The Sunflower Magazine-March/April 2013

®

Average based on 3 CROPLAN varieties versus 5 different competitor’s varieties from trials within the same maturity set. Because of factors outside of Winfi eld Solutions’ control, such as weather and product application, results to be obtained, including but not limited to yields, cannot be predicted or guaranteed by Winfi eld Solutions. Results are based upon controlled test and fi eld trials. Actual results may vary. WinField is a trademark and CROPLAN is a registered trademark of Winfi eld Solutions, LLC. © 2013 Winfi eld Solutions, LLC

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Publisher — National Sunflower Association Editor — John Sandbakken NSA Communications Director — Sonia Mullally Contributing Writer/Editor — Don Lilleboe Advertising Manager — Lerrene Kroh

The Sunflower is published six times per year by the National Sunflower Association, a farmer and industry organization working to improve the profitability of sunflower for all sectors. Farmer checkoff commissions/ councils in N.D., S.D., Minn., Kan., and Colo., make up NSA’s basic funding and governing structure. Assessments on volume in the oilseed and confection processing industries and the hybrid seed sector are key funding components, with other funding from grants, including USDA Foreign Agricultural Service.

Offices for The Sunflower are located at NSA headquarters, 2401 46th Ave. S.E., Ste. 206, Mandan, ND 58554. NSA & magazine phone number is (701) 328-5100; toll free (888) 718-7033.

U.S. farmers raising 10 or more acres of sunflower, extension agents, and public researchers can receive The Sunflower at no charge. Others may subscribe at these rates: North American residents, US $15.00 for one year or US $40.00 for three years; overseas air mail, US $50.00 per year.

Information in The Sunflower does not necessarily represent the views or policies of the National Sunflower Association. Nor does advertising in The Sunflower imply endorsement by the publisher. NSA is an equal opportunity provider and employer without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion or disability.

IN THIS ISSUE

Vol. 39 No. 3

March/April 2013

Page 18 Page 8

— FEATURES — Signs Point to Volatility into ’13 Season . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Battle between tight old-crop supplies & potential bearish new-crop

Caretaker of the Soil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 South Dakotan Rick Bieber is adamant about good stewardship

Spring Survey to Focus on Plant Spacing Issue . . . . . . 12 Fall crop survey consistently shows it as key yield-affecting issue

Current NSA officers and directors are: Chairman Tom Young, Onida, S.D. President Kevin Capistran, Crookston, Minn.

First Vice President Art Ridl, Dickinson, N.D. Second Vice President Karl Esping, Lindsborg, Kan. Secretary/Treasurer Guy Christensen, Enderlin, N.D. Directors Steve Arnhalt, Breckenridge, Minn.

Brad Bonhorst, Fort Pierre, S.D. Clark Coleman, Bismarck, N.D. Jeff Oberholtzer, Mohall, N.D. Mike Odegaard, Bismarck, N.D. Don Schommer, Munich, N.D. Ron Seidel, Meadow, S.D. Patrick Stolz, West Fargo, N.D. Ben Vig, Sharon, N.D. Arnold Woodbury, Wyndmere, N.D. Leon Zimbelman, Keenesburg, Colo.

Executive Director John Sandbakken, Mandan, N.D.

THE SUNFLOWER March/April 2013

Double-Crop Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 S.C. Nebraska grower Anson Nielsen pleased with first year

Encouraging Progress With Rust-Resistant Confections 22 USDA group to release three new lines this year

New Insecticide for Sunflower Moth & Banded Moth . . 24 DuPont’s Prevathon® now available for use in sunflower

The NSA: What It Is & What It Does . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 What you get for your checkoff dollars

Mexico: Land of Opportunity for U.S. Sunflower . . . . . . 28 Final in a series on NSA foreign market development

Sunflower Briefs

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30 Years Ago in The Sunflower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Cover — Photo: Don Lilleboe 3

Sunflower Briefs NSA Board Funds 2013 Research Projects

Bottling NuSun Oil in Minnesota

During its meeting in late February, the National Sunflower Association Board of Directors approved funding for more than $388,265 toward research funding for 2013. Among the projects were four related to disease issues (including rust, Phomopsis, downy mildew), awarded a total of $65,622. Two insect projects focusing on seed- and stem-infesting insect pests were granted $49,396. One weed project that will complement past work, but also will serve to take a closer look at glyphosate-resistant broadleaf weed management, was awarded $12,040.

In the production category, which includes funding for the 2013 crop survey, money was granted to eight projects totaling $133,107. Other projects in this category will address nitrogen management, supplemental irrigation, dryland crop rotation, blackbird management, fatty acid composition and combine fire prevention research. Also approved were ongoing projects for rust resistance in confection sunflower funded through a specialty crop block grant, and the doubled-haploid project funded through seed companies.

Contributions by the High Plains Sunflower Committee, private seed companies, state checkoff councils/commissions and state ag research funds were also a part of the overall sunflower research picture.

NuSunÂŽ will soon be back on the store shelves. Tom Smude, Pierz, Minn., farmer and businessman, is expanding his sunflower oil business to include NuSun oil. Smude Enterprises LLC began its cold-press sunflower oil crush operation in February 2010.

Smude is now ready to grow his business to include Nature’s Sunflower Oil. The NuSun oil will be sourced regionally and packaged in 32-oz bottles at a facility in Pierz and distributed to stores.

Contracts are currently being negotiated for nationwide distribution. NuSun looks to break back into the mainstream oil market as consumer demand strengthens for healthier non-GMO oil choices.

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Patrick Stolz, commercial manager for Cargill at West Fargo, N.D., has joined the NSA Board of Directors. He assumes the seat previously held by Cargill’s Tyler Schultz.

Stolz began his career with the company in the Malt Business Unit in 2004. From there, he moved into a merchandising role on the Soy Hull Desk before eventually becoming the manager of that group. Over the last two years, Stolz has traded the Eastern soybean position while taking a lead role in helping manage the logistics and trading relationship with the crush facilities in the Patrick Stolz Southeast.

Stolz grew up in Excelsior, Minn. and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in applied economics. He, his wife Tricia and two children are in the process of moving to Fargo.

NSA Summer Seminar Set for June 25-27

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The 31st annual NSA Summer Seminar takes us back out west to the scenic Badlands of Medora, N.D. Mark your calendar for June 25-27 to join this fun and informative event.

This year’s event begins on Tuesday with the NSA board meeting, registration and evening dinner and fundraiser.

The educational/informational sessions begin early the next morning with panel discussions and keynote speakers.

There will also be short breakout sessions that afternoon. Social events include the Curt Stern Scholarship fundraiser, dinner at the pitchfork fondue site, the Medora Musical and golf at the Bully Pulpit Golf Course.

Reservations can now be made at local motels in Medora under the National Sunflower Association’s name. Email Lerrene Kroh at lkroh@sunflowernsa.com or call her at 701-328-5107 for more information on the 2013 NSA Summer Seminar. Registration details are available on the NSA website, www.sunflowernsa.com.

Sclerotinia Initiative Meeting Update Reports from researchers attending the annual meeting of the National Sclerotinia Initiative held in late January in Minneapolis indicate that positive progress is being made on this difficult dis-

THE SUNFLOWER  March/April 2013

ease. Sclerotinia affects most broadleaf crops and requires multiple genes for resistance. The greatest progress is being made with a combination of improved genetics and new fungicides. Resistant genes are being identified in a number of wild sunflower species.

Transferring those genes to cultivated sunflower is the present task. Further testing of fungicides in misted disease nurseries for a number of crops, including sunflower, is on the agenda for 2013.

