www.sunflowernsa.com

www.croplangenetics.com/FINDSEED/SUNFLOWER/default.aspx

— FEATURES —Review of the Numbers: Bearish Soybean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Soybean futures down nearly $4.00 from August all-time high

Seeing Double — And Liking It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Twin-row sunflower production looks good to N.D., Kan. growers

How Sunflower Can Fit on CRP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Plant’s deep taproot benefits succeeding crops as well

South Dakotans Like Coated Seed Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Yackley Ranches sold on its benefits

New Hybrids for 2013 Planting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Seed companies list their new offerings

U.S. Sun Oil Helps Canadian Snack Food Manufacturers Grow Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Second in series on NSA foreign market development

A Bite of Sun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Minnesota company’s sandwiches feature SunButter

Sunflower Briefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

30 Years Ago in The Sunflower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30COVER — Photo: Don Lilleboe

Vol. 38 No. 6 IN THIS ISSUE December 2012

Page 12Page 8

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 peryear by the National Sunflower Association, afarmer and industry organization working toimprove the profitability of sunflower for allsectors. Farmer checkoff commissions/councils in N.D., S.D., Minn., Kan., and Colo.,make up NSA’s basic funding and governingstructure. Assessments on volume in theoilseed and confection processing industriesand the hybrid seed sector are key fundingcomponents, with other funding from grants,including USDA Foreign Agricultural Service.

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

U.S. farmers raising 10 or more acres ofsunflower, extension agents, and public re-searchers can receive The Sunflower at nocharge. Others may subscribe at theserates: North American residents, US $15.00for one year or US $40.00 for three years;overseas air mail, US $50.00 per year.

Information in The Sunflower does notnecessarily represent the views or policies ofthe National Sunflower Association. Nor doesadvertising in The Sunflower imply endorse-ment by the publisher. NSA is an equal op-portunity provider and employer withoutregard to race, color, national origin, sex,age, religion or disability.

Current NSA officers and directors are:Chairman

Don Schommer, Munich, N.D.President

Tom Young, Onida, S.D.First Vice President

Kevin Capistran, Crookston, Minn.Second Vice PresidentArt Ridl, Dickinson, N.D.Secretary/Treasurer

John Swanson, Mentor, MinnDirectors

Steve Arnhalt, Breckenridge, Minn.Brad Bonhorst, Fort Pierre, S.D.Guy Christensen, Enderlin, N.D.Clark Coleman, Bismarck, N.D.Karl Esping, Lindsborg, Kan.Todd Lasher, McClusky, N.D.Kent McKay, Carpio, N.D.

Jeff Oberholtzer, Mohall, N.D.Tyler Schultz, West Fargo, N.D.Ron Seidel, Meadow, S.D.

Dean Sonnenberg, Fleming, Colo.Ben Vig, Sharon, N.D.

Arnold Woodbury, Wyndmere, N.D.Leon Zimbelman, Keenesburg, Colo.

Executive DirectorJohn Sandbakken, Mandan, N.D.

THE SUNFLOWER December 2012 3

SunGold Opens New Plant in Lubbock, TexasSunGold Foods, a business unit of Red River Commodities,

Inc., of Fargo, N.D., began production at its new sunflower roast-ing facility in Lubbock, Texas, in November. The facility willproduce roasted, salted and seasoned in-shell sunflower seeds forsnack foods. The Lubbock plant opened with 40 full-time employ-ees. It has room to more than double capacity as demand for in-shell products continue to increase.

The new state-of-the-art facility is a positive for the U.S. con-fection sunflower business. “With access to acres of high-qualityin-shell grown in the south, and proximity to highly populatedsnack food markets, it makes sense to offer roasting capabilities inthe southern part of the U.S.,” stated Red River Commodities Pres-ident & CEO Bob Majkrzak. “This new plant diversifies our in-shell roasting operations and provides more options for serving ourcustomers throughout U.S. and international markets.”

Along with Lubbock, SunGold Foods has plant operations inFargo and Horace, N.D. Red River Commodities has plant opera-tions in Fargo, Lubbock, Colby, Kan., and in The Netherlands.

New Bird Seed Facility in South DakotaSeattle-based bird seed company Global Harvest is in the

process of renovating an old elevator in Roscoe, S.D., that will buysunflower seeds from area farmers. The storage/production facil-ity, located in the north central part of the state, began receivingdeliveries from farmers in October.

During the next 15 months, crews will remodel the existing fa-cility and add equipment to store, clean and package sunflowerseeds for wild bird and small animal food. The first phase involvesupgrading the elevator and installing hulling and grain-cleaning

equipment. That work is expected to be completed by mid-De-cember. Once that phase is complete, the facility will be able toship clean sunflower seeds by truck and rail to other Global Har-vest facilities for packaging. The second phase is building a man-ufacturing area that will be able to package seeds for retail sale.That facility is expected to be complete by the end of 2013.

2013 Sunflower Research Forum on Jan. 9-10The 35th annual National Sunflower Association Research

Forum will be held at the Ramada Plaza Suites & Convention Cen-ter, Fargo, N.D., on January 9 and 10. This meeting brings togetherpublic and private researchers, as well as growers and industry rep-resentatives for updates on research advances and challenges.

The combination of grower and industry checkoff dollars, theSclerotinia Research Initiative, universities and a strong commit-ment from USDA’s Agricultural Research Service have all placedsunflower research as a high priority.

The Forum is open to all who are interested in sunflower pro-duction. It is not restricted to researchers only. Certified crop ad-visors are offered a reduced rate and can obtain education credits.

Research reports at the NSA Forum can be either oral or posterpresentations. To schedule a presentation and/or register to attendthe meeting, go to the NSA website at www.sunflowernsa.comunder the Calendar of Events tab.

NSA 2013 Research Priorities Formulated The National Sunflower Association Research Committee has

formulated 2013 research priorities. Production research is a sig-nificant part of the NSA strategy for long-term competitiveness. Astrong emphasis, once again, will be placed on such key areas as

production issues, weeds, insects and diseases. The project funding process includes completing

an application (which can be found online atwww.sunflowernsa.com under the “Research” tab). Applications are due by December 14, 2012. Theyare then reviewed and rated by the committee in earlyJanuary. The NSA Research Committee is made upof public and private researchers, farmers and indus-try company representatives. The committee’s rat-ings will be presented to the NSA Board of Directorsat its February meeting for final funding decisions.

California GMO Labeling Does Not PassA California ballot initiative proposing the label-

ing of genetically modified ingredients in food prod-ucts was rejected by the state’s voters by a fairlynarrow margin. Proposition 37 would have requiredthat foods sold in California containing geneticallyengineered ingredients to be labeled as such. Thecontentious measure would have required GM labelson food sold in supermarkets, and was seen as a “testcase” for the U.S. as a whole creating increasedawareness on the issue.

Supporters had argued consumers have the “rightto know” if GM products are in their food, but corpo-rate opponents said the labels would lead to pricerises. The proposition had potential for a significantimpact on non-GMO crops like sunflower if foodcompanies would have had to seek out non-GMO

Sunflower Briefs

4 THE SUNFLOWER December 2012

substitutes. Supporters of Proposition 37 have vowed to continueto pursue labeling requirements for genetically engineered foods atthe state and also the federal level of government.

