Sunflower prices were largely unchanged with some markets up 50 cents, according to the National Sunflower Association.
According to the September U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency crop acreage report, planted sunflower acreage in 2024 totaled 715,200 acres down 46% from last year. USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service is using a planted acreage estimate of 898,500 acres.
According to FSA, planted area of oil-type varieties is 594,000 acres with acreage of non-oil varieties, at 121,200 acres. NASS has pegged the planted area of oil-type varieties at 765,000 million acres and non-oil varieties, at 133,500 acres. Wet spring planting conditions resulted in 26,000 prevented plant acres in 2024 with South Dakota accounting for 13,000 acres of the total.
The 2024 U.S. sunflower production is still undetermined and will not be known until harvest gets rolling and some yield results are reported. In October, USDA will provide its first estimate for oil and non-oil sunflower production. On Sept. 30, USDA will report old crop sunflower stocks. These USDA reports will give producers and industry a better picture of sunflower fundamentals heading into the 2024-25 marketing year.
The weather forecast for the next two weeks is predicting above normal temperatures in the sunflower growing region, which bodes well for crop dry down. Getting the crop harvested several weeks early can result in lower drying costs, plus reduces late season crop and blackbird damage.