The Sclerotinia Initiative is federally funded and, in addition to sunflower, includes crops such as soybean, canola, peas, lentils and edible beans. Researchers from 14 different states are involved in projects, and there is a great deal of collaboration among universities and USDA-ARS researchers. Funding decisions will be announced at a meeting in April.

Nufarm Expands Global Platform of Nuseed Nufarm has expanded the global platform of its Nuseed business with the acquisition of a 51% interest in Atlantica Sementes, a Brazilian business specializing in sorghum and sunflower seeds.

The company employs 45 people with offices in Curitiba and Rio

Verde. The majority stake in Atlantica will allow Nuseed to supply a number of existing hybrids through the Atlantica distribution network and will leverage other development programs in Australia, Argentina and the U.S. Atlantica will have access to several new high-value categories in the Nuseed pipeline, including highsugar forage sorghum and high-oleic sunflower.

GMO Labeling at Whole Foods Market Whole Foods Market has announced that by 2018 all products in its U.S. and Canadian stores must be labeled to indicate if they contain genetically modified organisms. Whole Foods is the first grocer to set a deadline for full GMO labeling. The company will be working with suppliers as they transition to ingredients from non-GMO sources, or clearly label products containing GMOs by the five-year deadline.

The impact on non-GMO products like sunflower would be positive if food companies look for non-GMO substitutes. The vast majority of soybean, corn, cotton and canola oils are derived from GMO sources.

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THE SUNFLOWER March/April 2013

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arkets

Signs Point to Volatility into ’13 Season

By Mike Krueger

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gricultural markets are now locked in a battle between extremely tight old-crop supplies of feed grains and oilseeds and the potential for bearish new-crop markets if 2013 world crop production returns to more-normal levels.

Wheat is trapped in the middle, with U.S. wheat now the cheapest in the world and nearly the cheapest feed grain in the world. More wheat will be fed over the next six months than expected because it has gotten so cheap relative to corn.

Basis levels for old-crop corn and soybeans have continued to strengthen to historical highs as very strong demand for U.S. soybeans and soybean meal has lasted longer than expected. The transition from U.S. soybean supplies to South American soybean supplies has not been an easy one.

Vessels are now waiting in excess of 60 days to load soybeans from Brazil. In fact, there are so many vessels waiting to load soybeans and soy products in South America that it has reportedly tightened the available vessel supply or even more export business would be coming from the U.S. Therein lies the dilemma of old-crop soybeans and other oilseeds. China’s demand continues to be unabated regardless of the price. Argentina and Brazil are or

will be harvesting big crops, but logistical snarls and slow farmer selling have resulted in massive delays in shipping those big crops to the world market.

The U.S. soybean supply will be just fumes by midsummer. USDA has refused to increase the export forecast for soybeans despite the fact that we have sold more than 95% of the annual export goal just seven months into the marketing year. In addition, actual export loading has been huge.

Most of what has been purchased has also been quickly shipped. The demand for soybean meal has meant that U.S. crushing plants have also been operating at a high capacity. Both the crush and export forecast should be raised in the months ahead, but there is little supply cushion to allow for these increases.

O

ld-crop oilseed values have returned to the upper end of their trading range, while new-crop values have weakened on expectations of more planted acres, a record 2013 soybean yield (according to USDA’s recent outlook conference), and a steep increase in ending supplies in the 2013/14 marketing year.

The corn (and other feed grains) market is in an even tighter position. Like oilseeds,

the old-crop tightness is expected to eventually give way to a huge increase in ending supplies in the next marketing year if nearrecord corn yields are achieved in 2013.

All of this continues to point to very volatile markets with big price swings as we head into the spring planting season and then the growing season. Here are some of the key market issues in the months ahead: • USDA releases its quarterly stocks report on March 29, reflecting stocks on hand as of March 1. Corn and soybean stocks estimates will be critical to old-crop prices.

• The USDA will release the planting intentions estimate on the same day as the quarterly stocks numbers. The market is leaning toward more oilseeds acres and steady or a slight decline in corn acres.

• A wet, cool spring could mean some planting delays. The market needs early harvested soybeans and corn this year because of the lack of old-crop supplies.

• Most of the western Corn Belt and Southern Plains remains in a very severe drought. Late-winter precip was much better than the previous six months, but subsoil moisture levels have not been recharged.

• The USDA (and most other analytical groups) is using very optimistic 2013 yield estimates despite the poor soil moisture conditions today. This means markets will be even more sensitive to any threats to yields throughout the growing season. Neither the U.S. nor the world has any supply cushion heading into the Northern Hemisphere growing season.

T

he initial (and minimum) crop insurance prices for oil and confection sunflower were established during the month of February. The oil price is $26.60/cwt and the confection price is $33/cwt. This does offer some level of price protection if yields are very good and prices weaken.

Producers have not made many newcrop sales of any crop, according to grain buyers across all of the U.S., relative to the past three years. Drought, plus the fact that selling early in recent years has been at low prices, are the reasons producers haven’t been active new-crop sellers.

There is no reason to carry any old-crop supplies into the new crop with price inverses very large. Producers should also consider making new-crop sales on any significant price rallies and look for option strategies to protect against a summer rally if weather turns threatening.

■

Mike Krueger is owner of The Money Farm, a Fargo, N.D.-based grain marketing consulting firm. While the information in this article is believed to be reliable, marketing involves risk, and the author and The Sunflower assume no responsibility for its use.

6

THE SUNFLOWER March/April 2013

Photo: Rick Bieber

Caretaker of the Soil South Dakota No-Till Producer Rick Bieber Is Emphatic About Good Stewardship

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very wise farmer knows the foundation of his success lies within the soil. But few if any farmers imprint that fact upon their own consciousness and methodology with more conviction than Rick Bieber.

Bieber, who along with his son, Ben, farms near the north central South Dakota community of Trail City, has become a popular national and even international speaker on the subjects of no-till crop production and soil health. He is a fervent believer in both — and crop yields on their Corson County farm confirm the validity of his approach. Yet Bieber simultaneously waves off any suggestion that he’s an expert in these areas. “The hero is the crops — their roots and their ability to gather carbon so the soil biota can live in a healthy environment,” he emphasizes. “And the hero becomes the soil itself. I didn’t have anything to do with it other than leaving it alone; I didn’t contribute anything by using a ‘piece of green or red paint.’ ” The core of the Bieber farm is comprised of side-by-side acreage homesteaded by his two sets of grandparents. “One of my grandfathers was very conservation

8

minded; the other one was very much ‘let’s see what we can get off the land’ ” he relates. The locale’s light soils have been prone to wind-driven erosion for generations, and the differences in the two sets of land — one that blew heavily during the ’30s and ’40s and one that did not — are

still manifested today in their respective productivity levels, he says.

Bieber and his father farmed very conventionally during the 1970s, tilling extensively. “The county average spring wheat yield was 17 bu/ac; our proven yield was 21 bu. So we were good — or so we thought,” he recounts. During the ’80s, the Bieber operation was under extreme financial stress of the degree that forced numerous Upper Midwest farmers out of business. The turnaround began in the late ’80s, about the time Rick started no-tilling.

“Through a complete change in farming style, our farm survived and thrived in the ’90s,” he says. “The decade of the 2000s put our farm through some of the most extreme conditions, from the lowest rainfall ever recorded to some of the highest temperatures in several decades. And yet our soils continued to perform. This was achieved through no-till, rotations and downright stubbornness.”

Long-term rainfall in the Trail City area averages less than 17 inches per year.

While 2011 brought above-average precipitation, 2012 was just the opposite. Still, crop yields on the Bieber farm have, for years, been far above the county average.

