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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

30 Years Ago in The Sunflower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Cover — Photo: Don Lilleboe

Vol. 39 No. 3 IN THIS ISSUE March/April 2013

Page 18

Page 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

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 DirectorJohn Sandbakken, Mandan, N.D.

THE SUNFLOWER  March/April 2013 3

NSA Board Funds 2013 Research ProjectsDuring 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 projectswere four related to disease issues (including rust, Phomopsis,downy mildew), awarded a total of $65,622. Two insect projectsfocusing on seed- and stem-infesting insect pests were granted$49,396. One weed project that will complement past work, butalso will serve to take a closer look at glyphosate-resistantbroadleaf weed management, was awarded $12,040.

In the production category, which includes funding for the2013 crop survey, money was granted to eight projects totaling$133,107. Other projects in this category will address nitrogenmanagement, supplemental irrigation, dryland crop rotation, black-bird management, fatty acid composition and combine fire preven-tion research. Also approved were ongoing projects for rustresistance in confection sunflower funded through a specialty cropblock grant, and the doubled-haploid project funded through seedcompanies.

Contributions by the High Plains Sunflower Committee, pri-vate seed companies, state checkoff councils/commissions andstate ag research funds were also a part of the overall sunflower re-search picture.

Bottling NuSun Oil in MinnesotaNuSun® will soon be back on the store shelves. Tom Smude,

Pierz, Minn., farmer and businessman, is expanding his sunfloweroil business to include NuSun oil. Smude Enterprises LLC beganits cold-press sunflower oil crush operation in February 2010.

Smude is now ready to grow his business to include Nature’sSunflower Oil. The NuSun oil will be sourced regionally and pack-aged in 32-oz bottles at a facility in Pierz and distributed to stores. Contracts are currently being negotiated for nationwide distribu-tion. NuSun looks to break back into the mainstream oil market asconsumer demand strengthens for healthier non-GMO oil choices.

Stolz Joins NSA Board of DirectorsPatrick Stolz, commercial manager for Cargill at West Fargo,

N.D., has joined the NSA Board of Directors. He assumes the seatpreviously held by Cargill’s Tyler Schultz.

Stolz began his career with the companyin the Malt Business Unit in 2004. Fromthere, he moved into a merchandising roleon the Soy Hull Desk before eventually be-coming the manager of that group. Over thelast two years, Stolz has traded the Easternsoybean position while taking a lead role inhelping manage the logistics and trading re-lationship with the crush facilities in theSoutheast.

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

NSA Summer Seminar Set for June 25-27The 31st annual NSA Summer Seminar takes us back out west

to the scenic Badlands of Medora, N.D. Mark your calendar forJune 25-27 to join this fun and informative event.

This year’s eventbegins on Tuesday withthe NSA board meeting,registration and eveningdinner and fundraiser.The educational/infor-mational sessions beginearly the next morningwith panel discussionsand keynote speakers.There will also be shortbreakout sessions that afternoon. Social events include the CurtStern 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 underthe National Sunflower Association’s name. Email Lerrene Krohat lkroh@sunflowernsa.com or call her at 701-328-5107 for moreinformation on the 2013 NSA Summer Seminar. Registration de-tails are available on the NSA website, www.sunflowernsa.com.

Sclerotinia Initiative Meeting UpdateReports from researchers attending the annual meeting of the

National Sclerotinia Initiative held in late January in Minneapolisindicate that positive progress is being made on this difficult dis-

Sunflower Briefs

4 THE SUNFLOWER  March/April 2013

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ease. Sclerotinia affects most broadleaf crops and requires multi-ple genes for resistance. The greatest progress is being made witha combination of improved genetics and new fungicides. Resistantgenes are being identified in a number of wild sunflower species.Transferring those genes to cultivated sunflower is the presenttask. Further testing of fungicides in misted disease nurseries for anumber of crops, including sunflower, is on the agenda for 2013.

The Sclerotinia Initiative is federally funded and, in addition tosunflower, includes crops such as soybean, canola, peas, lentilsand edible beans. Researchers from 14 different states are in-volved in projects, and there is a great deal of collaboration amonguniversities and USDA-ARS researchers. Funding decisions willbe announced at a meeting in April.

