Sunflower Highlights

Post Date: Aug 28 2023

Crop Progress - Monday, August 28, 2023

State	This Week	Last Week	Last Year	5 Year Average
North Dakota
Blooming	97	92	97	97
Petals Dry	46	11	33	46
Bracts Yellow	4	--	13	19
South Dakota
Blooming	93	84	--	--
Petals Dry	13	1	--	--
Texas
Harvested	NA	49	51	47

Crop Conditions - Monday, August 28, 2023

State	Timeframe	Very Poor	Poor	Fair	Good	Excellent
North Dakota	This week	1	5	31	58	5
	Last week	2	6	30	51	11
Minnesota	This week	0	1	35	63	1
	Last week	0	1	37	61	1
Colorado	This week	1	3	16	68	12
	Last week	1	1	8	68	22
South Dakota	This week	0	1	45	49	5
	Last week	2	5	41	43	9

Benefits of desiccation

Now is a great time to start thinking about desiccating your sunflower crop. Getting the crop harvested several weeks early can result in higher yields and lower drying costs. Late season crop damage and blackbird damage can be reduced, and desiccation may also slow down head diseases such as Sclerotinia. Early dry down can also minimize artificial drying costs. September and the first half of October harvest can often allow the use of air-drying to lower seed moisture in storage. Visit Desiccant Considerations (sunflowernsa.com) to learn more about desiccation.

Grower report

Hutchinson, Kansas producer Cameron Peirce says they have received no rain this summer and most things are burning up. His full crop sunflowers are terrible but his double crop sunflowers look good, surviving on 2.5 inches of rain. Head moth has been a big issue this year.

Markets

Old crop NuSun and high oleic prices were down 25 cents to unchanged this week. New crop was down $1.10 to 25 cents. Overall, traders are looking at no big surprises for the U.S. sunflower crop as the growing season concludes. Initial estimates using trend yields peg U.S. oil-type sunflower production at 1.9 billion pounds down 24 percent from last year with non-oil sunflower production at 263 million pounds up 10 percent from 2022. These yield estimates can change in the coming months, especially as harvest activity ramps up. In October, USDA will provide its first official estimate of 2023 oil and non-oil sunflower production. This report and demand will set the tone for sunflower price direction in the near term. Very warm to hot temperatures in the past month along with drier soil conditions have pushed the crop toward maturity in the Dakotas and Minnesota. Below average moisture conditions are expected to persist in parched areas of the Northern and High Plains for at least the next two weeks. This will likely continue accelerating crop maturation which is about equal to the five-year average pace. If possible and if the crop has matured to a point where it can be desiccated and harvested, it is advisable to do so. Getting the crop harvested several weeks early can result in higher yields and lower drying costs. It can also reduce late season crop damage and blackbird damage.

USDA Provides Help with Blackbirds

Sunflowers are blooming and it is never too early to think about blackbird control. Local birds cause a large amount of damage as petals begin to dry and drop (R6 stage). Be proactive early on to minimize seed loss, do not wait for the buildup of large flocks. USDA Wildlife Services personnel can help North Dakota and South Dakota producers who have blackbird problems, call 701-355-3300. Some other ways to reduce damage include cattail management, cannons, harassment, desiccants, and repellants. These tools are even more effective when used together. For more on blackbirds, visit Blackbirds (sunflowernsa.com)

Emergency Use of Loveland Malathion 57EC to Control RSSW Approved in South Dakota

EPA approved the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources request for a Section 18 Crisis Exemption for the use of Loveland Malathion 57EC to control Red Sunflower Seed Weevil. The emergency crisis exemption is effective immediately and applies to any area in South Dakota where sunflowers are being grown. The exemption expires on August 31, 2023. A maximum of two applications are allowed under the exemption with the second application occurring a minimum of five days after the first. PLEASE CONSULT AND FOLLOW THIS: Malathion 57 EC 34704-108_ Crisis18_RSSW_ Sunflower_SD_August 2023 REV 8-16-23 REVabc.pdf

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Weekly Prices Recorded on Monday, August 28, 2023 ($/CWT)

	Deliver	Last Year	Last Week	This Week	Change	2023 NEW Crop
Chicago Oil	Nearby	70.98	67.99	66.99	-1.00	63.45
West Fargo, ND	NuSun	26.65	18.00	17.75	-.25	18.25
West Fargo, ND	High Oleic	27.90	19.20	19.00	-.20	19.50
Enderlin, ND	NuSun	26.85	18.80	NQ	--	19.00
Enderlin, ND	High Oleic	27.85	19.30	NQ	--	20.00
Lamar, CO	High Oleic	28.25	19.80	19.60	-.20	20.70

U.S. CRUDE OIL VALUES recorded on Monday, August 28, 2023
(dollars per 100 lb. internal U.S. locations)

	Last Year	Last Week	This Week	Change
Soybean Oil	79.98	74.49	73.40	-1.09
Cotton Oil (pbsy)	120.98	102.99	101.90	-1.09
Corn Oil	131.00	75.00	75.00	NC

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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