Sun Oil Exports Finish Lower in 2011/12 YearExports of U.S. sunflower oil finished the 2011/12 marketing

year at 19,208 metric tons — a 49% decrease from the previousmarketing year. Canada remains the number one destination forexports of U.S. sunflower oil, accounting for 72% of the total.

U.S. sunflower seed crush was down considerably in the past12 months as wet spring conditions hampered planting in theNorthern Plains and drought affected High Plains production dur-ing the 2011 crop year. Much improved crop prospects for the2012 sunflower crop are expected to lead to an increase in crushand export volumes in the 2012/13 market year.

Exports of Confection Sunflower Also DownExports of U.S. sunflower kernel for the 2011/12 marketing

year were down 50% from the prior year’s level, to 16,765 MT.Major importers include Canada, Spain, United Kingdom and

Mexico. In-shell sunflower seed exports were down 23% from lastyear’s level, to 51,673 MT. The largest importers of in-shell seedswere Spain, Turkey, Romania, Jordan and Mexico.

As with the 2011 oil-type crop, confection sunflower produc-tion was also lower, which led to diminished availability. Difficulteconomic conditions in Spain also contributed to the decline in2011/12 exports. Increased 2012 confection production will allowexports to rebound during the 2012/13 marketing year. �

THE SUNFLOWER December 2012 5

Help Save A TreeWe strive to make our mailing list as efficient as possible. If you are (1) receiving duplicate copies of The Sunflower,(2) need to update your mailing address or (3) no longerwish to receive this magazine . . . PLEASE CONTACT US!

Toll-Free: 888-718-7033, Ext. 5Email: lkroh@sunflowernsa.com

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A Head Above the Rest

USDA’s November crop production esti-mate was bearish soybean. The yield

projection was increased another 1.5 bu/acfrom the October report. The yield in-creases in October and November have nowincreased U.S. 2012 soybean production bymore than 300 million bushels since theSeptember report.

It is apparent that August and Septemberweather across much of the Corn Belt im-proved enough with some rain and coolertemperatures to give soybeans a very goodfinish to an otherwise poor Corn Belt sea-son. The good news in the USDA numberscame in the demand estimates included inthe supply and demand revisions. USDAhas increased the export and crush forecastsfor soybeans in each of the past twomonthly reports. The net result is that eventhough soybean production has increased

more than 300 million bushels, the endingsupply estimate has only increased 10 mil-lion bushels and is still very tight. The dif-ference is that the rationing process may notbe as difficult as expected. Soybean exportsales and monthly crush numbers, however,are still exceeding even the most recentUSDA forecasts and that should mean thedemand numbers will have to go up again.

There will be no changes to the produc-tion estimates in December. The “final”soybean estimates will not be released untilJanuary. There are still questions about soy-bean planted and harvested acreage. TheUSDA made no changes to the harvestedacreage number in the November report.They won’t include changes until January, ifat all. Some analysts still believe the har-vested acreage number should be reducedby at least two million acres because of

some very poor double-cropped soybeansacross parts of the Corn Belt and SouthernPlains. We have clients in south central Illi-nois who have told us they harvested noneof their double-cropped soybeans.

It had been a very wet start to the soy-bean planting season in Argentina andsouthern Brazil, while it was too hot and dryin central and northern Brazil. This had de-layed planting in both countries. Weatherdid improve during the first half of Novem-ber; however, there are still some concernsabout extended weather forecasts that con-tinue to look too wet for the southern regionand too dry for central and northern Brazil.

The trade is counting on record soybeanacreage and yields in both Argentina andBrazil. The latest USDA production fore-cast for Brazil and Argentina is for a cropmore than 30% larger than last year’sdrought-reduced production. A 30% in-crease is a very aggressive number, but theUSDA is not alone. Other analysts are ex-pecting similar numbers.

Soybean futures prices are now downnearly $4.00/bu from the all-time high (al-most $18.00) set the day of the AugustUSDA reports. The collapse was triggeredby the increased crop production estimatesplus the slightly better weather pattern inSouth America. Fund liquidation then cre-ated very negative technical patterns, andthat, in turn, triggered even more selling. Itwill take continued strong demand plussome adverse weather in South America torally prices back to the August high. Thedemand should be there. If we were not ra-tioning demand with soybeans above $17,there is no way we are rationing demand at$14.

Vegetable oil prices have been similarlyweak with big palm oil supplies pushingprices sharply lower. U.S. soybean oil ex-port sales, however, are running well aheadof forecasts. That should eventually be pos-itive for sunflower prices. But, often as soy-beans go, the other oilseeds follow.

The sunflower harvest is basically fin-ished — and it was a big one. Like NorthDakota’s corn and soybean yields, the sun-flower yields were much better than ex-pected. It is likely USDA will increase theyield and production estimates in their finalJanuary report. The big crops created stor-age problems, and it will take time to get theexcess that is piled outside or in temporarystorage handled. That will keep at least atemporary lid on the market. �

6 THE SUNFLOWER December 2012

Mike Krueger is owner of The MoneyFarm, a Casselton, N.D.-based grainmarketing consulting firm. While the information in this article is believed tobe reliable, marketing involves risk, andthe author and The Sunflower assume no responsibility for its use.

By Mike Krueger

Numbers Review: Bearish Soybean

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G

Sometimes, seeing double while havinga vision can be a good thing. Just ask

Chad Vander Vorst and Karl Esping.The two sunflower growers farm sev-

eral hundred miles apart — Vander Vorstin south central North Dakota and Espingin east central Kansas. What unites themis an enthusiasm for twin-row productionof sunflower and other row crops. It’s asystem that is catching on with an expand-ing number of Great Plains corn and soy-bean producers — and now sunflower aswell.

The twin-row concept of crop produc-tion takes the population of a single row —in a field of standard 30-inch rows — and“splits” it into two staggered rows that are7.5 to 8 inches apart. That leaves about 22

inches between each set of the offset twinrows.

Great Plains Manufacturing, headquar-tered in Salina, Kan., has been a leader inthe development of twin-row planters andpromotion of twin-row crop production.Among the advantages of the twin-row

system, says Great Plains, are the follow-ing:

• It utilizes a higher percentage of eachacre. At a plant population of 38,000, thecompany says the area of an acre of cornused for root growth and moisture gather-ing is increased from 14.4% on single 30-inch rows to 44.5% with twin rows.

• Twin rows allow for more root mass.The more-equidistant spacing betweenplants, compared to single rows, encour-ages increased root development. Largerroot systems, in turn, maximize nutrient re-trieval and moisture absorption.

• The twin-row configuration optimizesutilization of sunlight and helps reduceevapotranspiration. More lower-level leafsurface is exposed to the sun, and more ofthe field surface is shaded, compared tosingle rows.

• Twin rows allow for increased popu-lations. While this is more of an issue incorn compared to sunflower, the same“equidistance principle” applies. GreatPlains points to twin rows as “the most ef-fective way to maximize the distance be-tween corn plants.”

• Twin rows enhance standability.“Larger stalks and increased root mass re-sult in a plant that is stronger and betterprepared to withstand high winds andstorm damage,” Great Plains notes.

