Sunflower Highlights

Post Date: Oct 10 2023

Crop Progress - Tuesday, October 10, 2023

State	This Week	Last Week	Last Year	5 Year Average
North Dakota
Bracts Yellow	93	85	94	95
Mature	78	59	79	80
Harvested	2	--	9	10
South Dakota
Bracts Yellow	97	88	--	--
Mature	64	51	--	--
Harvested	3	1	6	9
Minnesota
Harvested	17	5	9	17
Texas
Harvested	80	75	85	74
Kansas
Harvested	37	23	13	14
Colorado
Harvested	16	--	9	14

Crop Conditions - Tuesday, October 10, 2023

State	Timeframe	Very Poor	Poor	Fair	Good	Excellent
North Dakota	This week	5	7	27	56	5
	Last week	3	8	28	52	9
Minnesota	This week	0	4	44	51	1
	Last week	0	3	44	52	1
Colorado	This week	0	2	20	75	3
	Last week	1	3	12	80	4
South Dakota	This week	4	5	42	46	3
	Last week	2	5	43	50	2

Grower report

Regent, ND grower Josh Greff says he hopes to start harvesting sunflowers in a couple weeks. He does not desiccate and did not have any disease or weed issues this year. He says his crop looks good with even stands and heads. They have been receiving rain weekly. He says it looks more like June in his area than October.

Markets

A widespread killing freeze occurred in many areas of the sunflower growing region ending the 2023 growing season. The majority of the crop was mature or close to maturity when the freeze occurred. If sunflowers were not mature there could be some reduction in yield, test weight, oil content and discolored seed coats. At this point it’s too early to determine if the freeze resulted in crop quality issues, more will be known as harvest progresses. Sunflower harvest has started in the Dakotas and Minnesota. In Texas, harvest continues to move along ahead of the five-year average. In the past week, producers harvested an additional 40,445 acres pushing 2023 harvested acres to about 90,625 acres. This represents 7% of this year’s projected harvested acres and is slightly behind last year at this same time. At the crush plants the October and November contracts were unchanged to up 40 cents this week. Traders are eagerly awaiting to see USDA’s first estimate of 2023 US harvested sunflower acres and total seed production that will be released this week. The market is expecting to see much lower seed production based on reduced harvested acres this year. This report along with actual harvest reports will set the tone for nearby sunflower price direction in the near term. The market will also be keeping tabs on the latest geopolitical conflicts in both the Middle East and Black Sea region. Events taking place could cause energy and grain prices to move higher.

Monitor for Phomopsis stem canker

With the sporadic rains, it is important to scout for Phomopsis stem canker and other sunflower diseases. For Phomopsis stem canker, a light to dark colored lesion develops on the stem, and a possible discoloration on the sunflower head. Mathew’s lab at North Dakota State University is needing sunflower plant samples that are suspected of Phomopsis stem canker. Using culture techniques and DNA-based assays, the fungus causing Phomopsis stem canker will be determined. For information on how to send samples, please contact Febina Mathew (febina.mathew@ndsu.edu). The address to send samples (only diseased stem and/or head rot) is Febina Mathew, NDSU Plant Pathology Dept., 1402 Albrecht Blvd., 306 Walster Hall, Fargo, ND 58102. For more on Phomopsis stem canker or other sunflower diseases, visit https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/ag-hub/publications/sunflower-disease-diagnostic-series

Reduce the risk of combine fires

As sunflower harvest gets underway, a reminder about reducing the risk of combine fires this harvest season. Be sure to keep a clean work area when harvesting sunflower. Blow the combine and grain dryer setup with an air hose daily. Also, try nighttime harvesting when humidity levels are higher. And keep a small pressure sprayer filled with water on hand in the combine. For more information, visit Combine Fire Responses (sunflowernsa.com)

Upcoming Events

January 10-11, 2024 - NSA Research Forum; Holiday Inn; Fargo, ND
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Markets at a Glance

Weekly Prices Recorded on Tuesday, October 10, 2023 ($/CWT)

	Deliver	Last Year	Last Week	This Week	Change	2024 NEW Crop
Chicago Oil	Nearby	68.98	59.85	53.99	-5.86	53.23
West Fargo, ND	NuSun	28.00	NQ	NQ	unch	NQ
West Fargo, ND	High Oleic	28.75	17.25	17.65	+.40	NQ
Enderlin, ND	NuSun	27.70	16.70	16.70	unch	NQ
Enderlin, ND	High Oleic	28.70	17.70	17.70	unch	NQ
Lamar, CO	High Oleic	28.00	18.00	18.00	unch	NQ

U.S. CRUDE OIL VALUES recorded on Tuesday, October 10, 2023
(dollars per 100 lb. internal U.S. locations)

	Last Year	Last Week	This Week	Change
Soybean Oil	71.97	65.35	58.73	-6.62
Cotton Oil (pbsy)	115.47	94.85	88.23	-6.62
Corn Oil	124.00	72.00	72.00	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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