Sunflower Highlights

Post Date: Mar 21 2022

Hybrid seed still plentiful

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused a dramatic surge in new crop NuSun and high oleic sunflower prices as crush plants continue to offer cash and Act of God contracts for 2022 production. The U.S. and Canada have an excellent opportunity to supply additional sunflower oil to the market that will be lost due to the Black Sea trade disruptions. The NSA office has received calls from growers looking for hybrid planting seed for this growing season. Seed supplies are still plentiful and there is still time to place an order to put in some acres this growing season to take advantage of this exceptional market opportunity. Hybrid seed suppliers can be found using this link: Buyers and Sellers (sunflowernsa.com)

Resources available for producers on NSA website

As you plan for spring planting, there is helpful information on our website for producers. Visit www.sunflowernsa.com/growers to go to the Growers section on our website; check out the Sunflower Production Resource Book for your area. The books provide guidelines and recommendations on production practices, pest identification, field selection and more.

BeSure! This Growing Season

Planters will be rolling soon, and the growing season will be upon us! This year, BeSure! is back with its fourth annual national campaign to promote best management practices. Agriculture stakeholders appreciate how neonicotinoid seed treatments, foliar sprays, soil drenches and granules increase yields and boost revenues, but they are also committed to protecting bees and other wildlife. This spring, growers and applicators can follow a few simple guidelines to BeSure! they’re using pesticides safely. To learn more visit GrowingMatters.org/BeSure

Markets

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has created a roller coaster type market for corn, soybeans, and wheat with wild daily price swings depending on the latest news from the region. This is not happening with sunflowers as the market has seen price increases without any decline since the invasion began in late February. Sunflower prices continued to move higher last week with old crop adding $2.20-$2.90 and trading in a range of $36.80-$38.00 at the crush plants. The nearby price is quickly approaching the all-time high old crop price of $38.80 set back in July 2011. New crop moved 75 cents to $1.80 higher last week and blew past the previous record cash new crop price of $30.50 set in March 2008. In the past three weeks new crop has added $3.55-$4.65 per cwt. and is trading in a range of $30.55-$32.40. The prices offered at the crush plants are a direct reflection of the importance of Ukraine and Russia to the global sunflower market and the need to replace sunflower oil taken off the market due to the conflict. The U.S. and Canada can fulfill some of this need and the market is giving the signal to plant sunflowers this year. With the rise in new crop prices some producers are reassessing their crop mix for 2022 as sunflowers may now be the most profitable crop to grow this year. To keep tabs on sunflower prices, go to Daily Market News (sunflowernsa.com) and follow us on Twitter @NatlSunflower

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