• Twin rows can be harvested with aconventional row-crop head — or, in thecase of sunflower, with pans.

Seeing Double— And Liking It —

North Dakota & Kansas Growers DiscussTheir Experience With Twin-Row ’Flowers

Pho

to: D

on L

illeb

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8 THE SUNFLOWER December 2012

‘It gives each plant morearea for root mass to builda bigger, healthier plant.

Also, light is captured moreefficiently and uniformly.’

Great Plains Manufacturing currentlymarkets twin-row planters ranging fromfour rows all the way up to 24-row units.It’s not the only company in the twin-rowbusiness, however. John Deere offers its1700 twin-row planter series as well as the1720 CCS twin row, and Kinze Manufac-turing has a 16-row twin-row unit on themarket for 2013. Also, Case IH has intro-duced a twin-row line for 2013, with rowoptions ranging from eight to 16. (TheCase planters are built by Great Plains.)

While corn and soybeans constitute thebiggest acreage base for twin rows, thesystem’s agronomic advantages carry overinto other crops — like sunflower, saysTom Evans, vice president-sales for GreatPlains Manufacturing. “The precise depthcontrol insures uniform emergence. Cou-ple that with twice as much distance be-tween seeds in the rows with twins oversingle 30s, and [it] gives each plant morearea for root mass to build a bigger, health-ier plant,” Evans observes. “Also, withmore distance between plants, light is cap-tured more efficiently and uniformly.”

Of course, for the producer, it all comesdown to yield and net revenue. Chad

Vander Vorst, who farms near Strasburg,N.D., planted 100% of his corn acreage totwin rows in 2012, along with about 80%of his sunflower and 60% of his soybeans.The remainder of his sunflower acreagewas solid seeded. While Vander Vorst

hasn’t been dissatisfied with solid-seeded’flowers, he says he’ll likely be completelytwin row in 2013.

“Solid-seeded ’flowers look really niceonce they’re all canopied; but you stillhave your clusters — and I think that’swhere you see the real advantage of twinrows: the more-precise singulation andseed placement,” Vander Vorst remarks.“And I think the twin rows have even moreof an advantage in dry years like this one(2012), because you’re getting more root

mass per plant.”The Emmons County producer has

bumped up his corn populations signifi-cantly with the twin rows. His twin-rowsunflower count was about 23,000 lastspring, compared to 26,000 on the solid-seeded. “You don’t see the yield responseon ’flowers when you increase your popu-lation like you do with corn. Sunflower ismore ‘forgiving’ when it comes to popula-tion,” he affirms. “With sunflower, I’mjust going for a healthier plant.”

Vander Vorst has been using a 16-rowGreat Plains unit equipped with “AirPro”seed metering to plant his twin-row crops.Due to the number of acres he needs tocover, he’s planning on either adding an-other 16-row unit or going to a 24-row for2013. “Since the AirPro came out, we’vebeen totally impressed with [seed place-ment] accuracy,” he says.

All of Vander Vorst’s 2012 sunflowerand soybeans went in on no-till ground,while the corn acreage was strip-tilled. Hehopes to place at last part of his 2013 sun-flower crop under a strip-till program “ifwe have time” for that spring tillage pass.“I’m a big believer in strip till,” he ex-plains. “That’s where you can cut fertil-izer, because you’re placing it right in therow, six inches below the seeds. With’flowers you utilize your nitrogen so muchbetter because those plants don’t need ituntil they’re hitting that depth anyway.”

It’s working. In 2011, Vander Vorst’s

Chad Vander Vorst

THE SUNFLOWER December 2012 9

average sunflower yield, across 1,200acres, was 2,850 lbs. “And I think we putdown 100 lbs of nitrogen.” His averageyield during the dry 2012 season ended upat 2,400 lbs on his twin-row fields —which was approximately 200 lbs higherthan the average for the solid-seeded sun-flower acreage.

Karl Esping farms near Lindsborg,Kan., only about 20 miles from

Salina. Esping, who serves on the Na-tional Sunflower Association Board of Di-rectors, was asked by Great PlainsManufacturing to use a prototype twin-row

unit in 2012 to plant sunflower specifi-cally. Except for some irrigated ground,all of his fields are under no-till.

Esping likes both the concept and theresults behind his twin-row tryout. “Thewhole theory is to get more sun exposureto the leaves,” he points out. “When

you’re in a straight line, the leaves aremore compacted, and the sunlight doesn’tget well utilized by maybe more than athird or half of the plant.

“Also, it’s about root development.When you have plants in a 30-inch rowevery nine inches, those roots are jammed;where are they going to go? With the stag-gered plants in twin rows, those roots haveaccess to more cubic inches of soil.”

Esping also is attracted to the ability tospray postemergent herbicides and insecti-cides with a ground rig, given the 22-inchspace between each pair of twin rows. “Ifeel the ’flowers canopy quicker, too, soI’m going to have less weed competition,”he says.

The main challenge to date with thetwin-row experience for Esping has beenwith fertilizer application. “I’m a side-dresser,” he notes. “I like to put my nitro-gen on when the ’flowers are up so that Ican see what kind of stand I have, thecrop’s potential. This year, I wasn’t ableto drive between these rows, though, somy nitrogen had to be applied preplant.”

Esping hasn’t invested in his own twin-row planter yet. “But I am fired up aboutthis twin-row approach,” he affirms. Thatenthusiasm was bolstered further by thetime he finished harvesting his 2012 sun-flower crop in early November. The twin-row portion — which constituted about25% of Esping’s ’flower acreage this year— outyielded the standard-row portion byabout 220 lbs/ac. — Don Lilleboe �

10 THE SUNFLOWER December 2012

Left: Lindsborg, Kan., producer Karl Esping is shown with the Great PlainsManufacturing unit he used to plant his2012 twin-row sunflower acreage. Viewfrom the rear below.

Pho

tos:

Don

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Van

der V

orst

Left: Harvest in a 2012 Vander Vorsttwin-row sunflower field in south centralNorth Dakota’s Emmons County.

‘With the staggered plants in twin rows, those roots have access to more cubic inches of soil.’

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Farmers can be likened to chess players,in that they always have to be thinking a

move or two ahead to win the game. Withmore than a million acres of CRP land com-ing back into production this coming year,growers have even more strategic moves tocontemplate.

In North Dakota alone, almost 650,000acres were taken out of CRP after the 2012contracts expired in October. Some growerswere able to work that land this fall, or are

making plans to do so next spring, to put itinto production for the 2013 crop season.Approximately 360,000 acres came out ofthe CRP program in Minnesota and South

Dakota combined in this same time period— plus more than 400,000 acres total inseveral other sunflower producing states,such as Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Okla-homa and Texas.

With the right approach, CRP acres canproduce a profit right off the bat. But to dothat, farmers should focus more closely onwhat’s going on below ground. First andforemost, producers have to consider whythe land was originally placed in CRP.Most was placed in the program because itwas highly sensitive to environmental issuessuch as erosion and poor soil quality. Someof those issues will likely still be present.

Since soil quality will be unknown andvariable, a soil test is necessary according toDave Franzen, North Dakota State Univer-sity extension soils specialist. “A soil test isreally is a must for CRP land,” Franzensays. “You have no idea what the fertilitylevels are. On land coming out of CRP, weassume that perhaps the nitrogen is low andmaybe the phosphate is low as well. But itmay not be. A zone-directed soil test wouldespecially give a grower a pretty good ideaof what they are dealing with.”