“It’s not about how much moisture one receives; but rather, how efficiently you manage what you receive,” Rick states. “We judge our management skills by ‘pounds of harvestable material per inch of water fallen.’ And our soil health has allowed that number to keep rising. It’s about the soils taking care of themselves and taking care of the crops planted there.

“Our ‘bucket’ becomes larger and larger every year if we cause less soil disturbance, through increased organic matter,” he adds. The typical tilled field in Bieber’s area has around 2% organic matter. His own longtime no-till fields run around 5%. “So if my soils would typically hold three or four inches of water with 2% OM, now they hold six inches of moisture at the root zone.”

Rotation & Cover Cropping

Rick Bieber

The Bieber crop rotation has evolved a long way since the straight wheat-fallow days of the ’60s, ’70s and early ’80s. “We start off with a four- or five-year rotation that includes cool-season grasses (wheat and oats); then go to a warm-season grass (corn, millet, forages). From there, we go to a broadleaf (sunflower, flax, peas, alfalfa) and anything else that we feel may improve our soils and reduce our inputs in the following wheat crops,” Rick observes.

He admits to occasionally deviating from his planned rotation because of the temptation to “chase a market,” but feels doing so extracts a definite price from the next year’s crop.

THE SUNFLOWER March/April 2013

Photo: Cheryl Reese

Bieber’s intense interest in improving his fields’ soil health led him into seeding cover crops the past several years. He has experimented with various types: warmseason, cool-season, broadleaves and grasses. In some instances, the cover crop has thrived; in others, it has not. In 2012, for instance, the extreme drought resulted in poor germination and minimal growth.

Overall, however, Bieber says cover cropping has definitely benefited yield in the succeeding cash crop. Cover crops also provide forage for their expanding cattle numbers — and, of course, contribute to improved soil structure.

South Dakota State University agronomist Cheryl Reese has been testing cover crops on the Bieber farm the past three years as part of a multi-site research project partially funded through the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Her focus has been on the impact that cover crops have on soil quality, corn yield and soil nitrogen.

In this NRCS study, cover crops were seeded in August 2010 into wheat stubble.

To compare the fall cover crop effect, control plots were established in August 2010 where a fall cover crop was not planted.

The following spring, 2011, Bieber planted corn into the test plot area. A third cover crop treatment was added in June of that year when cover crops were drilled into the growing corn.

(The August 2010-seeded cover was a mixture of purple top turnips, diakon radish, lentils, peas, proso millet, german millet and volunteer spring wheat. The June 2011 mixture consisted of crimson clover, winter wheat and lentils.)

In 2012, Bieber planted sunflower across Reese’s cover crop plots on the Bieber farm. In the fall, Reese sampled sunflower from the cover crop plots seeded in August 2010; those seeded in June 2011; and from the plots that did not have cover crops. In this single-year, single-site study, sunflower yield was greater in the plots where cover crops were planted in August 2010 as compared to the other two treatments. “Basically, what we saw at Rick’s farm was that an in-season cover crop did not benefit sunflower production the following year, but a fall cover crop did,” Reese says. “The ‘fall cover crop 2010 plots’ sunflower yields were statistically significantly greater than those of the sunflower planted into the cover crops planted into corn in June 2011, or where there were no cover crops.”

Why did those cover crop trials produce those results? “While I am still working on the data to support my idea, it goes along with Rick’s,” Reese says by way of explanation. “When wheat is harvested in mid-July or around August 1, the living root mass is gone. That leaves August,

THE SUNFLOWER March/April 2013

“In 2011, corn yield was better where we had a fall cover crop as well. We are reaping the rewards in corn yield (2011) and sunflower yield (2012) of maintaining a living soil for those three to four months after spring wheat was harvested.”

What Sunflower Brings

Cover crop grows in wheat stubble in an SDSU research plot on the Bieber farm.

September, October and maybe even some of November with soil that does not have a living root mass.

“If we think about soils at Trail City, these soils supported mid to short native prairie grasses where a living root provided carbon, as well as other nutrient sources for the soil microorganisms, from April to November. By adding this fall cover crop following a short-season crop such as wheat, we assist maintaining a healthy population of soil biota.

Ironically, both Rick Bieber and son Ben are allergic to sunflower. During the crop’s bloom period, “I look like I’ve been run through a washing machine — red and rashy all over,” he quips. But he’s also allergic to cattle . . . cats . . . kochia . . . and tomatoes, among other things. So that inseason allergy is not about to stop him from growing this crop — especially when yields on the Bieber farm averaged in the neighborhood of 2,400 to 2,600 lbs/ac in 2010 (with one field hitting nearly 3,500 lbs). During the very dry 2012 season, yields varied from 1,500 to 2,500 lbs/ac across their 2,000 acres of oil-type sunflower.

The Biebers actually didn’t start growing sunflower until 2002. “We needed a broadleaf in our rotation,” Rick recalls. “A lot of broadleaves just don’t sustain under high temperatures and low moisture; but sunflower will.

“We manage intensely for high-quality, high-yield wheat. We fertilize with the

9

Photo: Rick Bieber

drill, we top dress — and we’ll even fertilize the wheat a third time, because we’re going for high-quality spring wheat.”

Corn typically follows wheat on the Bieber farm, “and we manage the corn for some high yields also.” Then comes sunflower the following year, planted between the standing corn stalks. Because it’s the deepest-rooting crop in the rotation, “we do fertilize — but we fertilize extremely early, because we want the nitrogen to go down deep,” Bieber says. “We don’t want a lot of vegetative growth on that sunflower plant.

“When it hits the nitrogen, the sunflower has some ‘age’ on it already. We want it to be taking full advantage of that nitrogen during seed fill. We wind up with tremendous oil — and that oil gives you tremendous weight at the elevator.”

Weed control has proven very manageable in the Bieber sunflower fields. “Our weed control is close to maximum in all the

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other crops, so there’s not much of a weed seed bank there when the sunflower goes in,” Rick observes. “We do put down Spartan; but it’s more of a preventative measure.” He also counts on the sunflower plant canopy to aid with suppression of any late-emerging weeds.

Another benefit to sunflower’s deep taproot, Bieber says, comes a year or two after a field of ’flowers has been harvested.

‘If you recognize the wealth that God has given you in the soil, and you look at it as a resource you must protect, the soils respond unbelievably.’

“When the sunflower plant decomposes, you have that channel that is now devoid of the old root,” he points out. “If you never go through there with a seeding apparatus or tillage tool that closes the channel, it then becomes a capillary to let moisture migrate back and forth. The moisture percolates down quickly if we get a big rain event; but [the channel] also lets deeper soil moisture move upward in a dry spell.”

Bieber says one downside with sunflower to date has been “we have a hard time keeping the sunflower residue stable after [seeding spring wheat] and prior to the wheat’s emergence.” That’s especially true if early spring brings high winds — which is not at all uncommon. He is experimenting with flying on a cover crop in the sunflower at about the V5-V6 stage (as he did on 100% of this past season’s corn acreage); “but 2012 wasn’t a good year to experiment with that, because we got virtually no rain during July and August.”

Again, It’s the Soil!

When you have the Risk Management Agency auditing you because they have a hard time believing how high your yields were, you must have been doing something right. But again, Rick Bieber shines the spotlight on his soils.

“It’s come to where our soils are so willing to give back and produce on so little moisture,” he reiterates. “If you pay attention to your soils, they just come alive!

If you recognize the wealth that God has given you in the soil, and you look at it as a resource that you must protect — rather than just protecting your bank account — the soils respond unbelievably, including in very adverse weather years.

