New crop prices for oil sunflower continue to move higher adding another 5 to 10 cents per hundredweight a week ago. New crop prices are in a range of $17.45 to $18.45 for NuSun with High Oleics at $17.95 to $18.65 at the crush plants. 2018 new crop prices are now $2 per hundredweight higher than last year at this same time. Something else to consider is the oil premiums that crush plants pay on sunflower. Considering oil premiums that are offered at the crush plants on oil content above 40 percent at a rate of 2 percent price premium for each 1 percent of oil above 40 percent; this pushes a contract with 45 percent oil content gross return 10 percent higher per hundredweight and would raise the value of a $18.65 base contract to $20.51 per hundredweight. Old crop prices have climbed the past few weeks bucking the negative trend in oil values, adding 5 to 10 cents this week. Most fundamental news for oil has been negative lately with soybean oil and palm oil prices on the defensive. Frigid winter weather drove crush demand for soybean meal and pressured CBoT soyoil contracts as oil stocks started to build. This situation is normal as historically soybean oil prices hit a low point during January and February as meal drives the market. Adding more price pressure has been surging palm oil production, which is way ahead of last year at this time. A small 2017 US sunflower crop and good demand are supporting seed prices.