Sunday, May 11, 2008

By SANDRA HANSEN
Ag Editor

A barrier to expanding the sunflower market in western Nebraska and eastern Wyoming has always been tied to marketing the crop. With a small amount of acres, processors were reluctant to locate receiving facilities in the area, and without that option, farmers were hesitant to commit to a crop they were responsible for delivering into Kansas or Colorado.

That obstacle was removed recently when SunOpta Grains and Food Group in Goodland, Kan., contracted with Hoehn Farms south of Gering to temporarily hold the harvest until trucks haul the seeds away.

"I've had really good feedback," said Brian Andreas, Triumph seed salesman who joined Larry Keller, SunOpta agronomist, at a noon informational meeting last Tuesday in Gering. "I'm working with some farmers who used to grow sunflowers but quit. Now they are interested again."

Prior to this agreement, Keller said the company had growers in the Panhandle, but the crop had to be hauled to Kansas. With the new arrangement, Keller said the company hopes to expand sunflower acreage in the area, because it will be easier to get the crop to market. Farmers will deliver the seeds to Hoehn Farms, and SunOpta will haul them to Kansas.

In addition to ease in marketing, Andreas said improved prices are a driving factor in the latest response. As of Wednesday, 2008 contracts were $37.25 a pound for confections and $28 for oil type seeds. This is about three times what the price has been in the recent past.

Part of the push for more sunflowers is the focus on better nutrition, where sunflower oil replaces animal extracts, and there is also a race on to secure sunflower acres that might otherwise go to corn.

During Tuesday's meeting, Andreas and Keller explained the new option to interested growers. They also reviewed seed varieties, planting and harvesting issues, plant populations, nutrients, water, and costs and returns.

Locally, dry land sunflowers yield approximately 1,100 to 2,000 pounds per acre. Confection sunflowers are a drought tolerant crop, but respond well to irrigation. They yield 1,800 to 2,200 pounds per acre under irrigation. Sunflowers require 10 inches of water.

As of Wednesday, prices for confections were about $37.25 per pound for the larger seeds. The price drops with size, and the smaller seeds are directed from the human market to bird feed.

Costs vary, depending on varieties, disease, insects and soil conditions. These issues can be easily identified and dealt with, according to Keller.

"Soil tests are key to a good crop," Keller told the group. He said many producers use sunflowers to mine the soil for nutrients and water that other crops miss. This practice works well with sunflowers since they require less water and nutrients than most other crops grown in this area, especially corn.

Recommended plant populations are 14,000 on dry land and 19,000 per acre on irrigated.

Seed should be placed one inch deep in moisture. Because the seeds are larger, they need more water to come up. They do well on strip-till and no-till because of the soil moisture reserve.

Once the crop is established, confections must be monitored closely to prevent disease and insect damage, which will reduce the value of the crop.

"Because confections are an edible food, they have to be as clean as can be," Keller explained. "The contracts require that you spray and keep the weeds, disease and insects under control."

Planting dates and conditions are close to those required by dry edible beans, Andreas said. The soil temperature should be about 55 to 60 degrees and generally the best time is between May 20 and June 12. Under the right conditions, sunflowers work well in double cropping systems.

Growers must watch for head moths and red weevils, as these two insects can rapidly destroy the value of the crop. Insect damage is limited to 2 percent, and two sprayings are required under the contract.

Weeds are also a major factor in successful sunflower production. Corn is an absolute no-no because it is hard to separate from sunflowers during harvest. Grasses are also difficult to control. Anything that would negatively impact the edible quality of the crop is frowned upon, including cockleburs, which cannot easily be sorted out.

A major challenge for producers is birds. The environment should be as bird-free as possible, and combining needs to be done as soon as possible. Bird deterrent products are available, including one that tastes like Concord grapes.

Harvesting the crop is not as difficult as some might think, Keller said. The crop matures in about 93 to 97 days, and is ready to harvest at about 120 days after emergence. Moisture restrictions are strict though to prevent cracked shells. A regular combine head will suffice, though regular sunflower producers often use pans on their headers in order to capture the loose seeds and feed them into the combine.

"It's a new crop to a lot of farmers, and some are coming back in," Andreas said Thursday evening, while talking to potential growers near Minatare. "It's tough, easy to grow, the risk is less, and it's even fairly resistant to hail. The grazing ability for cattle is good, too.

"Right now some people are looking at following oils with wheat. They're doing this because the oils are about five days ahead of the confections," Andreas said.

"I'd encourage you to try them on a small acreage to begin with," Keller said. "You don't want to invest a lot into a crop that isn't going to work for you."

Keller suggested that interested growers sit down with pencil and paper to create an estimated budget. This would include seed, herbicide, fertilizer, crop insurance, fuel and lubricants, repairs, drying, hauling, soil testing, irrigation and even interest. Then look at the price/unit, an estimated yield, return/acre, and return of the direct cost.

"Sunflowers are another opportunity," Andreas said. "Prices are up, and they are easy to raise. Your investment is going to be a lot less than in other crops, so it might be worth looking into."