“Take care of your soil, and it will take care of you.” — Don Lilleboe ■

THE SUNFLOWER March/April 2013

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Left: Irregular plant spacing within the row has consistently ranked high as a yield-limiting factor in the National Sunflower Association’s annual crop survey.

Photo: Hans Kandel, NDSU Extension Agronomist

Sunflower Association has conducted indepth surveys in producers’ fields throughout the main sunflower growing regions of the United States, as well as in Manitoba, Canada.

The data generated by the fall survey can be used by producers to make better management decisions. The information is also providing trends over time, which is used to help define research priorities in improving sunflower crop production and the bottom line for producers.

Examining Plant Spacing

Spring Survey to Focus On Plant Spacing Issue M

any production issues, like diseases and insects, can be examined under a microscope or studied in a research plot.

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Irregular plant spacing within a row has consistently ranked as either the top or second yield-limiting factor since the first survey was conducted in 2001. In an effort to capture this elusive piece to the sunflower puzzle, a spring survey will be conducted for the first time during the 2013 season. The main objective is to put this one aspect of plant stand into focus.

Why can’t this be accomplished by the fall survey? “The fall survey only shows the final stand at the end of the season,” explains Hans Kandel, extension agronomist with North Dakota State University.

“We do not know exactly why there are gaps. Was it due to poor planting? Poor emergence? Disease or insects? Following the crop from start to finish hopefully will answer these questions at the end of the growing season.”

Why is plant stand such a critical aspect of sunflower production? The plant spacing difficulties consist of either a skip within the row or areas where plants grow too close together, causing one or more of the plants not to contribute to the sunflower yield. Equal distribution of plants is essential to obtaining the maximum yield.

It’s a difficult puzzle to solve because there are many factors that could be the cause. But it’s certainly worth a closer look, because it robs growers of yield every season. It is estimated that plants emerging at different stages for several weeks with multiple skips and doubles can decrease yields by more than 500 lbs/ac.

Irregular plant spacing in the row may have been caused by poor seeding conditions, failure to adjust the planter, driving too fast, poor germination, disease, insect damage or other factors. Based on the data collected and surveyor observations in 2012, Kandel estimates the average yield of 28 fields with plant distribution issues was 1,678 lbs/ac, compared to 21 fields with no stand problem or other problems

THE SUNFLOWER March/April 2013

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Photo: Hans Kandel, NDSU Extension Agronomist

Left: ‘Growers know they can expect to lose 10% of their seeds to planting issues or environmental factors; but why are we seeing the fall survey report 20% or more being lost and not contributing to yield? These are things we need to address, clearly.’ — Max Dietrich

Survey Procedure

yielding an average of 2,158 lbs/ac.

Producers know the need to pay special attention to their management and refine their technique while seeding sunflower.

Planter calibration may be the first step to reducing skips and getting better plant spacing within the row. But some factors regarding plant stand go unaddressed or are simply beyond growers’ control. That’s where the survey data will come into play.

The spring survey will be different from that conducted in the fall — but yet similar in many ways in order to provide a starting point. Max Dietrich, oilseeds agronomist with Pioneer and organizer of the spring survey effort, says the idea came about during last fall’s research planning meeting.

“The NSA Research Committee meets in the fall to determine priorities for the next year’s project proposals based on the findings from the fall survey,” Dietrich explains. “The question on plant spacing keeps coming up year after year, and we simply don’t have the answer. The fall survey isn’t really geared toward finding a solution to problems that occur very early in the growing season.”

So Dietrich went to work on devising a plan to survey fields shortly after planting. The objectives and procedures put forth are much more detailed than the fall survey because of the goal of trying to pinpoint one particular aspect. The fall survey is designed to give a broader overview of possible yield-limiting factors.

Surveyors will be looking at 20 oil sunflower fields and 10 confection fields in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota.

Thirty separate growers will participate.

Dietrich will be conducting many of the oil sunflower field surveys himself and enlisting the help of confection company crop scouts for additional data. First, a surveyor will identify a sun-

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flower grower who seeded his field with a planter. An interview will be conducted with the grower to get details on management, such as planting date, hybrid, seeding rate, previous crop, tillage practices, as well as fertilizer and herbicide application timing and rates.

The survey will also include estimation of plant stand, evaluation of plant spacing and seeding depth, evaluation of insect, rodent or bird damage, as well as disease presence and impact. Environmental factors will also be recorded, such as soil crusting and moisture conditions.

To obtain this information, the surveyor will venture into the field to evaluate the situation. “Surveyors will mark their entry point with flags in order to designate the same area to be evaluated in the fall,” Dietrich says. “We’re looking at conducting the survey from about June 24 through July 6. We want to time it just right in order to be able to see what might have happened in the cases of skips or poor stand.”

Surveyors will enter the field and go approximately 100 feet for the first evaluation; then go approximately 50 more feet and do the same evaluation a second time.

Two rows of 25 feet will be sectioned off.

In that area, surveyors are asked to record the total number of plants in both rows, keeping a close watch for doubles (plants four inches or closer) or skips (18 inches or more between plants). Skips will be evaluated for diseases, insects, birds or rodent activity. Surveyors will also dig up the furrow to attempt to diagnose the problem of the seed, such as seeding depth, germination, disease, insect, etc.

“After this is all said and done, we may actually come up with more questions than answers,” Dietrich points out. “But at least we will know what direction to turn by those questions. Growers know they can expect to lose 10% of their seeds to planting issues or environmental factors; but why are we seeing the fall survey report 20% or more being lost and not contributing to yield? These are things we need to address, clearly.”

Surveyors will also evaluate standing plants by taking a look at five consecutive plants. They will measure seed depth and count leaves on plants that are two inches or longer.

“If we look at five plants and one has two leaves and the one next to it has six, we have to ask what went wrong,” Dietrich notes. “As seed guys, we need to be looking back at our hybrids and make sure they are doing what they are set out to do.”

In a similar fashion as the fall survey, data collected will be sent to Kandel at NDSU. These same fields will be included in the fall survey to compare spring and fall observations. Results the first year

THE SUNFLOWER March/April 2013

The spring-surveyed fields will also be included in the annual fall survey to compare observations. will likely determine if the spring survey will be conducted for more than one year.

Dietrich set out to design the spring survey that will serve to provide answers to the reoccurring questions generated by

the fall survey about poor plant stand. He suspects that will be accomplished to some degree — and hopefully serve as a catalyst for more research leading to real solutions.

— Sonia Mullally ■

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Photo: Amanda & Anson Nielsen

Left: The 2012 Nielsen double-cropped sunflower was planted into standing wheat stubble on June 18.

Double-Crop Success First-Time S.C. Nebraska Grower Anson Nielsen Impressed With His 2012 Results

W

hen south central Nebraska farmer Anson Nielsen decided to plant sunflower for the first time, he never thought it would draw a crowd. He was simply looking to try double-cropping sunflower for profit potential.

Growing sunflower in an area where the big yellow bloom isn’t a common sight certainly caught the attention of his neighbors and occasional curious onlookers who stopped to take photos of this rare sight.

The experiment turned out exception-

ally well for the Minden, Neb., farmer, who was pleasantly surprised at the results. He ended up with 1,345-lb ’flowers on the 80acre dryland field.

While that might not sound like much of a bumper crop to some more-seasoned growers, there are two factors that might surprise folks: First, that sunflower yield was achieved after only one inch of rain fell throughout the entire growing season.

And second, that field’s oil content came in at a range of 46-48%, which, he was told, was some of the best recorded at the delivery point.