Tillage

With many acres now returning to pro-duction, can a conversion occur withoutbreaking up the ground in a manner thatvoids all the conservation benefits estab-lished by the years the land sat idle?There’s no question the land benefited fromthe CRP program, so producers are keenlyaware of the conservation-minded tillageoptions.

To till or not to till, that is the question.Tillage is appealing to many farmers inorder to smooth out the land. “I would sayto growers not to go any deeper than youabsolutely have to when it comes to tillage,because even though there is reduced waterduring drier times like this past year, there iswater down in the deeper levels,” Franzensays.

“If a person would till it deep and coverthe residue, number one, you would negateany kind of progress of organic matter thathad accumulated over the last 20 years or sowhile the land was in the CRP program.And, number two, if there is any moisture— perhaps from the recent fall rain eventsthat have occurred in the Plains states —that would be gone with deep tillage. If youwant to preserve any moisture at all, utilizetillage as shallow as possible to level it outand get it ready for spring. That would bethe goal.”

As for tillage options, it’s difficult tomake recommendations across a broad area,because each piece of land is different andhas variable moisture conditions and residuelevels. A no-till approach is certainly an op-tion. In fact, sunflower can be used as a

How SunflowerCan Fit on CRP

The Plant’s Deep Root System SpellsBenefits for It — And for Succeeding Crops

12 THE SUNFLOWER December 2012

Photo: Morton County Soil Conservation Dist.

Above: Sunflower is off to a good start on crested wheatgrass residuecover in this CRP conversion plot established by the Morton County (N.D.) Soil Conservation District.

bio-till method. Why waste the fuel andtime tilling a field? Let the sunflower rootsystem do it for you.

South central North Dakota farmer An-thony Mock has broken up quite a few acresof CRP and looks at sunflower and corn ashis two “go-to” crops in most situations.“Some people think that when they convertover CRP they can’t grow anything worthmuch on that land for the first two years,”Mock says. “But that just isn’t true. Youcan get above-average crops off CRP rightoff the bat with the right management.”

He likes sunflower on CRP land becauseof the benefits of the deep root system.“When I run out of time in the fall and can’tget into till that land — and then, whenspring rolls around and I’m busy again —sunflower is, hands down, the best choicefor that CRP ground,” Mock observes.

The key is the aggressive burndown ofgrasses and broadleaf weeds. He usuallymakes three passes to make sure he’s gottenrid of anything that might compete with thesunflower — fall, early spring and then rightbefore planting. After killing all the weeds,he goes in with his row-crop planter withClearfield or ExpressSun hybrids, with noprior tillage.

“I would easily say that our no-tillplanter is the most valuable piece of equip-ment on our farm,” says Mock, who farmswith his brother Daniel in Emmons and Kid-der counties. Taking the time to adjust theplanter and paying attention to detail whenplanting sunflower, Mock says he gains200-500 lbs/ac versus using an air seeder.“That doesn’t just apply to CRP ground.Making sure you have a good row planterwith the right settings makes a world of dif-ference in sunflower.”

Mock raises his plant population toabout 28,000 to assure he gets the rightstand in sometimes heavy residue situations.He realizes some growers might be skepticalabout going straight into CRP without tillingbecause of the rough ground and heavyresidue; but instead of wasting time andmoney on tillage, he lets the sunflower rootsbreak up that residue for him.

CRP Field Plot Trial

A team from central North Dakota’sMorton County Soil Conservation Districtwitnessed the benefits of sunflower’s rootsystems in breaking up soil compactionwhile conducting a three-year field triallooking at CRP land coming back into pro-duction. The trial was located in MortonCounty on roughly three acres over thecourse of three years (2008-10). The objec-tive was to have a demonstration of bringingCRP back into production under a no-tillsystem.

The field was two decades or moreunder CRP cover and was entirely in grass.

The series of paired plots compared variouscrop rotations, and one remained untouchedfor comparison.

Many interesting aspects were discov-ered. One was that the grass roots were nomore than 8-10 inches deep, which was sur-prising to the observers. And further downin the soil, the researchers discovered twodifferent layers of soil compaction. Thegrass had not penetrated those compactionlayers over the course of 20-plus years.

One of the goals of the test plot demon-stration was to find ways to penetrate thosecompaction layers and “kick start” the soilback into production. Cover crops wereused to do just that. A cover crop cocktailmix of turnips, beets, soybeans, sunflower,peas and different types of clover was usedto break up the soil compaction layers.Other than the cover crops, plots wereplanted into sunflower, corn, soybeans andwheat. (Continued)

THE SUNFLOWER December 2012 13

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Soil compaction can hamper shallow-rooted crops, but not sunflower. “We foundsunflowers are an excellent bio-till plantwith their tap root. We used the sunflowerroots to help us find the compaction levels,”

notes Morton County soil conservationistMichele Doyle. “Those roots find any andevery area to penetrate down in the soil,going after moisture and nutrients. We hadsunflower roots with a 90-degree angle two

and three times trying to get down into thedepth of the soil, and they helped break upthe compaction layers.”

Doyle says the soil on this piece of landwas surprisingly devoid of organic matter,after 20 years of grass cover. To help pre-serve the delicate soil, a no-till system is amust. “Our goal is zero bare ground,”Doyle claims. “It may sound radical, but itjust totally makes sense. The practice iscritical for the carbon/nitrogen balance inyour soils. You have to keep that carbon upin your organic matter, plus have the residueto provide surface armor to protect yoursoil. And, sunflower as an excellent bio-tillplant fits nicely into the no-till plan.”

Soil Nutrients

Not only does the deep-rooted nature ofsunflower help break up soil compaction,the plant is also able to root down farther inthe soil profile to seek out available mois-

14 THE SUNFLOWER December 2012

Left: This photo from the Morton CountyCRP plot shows how the sunflower tap-root penetrated the soil compactionlayer and kept going deeper. The plantand the soil separated naturally at thecompaction layer.

Photo: Morton County Soil Conservation Dist.

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ture and nutrients. Breaking up the soilcompaction can jump start the soil organ-isms making nutrients available to the sun-flower and subsequent crops.

The grasses that have been growing onthe CRP land for up to two decades tend tobe shallow-rooted and inefficient users ofnutrients, so there could possibly be somenitrogen left in the soil deeper down. Eventhough most soil samples show low levelsof key nutrients, this may be due to the factthat few samples go beyond the first twofeet of soil.

According to NDSU’s Franzen, mostsoil samples from CRP come back showingvery low levels of nitrogen. However, thatquickly changes when the land is broughtback into production — particularly the firstyear. Some of the residue will start to breakdown once the soil is disturbed while beingseeded. The activity of planting will stir upthat dormant organic matter and put it intoclose contact with the soil organisms, so itstarts to break down a little more rapidlyand the degradation process starts takingplace. So nitrogen from that surface matterbreaking down will continue to becomeavailable later in the season. That’s wheresunflower has an advantage. It’s a later-planted, long-season crop that will take upnitrogen and utilize it late in the season,Franzen explains.

