Sunflower Highlights

Post Date: Mar 07 2022

Dr. Thomas Gulya 2022 Gold Award Winner

Dr. Thomas (Tom) Gulya has been named the 2022 NSA Gold Award winner. Tom was the sole USDA pathologist working on sunflower, based in Fargo, ND, for over 35 years. As such, his research searched for resistance to any and all sunflower pathogens threatening the U.S. crop, including downy mildew, rust, Verticillium, Phomopsis and Sclerotinia. When resistance was less than effective, he identified fungicides to compliment resistance, and this led to the registration of two seed treatments for downy mildew. Diseases affecting sunflower are worldwide, and he cooperated with researchers in many countries, often hosting them for months in his lab. This international cooperation was recognized with the Pustovoit award from the International Sunflower Association in 2016.

High Plains Sunflower Production Webinar

A virtual sunflower production webinar will be held on March 17 from 3:00-4:15 Central Time for the High Plains region. Producers can learn more about sunflower production in areas such as fertility, insect control, planting and harvesting practices, weed control, and marketing opportunities. Speakers are Ron Meyer, Colorado State, Jeanne Falk Jones, Kansas State, Kevin Swanson, Colorado Mills and Mike Williams, Red River Commodities. Register at: www.sunflower.ksu.edu/agronomy to obtain the links to join the webinar via Zoom or YouTube. For Certified Crop Advisors there will be 1 credit available in crop management.

Markets

The sunflower market has been red hot since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine are global crop heavyweights with the two countries accounting for a large portion of global wheat exports, corn supplies, and sunflower oil exports. The U.S. and Canada stand to gain from the Black Sea trade disruptions so expect plenty of volatility in the coming days. Old crop NuSun and High Oleic prices ended the week up $1.00-$2.25 per cwt. at the crush plants. New crop prices added another $1.25-$1.85 per cwt. Something else to consider is the oil premiums that crush plants pay on sunflower. Sunflower is the only oilseed that pays premiums for oil content above 40%. 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. The AOG $28.15 contract increases to $31.00, and the cash $29.90 contract moves close to $33.00. RMA has announced crop insurance prices for spring crops. Oil-type sunflowers are at $32.40, up 47 percent from last year’s price election. Confection sunflowers are at $40.50, up 48 percent from last year. The crop insurance price for oil-type or confection sunflower has not been this high since 2011.

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