“My dad, whom I farm alongside, had tried confection sunflower over 20 years ago,” Nielsen explains. “I had to make a choice on what to follow wheat, so we decided to give double-crop sunflower a try.

I’d definitely say we were pleased with the results.”

Nielsen relied on advice from his dad as well as his good friend, Jim Palmer, who farms 40 miles to the west near Elm Creek, Neb. Palmer hooked Nielsen up with a short-stature Triumph hybrid suitable for the area. Both growers provide a unique perspective from this locale, where sunflower acres are not common, but have potential to increase.

For the past 12 years or so, Palmer has been growing 300-400 acres of irrigated oil sunflower annually. He says he got into sunflower for the rotational benefits. “I was looking for something after wheat on a double-crop option,” he explains. “Now I’m on a typical five-crop rotation in four years with soybeans/wheat/sunflower/

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THE SUNFLOWER March/April 2013

corn/corn. I’ll admit there was a bit of a learning curve when I first started; but it’s really worked well for our rotation, and now more than ever that our irrigation water is limited.”

Nielsen’s dryland field was planted notill on wheat stubble on June 18 into good moisture. “At the time of planting, we had decent — but I wouldn’t say an overabundance of — moisture. During the growing season, we only ended up getting two halfinch rain events. But one came when the seeds were filling, so that was well-timed,” Nielsen notes.

Despite good moisture going in, the sunflower plants did show signs of stress.

“The sunflower seemed to be able to go after that moisture that the wheat hadn’t utilized,” Nielsen relates. “I did dig up some of the ’flowers and found it interesting that the taproot had gone sideways for the most part.”

Just prior to planting, Nielsen made one pass with Spartan to go after the troublesome weeds: horseweed (or marestail) and Palmer Amaranth. He also went in with a preplant application of 60 lbs of liquid nitrogen. The ’flowers were planted in 36inch rows with a planter equipped with eSet® meters from Precision Planting (for which Nielson happens to be an authorized dealer). Target plant population was 23,000 per acre.

Another pass was made mid-season with a herbicide for some volunteer wheat.

He also sprayed for head moth, noting that he did see some moth activity — but with no experience growing sunflower, he couldn’t say whether the moth pressure was “heavy.” He chose to spray because “we went on the side of caution.”

Nielsen says he was shooting for ton ’flowers. But the lack of moisture was a game changer. He figured sunflower was just like any other crop at the base: put it on good land and utilize best practices. He knew the land was good after pulling off 55-bu wheat prior and 60-bu soybeans the year before.

Palmer, who planted his sunflower on June 23, had his best crop ever this year at 2,500 lbs/ac with oils coming in at 43-44%.

That date was the earliest he’s ever planted sunflower. He’s pushed the planting date back as far as July 19 some years. “I attribute my best crop ever to that early planting date, but that might not work for everyone,” Palmer says.

One major benefit both men see with sunflower is the preservation of the wheat stubble that retains snowfall over the winter. “I have a field of beans that had gone into wheat stubble right across the road from this sunflower field. A little while back this winter, we had a 9-inch snow event. You look at that bean field and there’s very spotty, minimal snow catch,”

THE SUNFLOWER March/April 2013

‘If there are continued or even more water restrictions put on irrigation, sunflower could have the potential to pick up acres.’

Nielsen explains. “However, you look at the wheat stubble and sunflower stalks, and deep snow had collected — upwards of 18 inches in some spots — from where it had blown in from other fields. That will end up being valuable moisture retained this spring.”

Another benefit that Nielsen sees for those who use irrigation would be the crop’s drought tolerance. “If there are continued or even more water restrictions put on irrigation, sunflower could have the potential to pick up acres,” he says.

“The further you go west of here, the

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19

Photo: Amanda & Anson Nielsen

more limitations there are on water,” Palmer explains. “We are real dry here, and water supplies are getting tighter.”

One drawback to sunflower, the men see as being an issue for farmers in this area, is marketing options. Weed control is also a concern, but Palmer thinks that Spartan has been doing a decent job on most

fields. “The biggest thing is that some people are just set in their ways,” he says.

“Some think sunflower is hard on the ground. I just don’t see it.”

The greatest positive impact Palmer sees for sunflower in his operation is the rotational benefits. “In this area, corn and beans year after year works, but it’s not

Above: Anson and Amanda Nielsen, along with their children (left to right): Aaron, Ashtian and Alizabeth.

beneficial in the long run. The diversity in rotation that sunflower adds is worth quite a bit.” — Sonia Mullally ■ © Archer Daniels Midland Company

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THE SUNFLOWER March/April 2013

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Encouraging Progress With Rust-Resistant Confections — USDA Releasing Three New Lines in 2013 —

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s many confection sunflower growers know all too well, the level of rust resistance in confection hybrids has lagged below that available in oil-type hybrids.

Widely effective sources of resistance to sunflower rust have proven elusive

through the years, requiring confection producers to rely on fungicide treatments for management of this disease.

There’s good news on the horizon, however. Research being conducted at the USDA-ARS Sunflower and Plant Biology

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Research Unit at Fargo, N.D., should result in the release — sometime in 2013 — of confection lines that carry good resistance to sunflower rust. The research project has been partially funded by the National Sunflower Association and the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program administered by the North Dakota Department of Agriculture.

“The goal of the project has been to incorporate rust-resistant genes into an acceptable genetic background — and to then make them available to the private seed industry to create commercial resistant hybrids,” notes Lili Qi, research molecular geneticist with the Fargo unit and the project’s leader. She expects three rust-resistant confection lines — possessing the resistance genes R2, R4 and R5, respectively — to be released to commercial breeders later this year.

These resistance lines were developed using the backcross method, Qi says. The three resistance genes came from three oil sunflower lines. The oil lines were selected as “donor” parents, while two confection lines were selected as “recurrent” parents. “Crossing the recurrent parent with the donor parent produced an F1 hybrid; then, crossing the F1 with the recurrent parent produced the first backcross generation (BC1),” the USDA Lili Qi geneticist explains.

After screening the cross for rust resistance, Qi’s team developed several subsequent backcross generations by repeatedly crossing the selected BC plants with the recurrent parent. In total, “seven generations of back crosses with plant material containing a resistant gene are required for the final product,” she says. “After the final backcross generation, selected individuals were self-pollinated so that the selected lines are homozygous for the rust resistance.” The USDA group confirmed the stability of the rust-resistant genes by using genetic DNA markers and a rust test.

Of course, the final product also must possess strong agronomics. Qi reports that field tests actually showed agronomic improvement in terms of plant vigor, plant height, seed size and seed color. In the end, these three new lines are very similar to the confection recurrent parent — with the notable difference being that they, unlike the parent, possess rust resistance. ■

The USDA rust research has been partially funded by the National Sunflower Association.

THE SUNFLOWER March/April 2013

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New Insecticide for Control of Sunflower Moth & Banded Moth DuPont’s ‘Prevathon’ Now Approved for Use on Sunflower

S

unflower growers have another weapon available to them this year in their dealings with sunflower moth and/or banded sunflower moth.

That weapon is Prevathon®, an insecticide product of DuPont. Prevathon, which received federal registration in 2011, was approved by EPA for use on sunflower in late October of 2012. The main sunflower-producing states in the Northern Plains as well as the Southern Plains are among the numerous states in which this insecticide is registered.