Another depleted nutrient in CRPground is phosphorous, Franzen points out.Some of the soils were pretty depleted goinginto CRP, so that might be inherently low.So with just a small amount of applied phos-phorous, sunflower would do well — betterthan some small grains with a higher phos-phorous requirement.

While the traditional markers that grow-ers often use to gauge an estimate on soilnutrient needs (e.g., cropping history andhistoric yields) are not available on land thathas sat idle for 20 or more years, there isbenefit to starting with sunflower on a cleanslate on CRP. The disease and pest baggagehas all been erased during this time. Start-ing fresh with sunflower right out of thegate can be very beneficial to the land andprofitable for the grower.

Though some growers might think thatCRP land would be deprived of nutrients,Anthony Mock approaches CRP land with aplan of action similar to what he uses on allother acreage in his operation, drawing uponthe regular recommended rates while shoot-ing for ton ’flowers. He applies urea, phos-phorus and ammonium sulfate at planting.

“That fertilizer gets things going in thatground, to get things started and let sun-flower scavenge for the rest. Then, whenthe plants get going, they can get a boostahead of the weeds. Once they get estab-lished, ’flowers can really handle that denseroot mass of CRP,” Mock asserts. “Thatdeep taproot grows through even some of

the heavy grasses to get the nutrients itneeds. Sunflower is also doing the work forthe next crop by breaking up the soil massdeep in the profile.”

While it’s logical and financially pru-dent to focus on yield potential, CRP

land must be approached a little differently.Some growers might think that land beingbrought back into production won’t produceto its potential for the first two years or so,but that’s simply not the case. Sunflower’sdeep root system is an excellent option forthe first crop on CRP land — not only forthe profit potential it offers, but also for thework the plant does down in the soil for thesubsequent crops’ benefit as farmers thinkahead. — Sonia Mullally �

Sunflower is an excellent optionnot only for its profit potential,but also for the work the plant does down in the soil

for subsequent crops’ benefit.

THE SUNFLOWER December 2012 15Oil Seeds Ad.indd 4 11/13/08 4:15:38 PM

Call Today to Discuss Your High OleicSunflower Seed Marketing Plans.

Normally, you’re not going to need acoat while planting sunflower in June

in central South Dakota. But father andson Todd and Blake Yackley believe theirsunflower seeds can definitely benefitfrom wearing one.Most of the sunflower acreage planted

by Yackley Ranches of Onida in 2012 wasto Syngenta varieties that had been coatedwith the company’s patented Unistand™technology seed coating product. Basedon their experiences the past two seasons,the Yackleys intend to make that 100% in2013.Todd Yackley says improved singula-

tion and consistency of seed placementwere the primary objectives when theyfirst experimented with coated seeds dur-ing the 2011 growing season. “In the past,we’ve had issues with achieving the singu-lation accuracy that we wanted,” says theSully County producer. “We used some ofthese coated seeds last year (2011) and re-ally liked them; so we pushed for more in2012. Probably 95% of our sunflower thisyear was coated — and they planted asgood as corn seed.”The farm’s JD vacuum planters are

equipped with the 20/20 SeedSense™ moni-tors and eSet™ vacuum kits from PrecisionPlanting, Inc. Employee Curt Reich, whooperates one of the planter tractors, reportsseeing virtually no doubles while seedingthe 2012 sunflower crop — and he attrib-utes that improvement to the use of coatedseed. “A lot of times, the singulation read99.8, 99.9 — even 100%,” he recounts.“We’d run through the corn planter moni-tor, and half the row units usually wouldbe [registering] at 100%.” “The sunflower stands were almost like

‘picket-fence’ stands, like corn,” Yackleyobserves. “Before, we used to think,‘Well, we’re getting 22,000 plants outthere — and that’s the main objectivesince sunflower is a compensating plant.’But if we get 22,000 spaced every 10inches, that’s better than having occasionalskips or doubles,” he says.“We haven’t seen any issues with ger-

mination or emergence — [e.g.] needingthe ground to be wetter,” Yackley adds.“It germinates just like uncoated seed.”

Grant Ozipko, Syngenta oilseeds portfo-lio head-North America, says the

company’s objective in introducing Uni-stand to the sunflower market was to opti-mize uniformity of seed size and shape —which in turn would facilitate better singu-lation and more-consistent seed placement.“Sunflower is often the last crop plantedon the farm, and if we can capture any effi-ciencies there, that helps the grower — notonly from a planting speed/accuracy/popu-lation perspective, but also [in terms of]agronomic monitoring throughout the sea-son,” he says. “We’re finding that cropsemerge evenly with Unistand and then re-

South Dakotans LikeCoated Seed Results

18 THE SUNFLOWER December 2012

Left to Right: Blake Yackley, Todd Yack-ley, Brandon Bertsche and Curt Reich ofYackley Ranches, Onida, S.D.P

hoto

: Don

Lill

eboe

Pho

to:

Syn

gent

a S

eeds

Above: The Unistand technology (left)produces sunflower seeds uniform inshape, for a consistent size 3, as com-pared with uncoated seeds (right). Thepolymer-based technology helps seedsflow through the planter easier and re-sults in more-uniformly spaced plants.

Yackley Ranches of Onida

main even through the season. That reallyhelps with scouting and the timing of fun-gicide and insecticide applications — evenherbicides.

“Growers are telling us that when theyuse this product, it minimizes the amountof recalibration or calibrating from eitherlot to lot or brand to brand,” Ozipko adds,“and that helps speed along the process.Many sunflower growers are fairly largeacreage, so if you can minimize theamount of recalibration, that can help getthe crop in the ground [more quickly].”

The Unistand-coated seed “looks like asunflower seed, for the most part,” Ozipkorelates. “It’s an oblong seed, not round; soyou know it’s sunflower. But it does havea distinctive uniform shape.” The actualcoating material is an organic, naturallyoccurring recipe — but not a clay base, hesays. Seed treatment fungicide and insec-ticide products (e.g., CruiserMaxx® Sun-flower) are applied to all the coated seeds(sometimes referred to as “pellets”).

Typically, the coated seeds — which intheir raw condition would be size 4 — end

up as a size 3. The Unistand coating op-tion adds approximately 8% to the price ofa bag of sunflower seed, on average.

For Todd Yackley, it’s a sound invest-ment. “We don’t want to plant any sun-flower seed without it. It really works,” hestates. — Don Lilleboe �

THE SUNFLOWER December 2012 19

‘Growers are telling us that whenthey use this product, it mini-

mizes the amount of recalibrationor calibration from lot to lot.’

Right: This Yackley Ranches 2012 sun-flower field west of Onida, S.D., went inon no-till corn ground and was plantedwith coated seeds.

Photo: Don Lilleboe

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Editor’s Note: The following listingsprovide brief descriptions of sunflower hy-brids that are available for planting in2013 for the first time, or were available in

only limited quantities in 2012. Companiesobviously have additional varieties for saleas well as those listed here. Also, someseed suppliers have indicated they will notbe offering any new hybrids for 2013, sothose firms are not represented in this arti-cle. For more details on any hybrid, visitthe listed company website or contact yourlocal sales representative.

Hybrid information was provided bythe respective seed companies. The Sun-flower has edited some listings for brevityand/or style.