Nufarm Expands Global Platform of NuseedNufarm has expanded the global platform of its Nuseed busi-

ness with the acquisition of a 51% interest in Atlantica Sementes, aBrazilian 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 supplya number of existing hybrids through the Atlantica distribution net-work and will leverage other development programs in Australia,Argentina and the U.S. Atlantica will have access to several newhigh-value categories in the Nuseed pipeline, including highsugarforage sorghum and high-oleic sunflower.

GMO Labeling at Whole Foods MarketWhole Foods Market has announced that by 2018 all products

in its U.S. and Canadian stores must be labeled to indicate if theycontain genetically modified organisms. Whole Foods is the firstgrocer to set a deadline for full GMO labeling. The company willbe working with suppliers as they transition to ingredients fromnon-GMO sources, or clearly label products containing GMOs bythe five-year deadline.

The impact on non-GMO products like sunflower would bepositive if food companies look for non-GMO substitutes. Thevast majority of soybean, corn, cotton and canola oils are derivedfrom GMO sources. �

THE SUNFLOWER  March/April 2013 5

www.sunopta.com/foods

Traditional and XL Confection SunflowerOrganic SunflowerConOil and Large Oil SunflowerFreight Incentives and On-Farm AssistanceND, SD, MN and KS Delivery Locations

Breckenridge, MNJim Smith800.654.4145

Goodland, KSMike Bretz 800.742.9259

Crookston, MNTim Petry or Bill Sullivan800.837.5984

Grace City, NDKent Johnson877.674.3179

A Head Above the Rest

Agricultural markets are now locked in abattle between extremely tight old-crop

supplies of feed grains and oilseeds and thepotential for bearish new-crop markets if2013 world crop production returns tomore-normal levels.

Wheat is trapped in the middle, withU.S. wheat now the cheapest in the worldand nearly the cheapest feed grain in theworld. More wheat will be fed over thenext six months than expected because ithas gotten so cheap relative to corn.

Basis levels for old-crop corn and soy-beans have continued to strengthen to his-torical highs as very strong demand for U.S.soybeans and soybean meal has lastedlonger than expected. The transition fromU.S. soybean supplies to South Americansoybean supplies has not been an easy one.Vessels are now waiting in excess of 60days to load soybeans from Brazil. In fact,there are so many vessels waiting to loadsoybeans and soy products in South Amer-ica that it has reportedly tightened the avail-able vessel supply or even more exportbusiness would be coming from the U.S.

Therein lies the dilemma of old-cropsoybeans and other oilseeds. China’s de-mand continues to be unabated regardlessof the price. Argentina and Brazil are or

will be harvesting big crops, but logisticalsnarls and slow farmer selling have resultedin massive delays in shipping those bigcrops to the world market.

The U.S. soybean supply will be justfumes by midsummer. USDA has refusedto increase the export forecast for soybeansdespite the fact that we have sold more than95% of the annual export goal just sevenmonths into the marketing year. In addi-tion, actual export loading has been huge.Most of what has been purchased has alsobeen quickly shipped. The demand for soy-bean meal has meant that U.S. crushingplants have also been operating at a highcapacity. Both the crush and export fore-cast should be raised in the months ahead,but there is little supply cushion to allowfor these increases.

Old-crop oilseed values have returned tothe upper end of their trading range,

while new-crop values have weakened onexpectations of more planted acres, a record2013 soybean yield (according to USDA’srecent outlook conference), and a steep in-crease in ending supplies in the 2013/14marketing year.

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

the old-crop tightness is expected to eventu-ally give way to a huge increase in endingsupplies in the next marketing year if near-record corn yields are achieved in 2013.

All of this continues to point to veryvolatile markets with big price swings aswe head into the spring planting season andthen the growing season. Here are some ofthe key market issues in the months ahead:

• USDA releases its quarterly stocks re-port on March 29, reflecting stocks on handas of March 1. Corn and soybean stocks es-timates will be critical to old-crop prices.