FIFRA 2(ee) labels indicate that Prevathon is effective on many insects in the Order Lepidoptera (moths), as well as on Colorado potato beetle and grasshopper nymphs. It is “powered” by DuPont’s Rynaxypyr® chemistry, which is a different mode of action from the pyrethroid and organophosphate groups. “Rynaxypyr pro-

24

duces muscle paralysis, rapid feeding cessation and death among leaf-feeding insects in either the larval (caterpillar) or adult stage,” explains Janet Knodel, extension entomologist with North Dakota State University. “It also works as an ovi-larvicidal insecticide on the moths; so as the young larvae hatch from the eggs that have been sprayed with Prevathon, they die as soon as they’re exposed to the chemical.”

Knodel affirms that the new mode of action that Prevathon brings to the table should help open doors for its use against the sunflower moth and banded sunflower moth. Data from 2011 and 2012 NDSU and Kansas State University insecticide evaluation trials “have shown it’s very efficacious against those two insects,” Knodel reports.

Economic thresholds and timing for use of Prevathon for control of the sun-

flower moth and banded sunflower moth are similar to those already in place, Knodel notes. So treatment for seed-infesting insects would be recommended when populations of those insect pests are at the economic threshold level and sunflower plant growth is at the R5.1 stage (10% of disk flowers open).

Another apparent benefit of Prevathon is a residual activity period that’s significantly longer than that of the pyrethroid and organophosphate insecticides. Based on DuPont research data, Prevathon provided about a 30-day-long residual. Knodel still plans to test this parameter as well.

Prevathon is very stable at high temperatures, and toxicity data show that it is quite safe. Bee toxicity studies using Coragen®, a “sister insecticide” to Prevathon, have demonstrated low (but not zero) toxicity to bees. DuPont believes that the bee toxicity profile for Prevathon would be quite similar. The company recommends against direct sprays of bees or other beneficial insect pests, however “Prevathon is very compatible for tank mixing with other insecticides, fungicides and fertilizers, notes NDSU’s Knodel.

“However, it’s always a good idea to do a jar test (to check for separation) before mixing it in your commercial tank.” The field re-entry period after treatment is just four hours. — Don Lilleboe ■

THE SUNFLOWER March/April 2013

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Your Checkoff Dollars At Work

The NSA What It Is & What It Does

Anticipated Expenditures: • Salaries/Benefits — $254,400 • Production Research — $500,000 • Crop Protection — $35,000 • Domestic Promotion — $144,000 • Foreign Market Development — $1,600,000 • Publications & Grower Information — $240,000 • Office & Related Costs — $47,575 • Travel — $45,000 • Washington, D.C. Representation* — $90,000 Total Expenditures: $ 2,955,975 * No grower checkoff dollars are used for Washington representation.

K

By John Sandbakken

E

ver wonder where your checkoff dollars go? How are they spent? What is the National Sunflower Association, and what does it do besides bring you the magazine that you’re now holding?

Back in the early 1980s, the National Sunflower Association (NSA) was created in order to have one central voice for sunflower. The organizers put together a grower and industry membership organization that brought ideas and funding from all sources into one association. Through lots of cooperation among producers, industry and our government partners, the NSA works together for the betterment of the sunflower industry. Working together allows for good planning and getting the most bang for the buck. Our overarching goal is to make sunflower a profitable crop for all involved in the industry.

The NSA Board of Directors consists of 13 sunflower producers and five industry members. They are the guiding force that sets the direction for the organization.

Representation on the NSA Board of Directors relates to the amount of contributions from each checkoff council/ commission. Each checkoff state and industry group participating in an assessment has representation on the NSA board.

Checkoff councils/commissions from North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Colorado and Minnesota now participate in

John Sandbakken is executive director of the National Sunflower Association.

26

the NSA, with 50% or more of each state group’s annual revenue directed to the NSA. Those funds are enhanced with industry assessments of the oilseed crushing plants, the confection processing plants and the hybrid seed companies. The NSA is able to expand that income even further with other grants, including a market development grant from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. All in all, every dollar coming into the NSA grows exponentially at least 10-fold.

The National Sunflower Association’s 2012/13 budget includes the following: Anticipated Revenues: • North Dakota Oilseed Council — $400,000 • South Dakota Oilseed Council — $189,700 • Kansas Sunflower Commission — $24,800 • Minnesota Sunflower Council — $15,000 • Colorado Sunflower Administrative Committee — $8,100 • High Plains Committee — $31,000 • Oilseed Crushers — $66,500 • Confection Processors — $98,500 • Hybrid Seed Companies — $39,500 • Advertising/Subscription Sales for The Sunflower — $180,000 • USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Grants — $1,600,000 • Other — $277,000 Total Revenue: $2,930,100

eeping in mind the goal of making sunflower a profitable crop for all involved in the industry, checkoff, industry and grant dollars are spent in the following areas: • Production Research — The National Sunflower Association provides grants to public researchers to stimulate new or additional work that may result in lower production costs, increased quality and higher yields. The four key research areas are: production issues, disease, insects and weed control. Resolving Sclerotinia continues to be a high priority.

The NSA, in conjunction with the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and hybrid sunflower seed companies, established the National Sunflower Association Sunflower SNP Consortium.

The consortium will help plant breeders create new sunflower hybrids as quickly as possible through the application of stateof-the-art marker-assisted breeding technology. Application of this technology will give plant breeders new tools to develop hybrids resistant to such perennial diseases as rust, downy mildew, powdery mildew and Sclerotinia more quickly and with much greater precision than what is possible using traditional plant breeding methods. This technology also can be used to capture specific oil traits, insect resistance and yield enhancing traits.

• Crop Protection — This is an ongoing process, with the NSA participating in residue trials to accelerate the chemical registration process. This includes attending the annual IR-4 meeting which prioritizes labeling for minor crops or a minor use on a major crop; and working with crop protection companies and university personnel to determine efficacy of new products to establish possible new labels.

Many of the sunflower herbicide registrations in the last 10 years — including Spartan®, Beyond® and Express® — were partially financed by the NSA. The NSA is currently working with

THE SUNFLOWER March/April 2013

USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services on the bird repellent Anthraquinone. This product has been tested under cages for two successive years, and the results look very promising for repelling birds. NSA will work with USDA to conduct large fieldscale efficacy to determine application rates, timing and overall efficacy.

Recently, NSA was able to get approval for IR-4 funds to be used for Pyroxasulfone for field trials, lab residue tests and assistance to accelerate the registration process at EPA. Pyroxasulfone herbicide has utility in conventional, Clearfield or ExpressSun sunflower production systems to achieve greater weed control than currently exists. It has a mode of action in which no major crop weeds have developed resistance and it works well in a tank mix with Spartan.

• Domestic Promotion — NSA works closely with our member companies, especially those smaller companies that need more assistance finding domestic customers. We continue to use our website, Facebook and YouTube to provide more interactive opportunities for consumers.

NSA works to improve awareness and educate food processors about the favorable characteristics of sunflower oil for use as food processing oil. We also spend time promoting kernel usage to domestic buyers in order to promote the functionality and flexibility of using kernel as an ingredient in food products.

On the oil side, approximately 80% of sunflower oil produced in the U.S. is now sold domestically. This is a change from the past when the same percentage was exported. The shift from export to more domestic sales is a direct result of the industry switch to NuSun and high-oleic

We will seek to increase profitability to sunflower producers and the sunflower industry by having aggressive research, expanding sunflower markets, impacting public policy and providing information and education. sunflower oil. These oils are tailor-made for the needs of the domestic market and meet consumer demand.

Sunflower kernel consumption is increasing, with 75% of kernel produced in the U.S. consumed domestically, resulting in 39% growth over the past 10 years.

• Foreign Market Development — The NSA continues to be a cooperator with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service for matching dollars in overseas market development. The NSA operates in five countries with an USDA allocation of approximately $1.6 million annually.

