:00 p.m., Cass County Annex, Fargo 
• Sargent: February 11, 9:30 a.m., Sargent County EXT Office, Forman 
• Traill: February 11, 10:00 a.m., Traill County Courthouse, Hillsboro
• Richland: February 19, 11:00 a.m., Colfax Community Center, Colfax
• Griggs: February 23, 12:00 PM, Cooperstown Country Club, Cooperstown
• Steele: February 26,1:00 PM, Finley American Legion, Finley

For more information, visit  www.oilseedcouncil.nd.gov

Nearby sunflower prices for the week ended down 10 cents to unchanged. New crop prices for sunflowers were down 20 cents to up 10 cents. On February 2, the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) will begin the discovery process in determining 2026 crop insurance price elections for sunflowers. Producers have the option of choosing Yield Protection, Revenue Protection, and Revenue Protection with the Harvest Price Exclusion. All three policies have the same price election. To follow the direction for sunflower price elections, watch the 2026 CBoT December soyoil contract during the month of February. Last year the projected price for oil sunflower was $24.00 with confections at $32.20. Using the same oil versus confection price differential and based on the current CBoT December contract price the projected price for oil sunflower would be about $28.00 with confections at $36.20. Final price elections will be announced in early March. Harvest is underway in South America. This will have the trade keeping close tabs on weather conditions, yield, and production forecasts. 2025/26 soybean production in Brazil has most analysts still expecting a bin-busting soybean crop of around 178-182 million metric tons (MMT). That compares with soybean production of 171.5 MMT last year. Argentina is expected to produce 48-49 MMT of soybeans, which is a slight decrease from the previous year.

The North Dakota Sunflower Trial Results for 2025 and selection guide are now available online. Producers can find data about hybrid performance throughout the state and information about yield and other information needed for accurate selection of sunflower hybrids for agricultural production in North Dakota. Find the guide here: North Dakota Sunflower Variety Trial Results for 2025 and Selection Guide | NDSU Agriculture

The National Sunflower Association is seeking applicants for the Curtis Stern Memorial Scholarship. In tribute to the dedicated work of Curtis Stern, an industry advocate and former NSA board member, the NSA Board of Directors established a memorial scholarship in his name. Funds assist students who study in the field of agriculture with a special emphasis on sunflower production, promotion, or research. Preference will be given to students who are in their last two years of undergraduate studies or in graduate level studies and have maintained at least a cumulative 3.0 GPA on a 4.0=A scale. Application deadline is April 1, 2026. A total of $5,000 is available for the scholarship this year. Applications can be submitted online. Visit www.ndcf.net/receive/scholarships/stern.html  learn more.  Contact Tina Mittelsteadt at tinam@sunflowernsa.com with any questions.

February 3-4, 2026 - High Plains No-Till Conference; Burlington, CO

June 23-25, 2026 - NSA Summer Seminar; Deadwood, SD

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