Sunflower Highlights

Post Date: Mar 27 2023

North Dakota Oilseed Council Election Results

North Dakota sunflower producers Scott Tranby and Matt Swenson have been elected to the North Dakota Oilseed Council and the NSA Board of Directors. Tranby from Cooperstown, ND will serve his second three-year term, representing District 2, which includes the North Dakota counties of Barnes, Cass, Griggs, Steele, and Traill. Swenson from Walcott, ND will serve his first three-year term representing District 3, which includes the counties of Dickey, LaMoure, Ransom, Richland, and Sargent.

N Calculator available for North Dakota producers

With fertilizer prices at the high levels and producers looking to control costs, check out the North Dakota Nitrogen Calculator for sunflower. You can find the calculator at www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/soils/sunflower/. The calculator uses new nitrogen recommendations, which were updated for the first time since the 1970s. There are also new recommendations for phosphorus (P) for sunflower in the northern Great Plains. The new N and P recommendations are based on general productivity history and not a yield prediction model. N and P recommendations are based on both documented yield responses to each and economic analysis. The calculator does not immediately support sunflower prices above 30 cents per pound or N prices greater than $1/lb N. However, if you divide each value (sunflower price AND N cost) by 2, and insert these values into the calculator, the proper N recommendation will result. The NDSU Fertilizing Sunflower Circular SF713 with the new recommendations can be found online at: SF713 Fertilizing Sunflower [2016].indd (sunflowernsa.com)

Markets

Sunflower prices followed the slide in canola and soy product prices this week. Nearby prices were down 75 cents to $2.00 with new crop down 70 cents to $1.00. This week expect a lot of market chatter about projected U.S. planted acreage. USDA releases its first official planted acreage estimates in the March Prospective Plantings Report on March 31. The March numbers typically change following planting, but it is the first look at acres for traders. Changes could be in store in the June 30 Acreage Report depending on how planting goes this spring. Traders are hoping for an ideal growing season with good yields to restock domestic supplies. As always, mother nature has the final say in what gets planted. Currently North Dakota and Minnesota have a large area with a deep snowpack. Below normal temperatures are forecast to linger into mid-April. A cool and wet spring has the potential to throw off planting progress and rotations. Without favorable planting weather across the Northern and High Plains states in the coming weeks acreage shifts could occur. As a result, planted acres are likely to remain a moving target for the next couple months leading to market volatility. Traders will also focus on South American oilseed production prospects. Drought has reduced the prospects for Argentina’s soybean and sunflower crops. In addition, the market is monitoring the impact of the Black Sea Grain Initiative which was renewed for another 60 days.

Deadline is Approaching for NSA Scholarship

There is still time to submit applications for the National Sunflower Association’s Curtis Stern Memorial Scholarship. Scholarship 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, 2023. 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 to learn more. Contact Tina Mittelsteadt at tinam@sunflowernsa.com with any questions.

Pest Management App Available

Tired of carrying around those thick pest management guides? Download the NDSU Pest Management app -- it includes everything that is printed in pest management guides, plus more. For example, the app has full color photos of weeds, insects, and diseases. The app is available for both Apple and Android devices – just search NDSU Pest Management or go to NDSU Pest Management App | NDSU Agriculture and Extension. The app is free, thanks to funding from several commodity groups, including the National Sunflower Association. Producers who use the app are encouraged to send comments and feedback to ndsu.pest.management@ndsu.edu

Upcoming Events

June 27-29, 2023 - NSA Summer Seminar; Spearfish, SD

Weekly Prices Recorded on Monday, March 27, 2023 ($/CWT)

	Deliver	Last Year	Last Week	This Week	Change	2023 NEW Crop
Chicago Oil	Nearby	72.45	57.99	54.55	-3.44	53.12
West Fargo, ND	NuSun	37.40	23.00	21.00	-2.00	22.80
West Fargo, ND	High Oleic	37.90	23.50	21.50	-2.00	24.30
Enderlin, ND	NuSun	37.50	23.00	22.30	-.70	23.95
Enderlin, ND	High Oleic	38.00	23.50	22.80	-.70	25.15
Lamar, CO	High Oleic	38.00	24.00	23.25	-.75	25.25

U.S. CRUDE OIL VALUES recorded on Monday, March 27, 2023
(dollars per 100 lb. internal U.S. locations)

	Last Year	Last Week	This Week	Change
Soybean Oil	80.45	62.99	59.55	-3.44
Cotton Oil (pbsy)	102.45	102.99	99.55	-3.44
Corn Oil	113.00	96.00	96.00	unch

Prices recorded here are believed to be reliable at the time of posting. All prices are subject to change. Contact these facilities for complete market details.

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