Canada is the main oil export market targeted with USDA funds. Germany, Mexico, Spain and Turkey are market targets for confection sunflower.

Working with our export partners has resulted in U.S. sunflower oil dominating the Canadian sunflower oil sector with a 75% market share. NSA has worked collaboratively with leading Spanish importers to develop the local market for U.S. confection sunflower products. The United States is the leading supplier to Spain’s confection sunflower import market, with more than a 60% market share, despite increased price competition from our competitors. Over the last 10 years, total U.S. in-shell confection exports to all markets have grown by a whopping 86%.

• Publications & Grower Information — Information is power, and the

more you have the better. Thus The Sunflower magazine, NSA website and newsletters continue to be the mainstay of the communications system. NSA provides producers and industry members with access to the latest news and developments concerning sunflower.

The Sunflower magazine is free of charge to all sunflower growers and has a mailing list of nearly 30,000. The magazine has six issues per year.

The website averages more than 50,000 hits a month and is updated daily.

Interested individuals can opt into a weekly newsletter sent via email to receive the latest news in the sunflower world.

The NSA conducts the annual Sunflower Research Forum where public researchers present their year’s findings. We also host the annual Summer Seminar for growers and industry members.

S

o, really what is the NSA? It is “your” NSA working for the producer and the industry for the betterment of the U.S. sunflower industry. We will seek to increase profitability to sunflower producers and the sunflower industry by having aggressive research, expanding sunflower markets, impacting public policy and providing information and education.

Working together we can achieve our common goal of making sunflower a profitable crop for all involved.

■

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THE SUNFLOWER March/April 2013

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Phone: 877-877-7810 or 701-347-5985 Fax: 701-347-4385 E-Mail: mike@themoneyfarm.com 27

Mexico: A Land of Opportunity For U.S. Sunflower Products Final in a Series on NSA Foreign Market Development Efforts

Photo: Raul Cabellero

Editor’s Note: The National Sunflower Association (NSA) continues to work with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) as a matching-dollar cooperator for purposes of foreign market development.

NSA currently operates in five countries with an annual FAS allocation of about $1.5 million. Activities in Mexico, Spain, Turkey and Germany focus on confection sunflower in-shell seeds and kernel. The program in Canada is directed toward sunflower oil.

The following article, the final installment in a series, discusses NSA foreign market development efforts in Mexico. With a budget of just under $500,000 in Mexico, the NSA undertakes trade servicing, advertising, exhibits at trade shows, and conducts training seminars to educate the key snack processors and the bakery industry on product quality, value and consumer acceptance of U.S. confection sunflower products.

NSA also has consumer activities for confection sunflower products that include in-store sampling, trial samples of products, and a school education program. Over the course of the last seven years, more than 5,000 schools have been visited, and NSA promotional materials have reached more than 500,000 students and their families.

28

The consumer promotions focus on the health attributes and cost value of confection sunflower products for snacks relative to other snacks. Long-term market trends point toward future growth in U.S. confection sunflower product exports to Mexico.

This article was written by Raul Caballero of Mercalimentos Consulting Agency in Mexico City and director of the NSA promotions program in Mexico.

M

exico is home to approximately 114 million people. The urban population continues to grow as many rural inhabitants move to larger cities for better living opportunities. While Mexico is a large producer and exporter of produce to the United States and other countries, it also needs to import various foods — mainly from the United States.

Agricultural production in Mexico continues to be unpredictable, as many of the grains depend on in-season rains, and drought conditions are common.

Mexico points at the right direction in its economy and policies. NAFTA has helped Mexico’s economic growth and its democratic growth as a country that still needs to

mature within its political system. Felipe Calderon the former president, did a fair job performing important fiscal, union, tax, oil and judicial reforms, as well as a hard and difficult fight against the drug cartels in Mexico. His presidential term ended December of 2012, while President Enrique Peña Nieto was elected in July of 2012.

Peña Nieto, from the old PRI party, appears to be a modern president — which was demanded by modern Mexicans who want and need a more-modern Mexico with the need for better living opportunities to emerge.

Despite the problems that the drug cartels have generated in Mexico and the downturn of the economy since 2008 in the U.S., Europe and rest of the world, Mexico’s economy has been growing and has a strong base due to the well-managed macroeconomic factors, including having a reserve of $165 billion.

With the downturn of the worldwide economy, the only sector that has been able to show strong growth every year is the food industry. Mexico is the third largest importer of processed foods and the numberone importer of food ingredients from the U.S. One of the categories with continual growth for the U.S. in the Mexican market is the snack segment.

Sales for salted snacks from January through May 2012 totaled 184,000 metric tons (MT), improving from the 171,000 MT exported in 2011. After a contraction period during the economic crisis between 2009 and 2010 and during a moderate improvement in 2011, the snack industry recuperated in the first five months of 2012, reaching a growth of 7%, attracting new companies to the segment. In terms of sales, the snack industry had a 10.5% increase during the mentioned period. The total sales in the snack segment added 17,486 million pesos in the first five months of the year, vs. 17,120 million pesos during the same period in 2011. According to the National Statistics Institute in Mexico (INEGI), the snack segment market in Mexico has a value of 39,000 million pesos, or $39 billion.

Where do sunflower products fit in this market? Well, this is the job that the Na-

THE SUNFLOWER March/April 2013

tional Sunflower Association is working to advance in Mexico. With an aggressive program that in 2011 met five years of visits to elementary schools in Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara, a total of almost half a million kids were visited by nutritionists for a talk in healthy eating and an invitation to try U.S. sunflower snacks. This marketing exercise yielded interest from kids and parents to consume more sunflower products, due to its association to health benefits.

The program has been very successful because the NSA has brought to schools a resource that had been left behind by the Education’s Secretariat in Mexico. The government nutritional programs were very basic and poorly implemented and the appearance of the NSA school program has helped to reinforce nutritional education to kids, while teaching and promoting the benefits of consuming U.S. sunflower products.

During these talks that nutritionists present to kids in the schools, a sunflower snack sample is provided as well as U.S. sunflower educational and promotional giveaways that promote the qualities of sunflower and direct kids to the Spanish website and the social networks. In addition, parents are invited to the talks, and those who attend receive a recipe booklet that provides them with bakery and snack recipes with sunflower.

The introduction to the flavor of sunflower snacks has resulted in 95% approval from the kids; and the presence of the parents reinforces the idea that U.S. sunflower products are healthy. These efforts carry through to the selling point later on.

Prior to the NSA’s promotion of U.S. sunflower products in Mexico, there were only about a half-dozen sunflower-containing items in the country, including one or two snack products, one or two granolas and one or two cereals. Now, the inventory of snack brands that carry sunflower as an ingredient numbers more than 25 products.

The consumer is now able to find more variety and at more shopping locations. Among other lines, in-shell and kernel snacks, cereals, granolas, breads, energy bars, nutritional cookies, toppings and others can be found at selling points such as supermarkets, the central market (farmers market), vegetarian and natural food outlet stores, etc. So the availability of the product has been increasing paired with the increased consumption of sunflower.

As a complement to the educational program that the NSA has been conducting through the marketing firm Mercalimentos Consulting, a promotional program is being coordinated with new partners every year to ensure that new products and projects are included. The promotional program includes supermarket chains, department stores and the Farmers Market (Central de Abasto) in Mexico City, as well as natural food stores.

THE SUNFLOWER March/April 2013

Chains like Wal-Mart, Superama, Liverpool, Waldos and brands like Bimbo, Kelloggs and other brands and private labels are part of this program.