• The USDA will release the plantingintentions estimate on the same day as thequarterly stocks numbers. The market isleaning toward more oilseeds acres andsteady or a slight decline in corn acres.

• A wet, cool spring could mean someplanting delays. The market needs earlyharvested soybeans and corn this year be-cause of the lack of old-crop supplies.

• Most of the western Corn Belt andSouthern Plains remains in a very severedrought. Late-winter precip was much bet-ter than the previous six months, but subsoilmoisture levels have not been recharged.

• The USDA (and most other analyticalgroups) is using very optimistic 2013 yieldestimates despite the poor soil moistureconditions today. This means markets willbe even more sensitive to any threats toyields throughout the growing season. Nei-ther the U.S. nor the world has any supplycushion heading into the Northern Hemi-sphere growing season.

The initial (and minimum) crop insuranceprices for oil and confection sunflower

were established during the month of Feb-ruary. The oil price is $26.60/cwt and theconfection price is $33/cwt. This does offersome level of price protection if yields arevery good and prices weaken.

Producers have not made many new-crop sales of any crop, according to grainbuyers across all of the U.S., relative to thepast three years. Drought, plus the fact thatselling early in recent years has been at lowprices, are the reasons producers haven’tbeen active new-crop sellers.

There is no reason to carry any old-cropsupplies into the new crop with price in-verses very large. Producers should alsoconsider making new-crop sales on any sig-nificant price rallies and look for optionstrategies to protect against a summer rallyif weather turns threatening. �

6 THE SUNFLOWER  March/April 2013

Mike Krueger is owner of The MoneyFarm, a Fargo, N.D.-based grain mar-keting 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.

arkets

Signs Point to Volatility into ’13 Season

By Mike Krueger

http://www.triumphseed.com

Every wise farmer knows the foundationof his success lies within the soil. But

few if any farmers imprint that fact upontheir own consciousness and methodologywith more conviction than Rick Bieber.

Bieber, who along with his son, Ben,farms near the north central South Dakotacommunity of Trail City, has become apopular national and even internationalspeaker on the subjects of no-till crop pro-duction and soil health. He is a fervent be-liever in both — and crop yields on theirCorson County farm confirm the validity ofhis approach. Yet Bieber simultaneouslywaves off any suggestion that he’s an ex-pert in these areas. “The hero is the crops— their roots and their ability to gather car-bon so the soil biota can live in a healthyenvironment,” he emphasizes. “And thehero becomes the soil itself. I didn’t haveanything to do with it other than leaving italone; I didn’t contribute anything by usinga ‘piece of green or red paint.’ ”

The core of the Bieber farm is com-prised of side-by-side acreage homesteadedby his two sets of grandparents. “One ofmy grandfathers was very conservation

minded; the other one was very much ‘let’ssee what we can get off the land’ ” he re-lates. The locale’s light soils have beenprone to wind-driven erosion for genera-tions, and the differences in the two sets ofland — one that blew heavily during the’30s and ’40s and one that did not — are

still manifested today in their respectiveproductivity levels, he says.

Bieber and his father farmed very con-ventionally during the 1970s, tilling exten-sively. “The county average spring wheatyield was 17 bu/ac; our proven yield was21 bu. So we were good — or so wethought,” he recounts. During the ’80s, theBieber operation was under extreme finan-cial stress of the degree that forced numer-ous Upper Midwest farmers out ofbusiness. The turnaround began in the late’80s, about the time Rick started no-tilling.“Through a complete change in farmingstyle, our farm survived and thrived in the’90s,” he says. “The decade of the 2000sput our farm through some of the most ex-treme conditions, from the lowest rainfallever recorded to some of the highest tem-peratures in several decades. And yet oursoils continued to perform. This wasachieved through no-till, rotations anddownright stubbornness.”

Long-term rainfall in the Trail City areaaverages less than 17 inches per year.While 2011 brought above-average precipi-tation, 2012 was just the opposite. Still,crop yields on the Bieber farm have, foryears, been far above the county average.“It’s not about how much moisture one re-ceives; but rather, how efficiently you man-age what you receive,” Rick states. “Wejudge our management skills by ‘pounds ofharvestable material per inch of waterfallen.’ And our soil health has allowedthat number to keep rising. It’s about thesoils taking care of themselves and takingcare of the crops planted there.

