Now is a good time to scout field crops for cutworm feeding injury before economic feeding injury occurs. Crops are most susceptible during the early crop stages - seedling to 6-leaf stage. Cutworm feeding can be noted by defoliation, or cut and wilted plants, leading to bare patches in the field. Few plants can be lost to cutworm feeding if the plant population is below the recommended established stand. The greater the plant population, the more damage can be tolerated without economic yield loss. When spraying insecticides for cutworm control, applications should be made in the evening when cutworms feed actively. Wet soil conditions will also improve insecticide efficacy, as cutworms feed near the soil surface. Rescue foliar treatments are warranted for sunflower when cutworms exceed the treatment threshold of 1 per square foot or 25-30% of plants cut. Insecticides are ideally targeted at the young larvae (less than ¾ inch) which are easier to kill than the large larvae (greater than 1 inch).

Old sunflower prices were unchanged to up 25 cents with new crop unchanged to up 25 cents this week. October new crop prices are trading in a range of $23.30-$23.80 cash with AOG at $22.00-$23.30 at the crush plants. Deferred new crop contracts are offering premiums above these prices. Something else to consider when looking at new crop prices are the oil premiums that crush plants pay on sunflowers. Considering oil premiums that are offered at the crush plants on oil content above 40% at a rate of 2% price premium for each 1% of oil above 40%; this pushes a contract with 45% oil content gross return 10% higher per cwt. Sunflower planting continues in all states and is ahead of the five-year averages in Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota. South Dakota and Texas is behind the five-year average planting pace. In the past week, producers made excellent progress and planted an additional 192,960 acres pushing 2026 planted acres to about 580,000 acres. This represents 44% of this year’s projected planted acres and is ahead of the five-year average of 35%. Last year at this same time 39% of total projected acres were planted. In the next two weeks weather conditions are expected to be favorable for planting with above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation. Sunflower planting should pick up speed as growers across the U.S. finish sowing activities.

Registration continues for the 2026 NSA Summer Seminar, scheduled for June 23-25, 2026. This year’s Summer Seminar will be held in Deadwood, South Dakota. You can register on our website – go to 2026 NSA Summer Seminar. You’ll find our schedule as well as hotel information and more. The program has been finalized and is on the website.  Registration is $400 and golf at $170 and will increase at the door.  To make your hotel reservation, call 605-584-4800. Contact Tina Mittelsteadt at tinam@sunflowernsa.com with questions.

As the optimal planting window is closing on some crops, there is still time to take advantage of the market opportunities that sunflowers can offer. Seed supplies are still plentiful and there is still time to place an order to put in some acres this growing season. Sunflowers can be planted until late June in the Dakotas. The final planting dates for crop insurance purposes for sunflower vary by state and county. In North Dakota it is either June 10 or 15; South Dakota is June 15 or 20 and all of Minnesota is June 10. After these dates, the coverage is reduced by only 1 percent per day. The actual final date that sunflowers can be planted is anywhere from 20 to 25 days after this date depending on the county. To find the final planting date by county use this link: Crop Insurance (sunflowernsa.com)

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

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