June 22-28 is National Pollinator Week. The BeSure! campaign is a longstanding collaboration across the ag industry to promote proper stewardship practices during the growing season. This season, growers and applicators can follow a few simple guidelines to BeSure! they’re using pesticides safely. Visit: BeSure! Stewardship Program (growingmatters.org)

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.

Nearby sunflower prices at the crush plants were unchanged to up 50 cents this week. The recently released USDA supply and demand report was considered neutral by many traders. USDA largely held steady on its June supply and demand numbers despite expectations of some movement in the supply side. Traders will likely continue to grapple with supplies showing up on the balance sheet as the marketing year unfolds but are more concerned with weather conditions in the U.S. in the near term. Sunflower producers are in the home stretch of wrapping up this year’s planting season as dry and warm weather allowed producers to make excellent planting progress in the past week. Planting continues in all states and is equal to or ahead of the five-year averages in Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. Texas is behind the five-year average planting pace. As of June 14, 83% of the expected 2026 sunflower acreage was in the ground, up from 63% from the week prior and ahead of the five-year average of 75%. On June 30, USDA will release its 2026 planted acres report and will be an important factor in determining old and new crop prices. Look for demand news and position squaring ahead of USDA’s acreage report to guide the market this week.

Producers who have stored seed are reminded to keep a close eye on seed moisture. Verify the seed moisture content is dry enough for storage at summer temperatures. The recommended long-term moisture contents are 8 percent for oil sunflower and 10 percent for confectionary sunflower. The market moisture content may be higher but storing warm grain at higher moisture contents may lead to mold growth. Mold growth and insect infestations occur rapidly at summer temperatures so stored grain should be checked every two weeks. Visit: Harvest & Storage Resources (sunflowernsa.com) for more information on how to safely store seed.

Speakers at this year’s NSA Summer Seminar will tackle topics that are on the minds of producers and industry leaders. Morning sessions include presentations about options for managing red sunflower seed weevils, high oleic sunflower oil markets along with Bill Even, SD Commissioner; Governor's Office of Economic Development speaking to attendees. In the afternoon Nolan Kane and Peter Innes will present information on genetic work being conducted at University of Colorado-Boulder and what it could mean for sunflower, and we’ll also hear from Brian Personius, USDA Agricultural Marketing Service about market news services. For a complete schedule and registration information, visit https://www.sunflowernsa.com/events/2026-NSA-Summer-Seminar/

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

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