CHS Sunflower

• RH1130-EX is a mid- to full-season,mid-height ExpressSun® confection hybridthat produces large seed for the in-shellmarket. RH1130 has good general planthealth and standability. Limited quantitieswill be available for 2013.

www.chssunflower.com

CROPLAN

• 432 E is CROPLAN’s earliest Ex-pressSun hybrid. This NuSun hybrid hasfast drydown and excellent tolerance toroot lodging. The short-statured hybrid de-livers excellent yield potential with largeseed. 432 E is very uniform and will be agreat companion to 460 E,NS. This hybridprotects with the Pl 8 downy mildew traitand is CROPLAN’s first ExpressSun hy-

brid protecting from common downymildew races.

www.croplan.com

Mycogen Seeds

• 8C451CP is a hybrid featuringClearfield® Plus technology for expandedweed control options. Widely adaptedthroughout all U.S. sunflower growing re-gions, this full-season hybrid is a topchoice for confection processors with itslarge seed size and attractive seed color.

• 8D310CL is a conoil hybrid featuringClearfield herbicide technology. This mid-season hybrid offers exceptional yield andresistance to environmental stress.8D310CL is bred primarily for the de-hulling market.

• 8D417 is a superior medium full-sea-son conoil hybrid with excellent dehullingproperties. A shorter sunflower, 8D417 of-fers outstanding yield for its maturity andis suitable for the NuSun and dehullingmarkets.

www.mycogen.com

Proseed

• E-34 CL is a conventional Clearfieldhybrid for the hulling market, featuring agood disease package.

• E-362436, DMR is a good lookinghigh-oleic hybrid that can be used as ahuller. It possesses good stress tolerance.

www.proseed.net

Seeds 2000

• Camaro II is a medium-maturing,single-cross Clearfield hybrid with stackedresistance to multiple races of downymildew. It has shown improved Sclerotiniahead rot tolerance and has good stalk androot strength. Camaro II fits both thenorthern and southern sunflower produc-tion regions and is suited to both theNuSun and bird food markets.

• Cobalt II is a very uniform, shorter-stature, Clearfield high-oleic single-crosshybrid with resistance to multiple races ofdowny mildew. Its early maturity, shortstature and improved disease resistancemake it a perfect hybrid adapted to shortergrowing season environments, late plantingsituations or as a double-crop option.Cobalt II also exhibits improved toleranceto Phomopsis and Sclerotinia head rot.

www.seeds2000.net(Continued on Page 22)

Photo: Don Lilleboe

20 THE SUNFLOWER December 2012

New Hybrids for 2013 Planting

Technology in your seed.®

A company.

We see a new breed of growers—who demand a higher level of genetics.

visit seeds2000.net.

SunOpta Seed

• D9592CL is a single-cross, mid-length confection sunflower hybrid withClearfield herbicide technology. It has im-proved seed size, length and color. Aver-age days to bloom is 70 days, plant height70 inches. D9592CL has excellent yieldresponse and is available with Cruiser-

Maxx® and flow-aid seed technology.• DO-4421SS is a short-stature, single-

cross conoil variety that combines unifor-mity and yield across a wide range ofenvironments.

www.sunopta.com/foods

Syngenta Seeds

• 7111 HO/CL/DM consistently deliv-ers oleic levels over 85% to enable growersto capitalize on premium high-oleic con-tracts. In addition, it provides excellentstandability, strong tolerance to downymildew and Clearfield technology. One ofthe earliest-maturing hybrids, it also allowsgrowers to reap crop rotation benefits.

www.farmassist.com/seeds/sunflowersvarieties.html

Triumph Seed

• Triumph 662 is a traditional-heightNuSun hybrid offering excellent yield po-tential with good oil content. It has shownexcellent seedset as well as standability.

• Triumph 651CLD is a traditional-height NuSun hybrid with reliable weedcontrol of the Clearfield production system.This hybrid has produced good oil yieldswith great NuSun values. It exhibits toler-ance to downy mildew and rust.

• Triumph 849CLD is a traditional-height high-oleic Clearfield hybrid. It of-fers excellent yield potential with greatoleic values and is downy mildew-tolerant.At 90 to 100 days, 849CLD is slightly ear-lier than Triumph 859CL.

• Triumph 755C is a 100- to 110-dayconfection hybrid with a slightly longerseed type and dark, black hull. It offers ex-cellent yield potential and test weight.

• Triumph 751C is an earlier confec-tion hybrid at 98 to 108 days. It has greatyield potential and uniform seed size. Itshull is dark with clean white margins.

www.triumphseed.com �

22 THE SUNFLOWER December 2012

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Editor’s Note: The National SunflowerAssociation (NSA) continues to work withthe USDA Foreign Agricultural Service(FAS) as a matching-dollar cooperator forpurposes of foreign market development.NSA currently operates in five countrieswith an annual FAS allocation of about $1.5million. Activities in Mexico, Spain, Turkeyand Germany focus on confection sunflowerin-shell seeds and kernel. The program inCanada is directed toward sunflower oil.

The following article is the second in aseries discussing NSA foreign market devel-opment efforts. Canada is the largest exportmarket for U.S. sunflower oil. NSA is work-ing to improve awareness and educate foodprocessors and foodservice personnel aboutthe favorable characteristics of sunfloweroil for use as food processing oil. This isbeing done through educational seminars,information kits, newsletters, mass mediaand trade shows. Sunflower oil is marketedas a “value solution for frying” in both ofthese food industries.

This article was written by Chris Gould,vice president at Harbinger Communica-tions in Toronto and the director of the NSApromotions program in Canada.

According to “A Look into the Future ofEating” report by the NPD group, a

leading market research organization, thefrequency that North Americans snack athome will increase by 19% over the next 10years. The growth is being driven by con-sumers eating on-the-go and a growing de-mand for “better-for-you” snacks andsmaller portion sizes.

Members of Generation Y (born 1976 to1989) are expected to be the primary driversof growth in the salty snack category with a44% projected growth rate. As well, shift-ing demographics and increased knowledgeabout ingredients have resulted in changingconsumer tastes and increased demand forsnack food products with zero trans fat, re-duced fat and lower sodium.

At Harbinger Communications, the mar-keting agency for the National SunflowerAssociation in Canada, we liaise with Cana-dian food manufacturers about the latestfood trends and any product formulationchallenges or questions about sunflower oilthat they may have. We provide informationabout U.S. sunflower oil not only to foodmanufacturers and industry leaders, but alsoto Canadian oil suppliers, who sell U.S. sun-

flower oil in Canada. In order to keep U.S. sunflower oil top

of mind and to continue to share new inno-vations and research, Harbinger createstrade advertisements, distributes quarterly e-newsletters, participates in trade shows, andcoordinates webinars. We are also able toshare a few of the many success stories ofCanadian-based snack food businesses uti-lizing U.S.-sourced sunflower oil in theirpopular products.

One of the hottest snack food trendsright now is pita chips — a low-fat snack,made with sunflower oil. Several Canadiancompanies, including private label brandsfrom key Canadian grocery stores, have in-troduced pita chip products, some of whichare also shipped to the United States for salein various markets.