In-store demos have been the key element to connect the consumer directly with U.S. sunflower products at the point of sale.

Demonstrators have offered thousands of product trials to consumers, and the acceptance level has been above 90%, according to surveys that have been done by the same demonstrators.

To support the in-store promotion, educational materials have been developed to promote the natural and healthy image of U.S. sunflower products. Posters, handouts, tent cards, aprons and shelf talkers have been placed in retail stores at the demo cart in order to promote the U.S. products. With an increasing trend to consume natural and healthy food products, the future of sunflower in Mexico is promising.

New Regulations & School Food Guidelines In 2010, the Mexican government, driven by concerns about the obesity levels of adults and children in Mexico, implemented an aggressive program to educate and encourage the Mexican population to eat healthier. Junk food has been banned

from elementary and middle schools, giving a hard hit to some of the largest snack manufacturers. However, the implementation of these new rules and regulations wasn’t done in a strict manner, so many of the snack processors found ways to get around the new program guidelines by reducing the portions to half. In some other cases, sodium and fats were reduced in the content of the potato chips or extruded snacks; however, no major changes were made.

For the nutritional benefits that sunflower products represent to consumers, the opportunities are big — and the NSA has the chance to conquer a new consumer that is looking for healthier snacks. Sunflower products are one of the snacks accepted in the school program in Mexico due to their health benefits.

Consumers in Mexico continue to explore healthier diet options. More and more sunflower products can be found at more selling points. The opportunities are magnificent, and the NSA’s promotional efforts need to be continued to work towards educating more consumers who are unaware of sunflower or haven’t tried it yet. For sure, sunflower products in Mexico will continue to grow at a good pace, and more sunflower products will continue to be exported into Mexico. Now is the time to secure a piece of this market.

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30 Years Ago Excerpts from the March & April 1983 Issues of The Sunflower

Coloradan Plans Minimum Till, Chemical Fallow / By Don Lilleboe — “Normal annual precipitation around the southeastern Colorado community of Eads is 15 inches. Usually, the snow that does fall during winter rarely stays around for long. So when the wind blows, as it does frequently, a lot of soil goes with it.

“Eads farmer John Larson contends that in a production environment such as this, minimum- or no-till cropping systems should no longer be considered an option, but a necessity. ‘The major problem we have here,’ he says, ‘is holding the ground after harvest.’

“Larson experimented with various sunflower cropping practices during 1982 in an effort to learn which system will do the best job of helping him attain projected yields of about 1,000 pounds per acre while simultaneously keeping soil erosion to a minimum and conserving soil moisture.

“Part of Larson’s ’82 sunflower acreage went into conventional tillage, i.e., planted in 48-inch rows with a lister and then cultivated during the season. The remainder of his sunflower was planted with an air seeder in 28-inch rows — but in five different manners: • into hailed-out wheat ground, with chisel points on; • into wheat stubble, with points; • into wheat stubble, with sweeps on; • into ground which had been chemically fallowed since the previous wheat harvest, with points on; • into chemically fallowed ground with sweeps on the seeder. . .

“Larson averaged about 850 pounds of sunflower seed on his total harvested acreage, even though the hailed wheat ground went only 300. The yield on the chemically fallowed ground was closer

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to 1,100-1,200 pounds per acre.

“He plans to put all his 1983 sunflower acreage on ground which was chemically fallowed following the ’82 wheat harvest; and he believes that with increased crop residue and an abnormal amount of snow received this winter, prospects for ’83 yields are very good.”

Get the Jump on Cutworms — “Cutworms can be very destructive to a field of sunflower seedlings. Feeding at, just above or just below ground level, they chew on the plant stalk until it is cut off — then move on to the next plant. If a grower plans ahead and is prepared to stop cutworm damage when it begins, losses can often be minimized. “ ‘Early detection and early treatment are two vital factors in stopping cutworm damage in sunflower fields,’ reports Dean McBride, extension entomologist with North Dakota State University. ‘Cutworm larvae typically feed at night, and, particularly with crusted soil conditions, they’ll stay just under the soil surface during the daytime. Thus, the only way to really determine if there is a cutworm infestation is to get out into the field, dig around and scout for them. We advise that a farmer begin scouting at plant emergence and continue at least twice a week until about mid-June. . . . “ ‘The economic threshold for cutworms in sunflower is one larva per square foot or 25-30 percent stand reduction in the immediate infestation area,’ McBride explains.”

A Look at the Export Scene for Seed & Oil / By Don Lilleboe — “Thank heaven for the Mexicans, Portuguese and U.S. government commodity credit programs.

“That might be the proper advice for the U.S. sunflower industry in this spring of 1983. Because of the Mexicans buying our seed and oil — and credit programs facilitating their doing so — domestic sunflower seed prices were able to stage a moderate rally (about $20 a metric ton) during March; thus shedding some light on a market which had experienced some real winter ‘blahs.’

“U.S. sunflower’s dependence on foreign markets is hardly a secret. As either seed or oil, the great majority of our domestic production ends up in export pipelines. Yet burdensome world oilseed supplies, increased rapeseed and sunflower production in France, the high price of U.S. sun oil compared to its subsidized Argentine competitor, and a struggling world economy, have all combined to exert downward pressure on U.S. sunflower seed price levels. And it appears these factors will continue to restrict prices for the remainder of the current marketing year.”

Plant Chemicals Help Repel Insects — “When scientists at the USDA Conservation and Production Research Laboratory at Bushland, Texas, observed that some wild species of sunflower were more resistant to attacks by certain insect pests than were cultivated varieties, they wanted to know why. And when they could find no obvious structural feature on the wild plants to account for this natural resistance, they wondered if there could be a chemical basis. . . .

“To help find out, they turned to Dr. Tom Mabry, chairman of the University of Texas botany department, and Jonathan Gershenzon, a UT graduate student. With support from the National Sunflower Association and the National Institute of Health, Mabry and Gershenzon have now completed a detailed chemical analysis of hundreds of populations of wild sunflower collected during a 10,000- mile trip throughout the United States.

“Mabry and Gershenzon discovered that the insect-resistant plants were extremely rich in two types of chemical compounds of the terpene class which are toxic to insects. . . .

“After isolating large quantities of the chemicals (which were concentrated on microscopic hairs on the leaf surface and flower parts), the botanists added the chemicals to the diets of sunflower moth larvae. . . . [They] found that most of the insects were repelled by the altered diet — and ended up starving.”

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THE SUNFLOWER March/April 2013

Feeling good about recycling is another benefit.

Through the program efforts of ACRC Member Companies and Affiliates, over 92,000,000 pounds of HDPE plastic containers have been collected by ACRC Contractors since 1992 and recycled into useful products. ACRC Contractors accept triple rinsed high-density polyethylene containers in all sizes, up to 55 gallon drums.

Richard Underwood H&R Ag - Pasco, WA

Recycling with ACRC Contractors Since 2002

To get started, contact your ACRC Contractor for collection schedules and locations CO, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, MI, MO, MN, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI, WY Tri-Rinse Inc. St. Louis, MO Mike Kamrath 314-647-8338 mkamrath@tririnse.com

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ID, OR, WA Northwest Ag Plastics, Inc. Moxee, WA Steven George 509-457-3850 steve@nwagplastics.com

AR MKC Plastics Paragould, AR Larry Cupp 870-239-3013 larrycup@grnco.net

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The ACRC is a non-profit organization comprised of 24 member companies and 7 affiliates whose purpose is to promote and support the collection and recycling of properly rinsed high density polyethylene (HDPE) crop protection product containers.

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