Crispy Pitas are a delicious new snackthat are made by Ozery’s Pita Break, aCanadian company that emerged from asmall family owned sandwich shop into acommercial bakery that now ships its prod-ucts across Canada and into the UnitedStates.

Starting with quality ingredients, CrispyPitas are crafted with care in small batches.Fruits, seeds, herbs and seasonings areadded along with sunflower oil to thedough, which is rolled out into pita breadsand slowly toasted until golden. They arethen thick-cut to create a satisfying crunchand premium taste.

“We use sunflower oil in the preparationof Crispy Pitas, due to its neutral taste,which allows the flavors in the ingredientsto come through,” says Alon Ozery, ownerof Pita Break. “Sun oil is also non-GMOand has no trans fats, which is importantsince we are committed to creating whole-some and nutritious products for our cus-tomers.”

Crispy Pitas are available in four deli-cious flavors: Cranberry Pumpkin Seed,Rosemary Garlic, Organic Wheat and Or-ganic Spelt with Flax.

Popcorn is another snack food that isgrowing in popularity. Researchers at theUniversity of Scranton in Pennsylvania re-cently discovered that popcorn is packedwith antioxidants, which prevent damage tocells and may have disease-fighting proper-ties. (Continued on Page 26)

U.S. Sun Oil Helps Canadian SnackFood Manufacturers Grow Sales

24 THE SUNFLOWER December 2012

Below: Chris Gould at the NSA booth during a Canadian food trade show.

Part of NSA Foreign Market Development Effort

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To meet Canadians growing demand forpopcorn, Kernels Popcorn provides extraor-dinary quality and taste at its 68 retail loca-tions across the country. Popped inmid-oleic sunflower oil, Kernels popcorn isfreshly made every day.

“We like using mid-oleic sunflower oil,since it is stable and can be heated to hightemperatures in our poppers,” says CarolynMacgregor, Kernels’ director of marketing.“We also like the fact that sunflower oil istaste-neutral, so that the true flavor of the

popcorn and our seasonings comesthrough.”

Whether you prefer spicy or sweet, thereis a wide range of sensational flavors tochoose from including: Jalapeno Jack,Creamy Caramel, Whalin’ White Cheese,Asiago & Cracked Pepper and a variety offruit flavors. Stores can also customize fla-vor combinations, making this product notonly a joy to eat but also a fun gift for bothpersonal and corporate giving.

With more and more Canadians lookingfor gluten-free and low-gluten products anda growing interest in ethnic foods, there hasalso been an emergence in snack food prod-ucts made from non-traditional ingredients,such as beans and lentils and more diverseflavors for consumers to choose from.

A large line of private label productsknown as President’s Choice products aresold at Loblaw Company stores and their af-filiate chains across the country. Within theselection, there is a wide variety of health-conscious products, including President’sChoice Blue Menu Baked Lentil Crisps –Spiced Hummus.

“This product is oven-baked for excep-tional crispness,” says Jasna Turulja, prod-uct developer for Loblaw Brands Limited.“These crisps have more fiber than manyother snacks; and since they are made fromlentil and bean flour, they are an alternativeto other snack choices that are currentlyavailable. To ensure the flavor from thespiced hummus will come through, we usehigh-oleic sun oil and/or safflower and/orcanola.”

Some studies indicate that with con-sumers “always-on” lifestyles and the desireto eat on-the-go and at all times of the day,snacking will continue to grow and Cana-dian consumers will eat smaller portionsmore frequently throughout the day.

As evidenced by these success stories,demand for U.S. sunflower oil, with all ofits positive health and functional attributes,will continue to be of interest to Canadianfood manufacturers. �

26 THE SUNFLOWER December 2012

“Crispy Pitas” from Pita Break (above) and Kernels Popcorn (below) are two suc-cessful Canadian food product lines using U.S. sunflower oil as a key ingredient.

2013

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When SunWise Foods president andpart-owner Bill Daggett transitioned

from active duty military and moved backto Minnesota about five years ago, he hadno experience in the food industry. Butwhen he heard about the idea from RedRiver Commodities for a SunButter sand-wich, he decided to take the concept andrun with it.

With food allergies on the rise, Daggetthad a hunch the idea had some traction. Afriend he knew while living in Coloradohad a son with peanut allergies. Watchinghis friend’s small child practice injectinghimself with epinephrine “just in case” hewas accidentally exposed to peanuts reallyopened Daggett’s eyes to the reality of foodallergies.

This awareness gave Daggett the confi-dence to take on the challenge of producingand marketing the SunButter and jelly sand-wich. Living peanut-free or hearing ofschools that have banned peanuts seemsdrastic to some, but many people who livein constant fear of dangerous allergic reac-tions to peanuts live that reality every day.The SunButter and jelly sandwich producedby SunWise Foods offers an alternative andsafe choice for people with peanut allergies.SunWise sandwiches have 10 grams of pro-tein, no trans fats, one-third less saturatedfat than peanut butter, and provide 20% ofdaily recommended fiber intake.

The company’s slogan is “Go Nuts forNo Nuts” — and apparently people haveheeded this advice. Daggett reports that de-mand is high. He characterizes it as“through the roof” and continuing to grow.No question his instinct about this goodidea was right on the mark. The partnershipwith Red River Commodities has produceda successful business venture for both enti-ties.

Daggett recently provided some insightinto the company’s popular sandwich. —Sonia Mullally

Where did the idea for SunWise Foodssandwiches come from?

About five years ago, I moved back toMinnesota from Colorado Springs. Mywife is a preschool teacher and had studentswith peanut allergies. Also, I had somefriends whose children were living with theallergies. These experiences had reallyopened my eyes to the peanut free world.

So when my father mentioned thatsomeone in his Rotary Club was talkingabout a “peanut butter-less” sandwich, Itold him I would be very interested in meet-ing that person. Dan Hofland and Bob Ma-jkrzak at Red River Commodities, themakers of SunButter, had approached manyP

hotos: SunWise Foods

A Bite of SunDemand Strong for Minnesota Company’s Sandwiches Featuring SunButter & Jelly

28 THE SUNFLOWER December 2012

sandwich manufacturers trying to get someone to make a sandwich.Most had decided the market wasn’t large enough. We didn’tknow how big the market was, but we knew we could help simplifypeople’s lives by provided a product that was delicious and peanut-free. With that in mind, and with help from lots of people, we de-cided to take a crack at it.

Can you explain the production system (how/where are the sand-wiches assembled and packaged)?

Everything is done at our peanut- and tree nut-free facility inPerham, Minn. Bread is shipped in about four times a week. Wehave an assembly line of about 10-12 people, working in two shiftsdaily to produce sandwiches. The sandwich is assembled on a con-veyor belt and ran through a crimping machine which seals the in-gredients and removes the crust. The sandwiches then areimmediately packaged individually and frozen. We ship out palletsof finished product about twice a week.

Where do you source your ingredients — specifically, the sunflowerseed butter?

The primary ingredient in our product is SunButter, the sun-flower seed-based spread made in Fargo, N.D., at SunGold Foods(Red River Commodities). The bread is made locally by Pan-O-Gold in St. Cloud, Minn. The jelly comes from out of state.

Explain how you came up with a marketing strategy to approachschools with your product?

The first thing we did was identify a need for the product. Withthe growing prevalence of peanut allergies in children, moreschools are looking for alternatives to traditional peanut butter,with many schools even banning peanut-based products altogether.That’s where our product comes in. Schools need a product thatchildren with peanut-allergies can eat, while the children withoutallergies will eat. Through extensive taste tasting and product de-sign, we came up with something that works on both levels. Thedemand is through the roof right now.

How many schools is the product offered in and in what parts of thecounty?

We are in roughly 100 schools around the country in about 20states. The largest interest is in California, Texas and Utah thus far,but we also ship our product to schools and distributors fromAlaska to Georgia, including the Dakotas and Minnesota.

How do the peanut-free movement and allergen-free communitycontinue to create demand?

Parents of kids with any type of allergy know how serious theseissues are. The demand for a nut-free product that still tastes greatand is nutritious is always in demand. Vigilant parents, along withschools, recognizing the seriousness of nut allergies only drives de-mand further. Plus, word-of-mouth via the Internet communityhelps, too. We have had many food bloggers and allergy groupswrite about us and recommending our product to their followers.

Right now, customers can order sandwiches delivered to their door.Is your product also available in retail stores (i.e., supermarkets,big box stores)?

We are planning to go into retail soon. We have our retailpackaging and distribution lined up already, and the demand is cer-tainly there. Parents ask us all the time when we are going to beavailable in stores. It’s definitely on the horizon.

You currently offer sunflower seed butter and grape jelly. Anyplans for other flavors in the future?

As of right now, the sky is the limit. We have found grape tobe the most appealing to kids; but certainly different flavors aresomething we have always kept in the back of our minds as wecontinue to grow.

What’s on the horizon for your company?

We plan on going into retail soon, selling our product in storesaround the country. We have other nut-free products we are re-searching that we would like to start producing when the time isright. Also, it’s rare to find a completely nut-free facility thesedays, so we have been approached by other food manufacturers toproduce their nut-free products in our plant, which we are lookingat as well.

For more information on SunWise Foods and their SunButter sand-wiches go to their website at www.sunwisefoods.com or on Face-book at www.facebook.com/SunWiseFoods. �

THE SUNFLOWER December 2012 29

Winter Seed Watch — “Whew! The season’s over. You fi-nally got the sunflower crop off the field and into the bin (probablyhad to run it through a dryer first, though — especially if you’re inan area that had a wet fall). Now you can sit down, relax a bit andkeep an eye on the market over winter, waiting for the most oppor-tune time to get rid of those seeds — right?

“Well, not entirely. Because in addition to watching the mar-kets, it’ll also pay to keep tabs on that sunflower sitting in the bin,making sure it stays in good condition until you’re ready to pull itout. The key, of course, is keeping that moisture content down atan acceptable level. And ‘acceptable’ usually translates into 10percent for winter storage and eight percent for seed which will bestored into the spring or summer months.

“ ‘I’ve heard of people putting sunflower into storage at mois-ture contents of 12, 13 and even 15 percent,’ says Ken Hellevang,extension agricultural engineer at North Dakota State University.‘And they may get away with that over the winter, because with thecold temperatures in this region, and by running a fan once in awhile, they’re essentially going to keep the seeds frozen.’

“ ‘[But in spring], there are going to be problems if it isn’t drieddown, either by taking the sunflower out of the bin and running itthrough a dryer or by using an in-bin natural air drying system.’ ”

Putting the Wilds to Work / By Don Lilleboe — “For manycenturies, wild sunflower plants have grown in the meadows,mountains, plains, deserts — and, yes, fields — of this continent,only to be often ignored, sometimes admired and occasionally

cursed. But we’re now learning that these species (or at least someof them) possess characteristics which could impart to commercialhybrids such beneficial traits as insect tolerance, disease resistanceand increased drought tolerance.

“The trick is to identify these traits in the wilds, isolate themand then incorporate the traits back into commercial hybrids —without sacrificing any of the desirable characteristics (yield poten-tial, oil content, existing disease resistance, etc.) already found inthe current hybrids. And that’s not nearly as simple as it sounds.

“USDA scientists at the Conservation and Production ResearchLaboratory at Bushland, Texas, along with colleagues in Californiaand North Dakota, are now emphasizing the development ofgermplasm from the wilds for eventual release to commercial plantbreeders. If they wish, breeders will then be able to utilize thisgermplasm in the development of parental lines and hybrids.”

Did the F.O.B. Doom the Futures? / By Don Lilleboe — “Thesunflower futures slot on the electronic board at the MinneapolisGrain Exchange sits empty these days. There hasn’t been a futurescontract traded there for several months. Some folks say the con-tract at the MGE is dead; it simply hasn’t been buried yet. A fewsay that if the crop can grow to six or seven million acres, we couldsee trading start up again.

“But everyone agrees on what caused the futures contract atMinneapolis to cease trading: lack of volume. There simplyweren’t enough people trading, enough contracts being traded; thusthose who were trading encountered minimal liquidity, making itvery difficult to get in and out of market positions.

“Did the existence of a successful f.o.b. market at Duluth/Supe-rior doom the Minneapolis futures contract from its start in mid-1980? Not necessarily, say traders; but it certainly didn’t makethings any easier. . . .

“ ‘I used to think that the lack of margin requirements on thef.o.b. market was maybe the main advantage the f.o.b. market hadover the futures market,’ says [an MGE] trader. ‘And I still thinkit’s a major advantage; thought not the major one.’

“ ‘Now I think the reason the f.o.b. market works and the fu-tures market didn’t is that there’s a commercial need for the f.o.b.market, and there wasn’t a commercial need for the futures. Sincethe f.o.b. market was in existence first, the futures market wasforced to be competitive with what already worked.’ ”

Connecting Ships with Their Cargo / By Don Lilleboe —“The large ‘saltie’ comes in off the Atlantic Ocean, moves up theSt. Lawrence Seaway, navigates the locks at the Welland Canal,steams through the Great Lakes, and finally reaches its destination:Duluth/Superior, twin ports at the western tip of Lake Superior.

“The ship pulls into its berth at the terminal elevator, loads upon sunflower seeds, heads back through the Lakes, retraces its jour-ney along the Seaway, and steams out into the Atlantic on its jour-ney to Rotterdam — a two-week trip from Duluth.

“Simple enough? It’s not, of course. Putting ships and cargoestogether — a key part of the marketing system for exported agricul-tural commodities such as sunflower — doesn’t just ‘happen.’ Itcan be a very complex business. Ask Sven Hubner.

“As president of Guthrie-Hubner, Inc., long-time vessel agentsheadquartered in Duluth, Minn., Hubner coordinates a myriad oflogistics for ships coming into Duluth/Superior to take on cargoes— everything from arranging for ship inspections to lining upstevedores to getting food supplies on board to bailing seamen outof jail. . . .

“Vessel agents are retained by ship owners in each of the portstheir ships visit. ‘Picture yourself with 20 ships, at an average costtoday of around $10 million each,’ Hubner explains. ‘If you had allthese ships, you’d naturally want to be with each one all the time,because time is money in this business. But you can’t, so you, as aship owner, hire a guy to look after your interests.’ ” �

30 THE SUNFLOWER December 2012

30 Years AgoExcerpts from the December 1982

Issue of The Sunflower

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