“Our ‘bucket’ becomes larger andlarger every year if we cause less soil dis-turbance, through increased organic mat-ter,” he adds. The typical tilled field inBieber’s area has around 2% organic mat-ter. His own longtime no-till fields runaround 5%. “So if my soils would typi-cally hold three or four inches of waterwith 2% OM, now they hold six inches ofmoisture at the root zone.”

Rotation & Cover Cropping

The Bieber crop rotation has evolved along way since the straight wheat-fallowdays of the ’60s, ’70s and early ’80s. “Westart off with a four- or five-year rotationthat includes cool-season grasses (wheatand oats); then go to a warm-season grass(corn, millet, forages). From there, we goto a broadleaf (sunflower, flax, peas, al-falfa) and anything else that we feel mayimprove our soils and reduce our inputs inthe following wheat crops,” Rick observes.He admits to occasionally deviating fromhis planned rotation because of the tempta-tion to “chase a market,” but feels doing soextracts a definite price from the nextyear’s crop.

8 THE SUNFLOWER  March/April 2013

Caretaker of the Soil

Photo: Rick Bieber

South Dakota No-Till Producer Rick BieberIs Emphatic About Good Stewardship

Rick Bieber

Bieber’s intense interest in improvinghis fields’ soil health led him into seedingcover crops the past several years. He hasexperimented with various types: warm-season, cool-season, broadleaves andgrasses. In some instances, the cover crophas thrived; in others, it has not. In 2012,for instance, the extreme drought resultedin poor germination and minimal growth.Overall, however, Bieber says cover crop-ping has definitely benefited yield in thesucceeding cash crop. Cover crops alsoprovide forage for their expanding cattlenumbers — and, of course, contribute toimproved soil structure.

South Dakota State University agrono-mist Cheryl Reese has been testing covercrops on the Bieber farm the past threeyears as part of a multi-site research projectpartially funded through the USDA NaturalResources Conservation Service (NRCS).Her focus has been on the impact thatcover crops have on soil quality, corn yieldand soil nitrogen.

In this NRCS study, cover crops wereseeded in August 2010 into wheat stubble.To compare the fall cover crop effect, con-trol plots were established in August 2010where a fall cover crop was not planted.The following spring, 2011, Bieber plantedcorn into the test plot area. A third covercrop treatment was added in June of thatyear when cover crops were drilled into thegrowing corn.

(The August 2010-seeded cover was amixture of purple top turnips, diakonradish, lentils, peas, proso millet, germanmillet and volunteer spring wheat. TheJune 2011 mixture consisted of crimsonclover, winter wheat and lentils.)

In 2012, Bieber planted sunfloweracross Reese’s cover crop plots on theBieber farm. In the fall, Reese sampledsunflower from the cover crop plots seededin August 2010; those seeded in June 2011;and from the plots that did not have covercrops. In this single-year, single-site study,sunflower yield was greater in the plotswhere cover crops were planted in August2010 as compared to the other two treat-ments. “Basically, what we saw at Rick’sfarm was that an in-season cover crop didnot benefit sunflower production the fol-lowing year, but a fall cover crop did,”Reese says. “The ‘fall cover crop 2010plots’ sunflower yields were statisticallysignificantly greater than those of the sun-flower planted into the cover crops plantedinto corn in June 2011, or where there wereno cover crops.”

Why did those cover crop trials pro-duce those results? “While I am still work-ing on the data to support my idea, it goesalong with Rick’s,” Reese says by way ofexplanation. “When wheat is harvested inmid-July or around August 1, the livingroot mass is gone. That leaves August,

September, October and maybe even someof November with soil that does not have aliving root mass.

“If we think about soils at Trail City,these soils supported mid to short nativeprairie grasses where a living root providedcarbon, as well as other nutrient sources forthe soil microorganisms, from April to No-vember. By adding this fall cover crop fol-lowing a short-season crop such as wheat,we assist maintaining a healthy populationof soil biota.

“In 2011, corn yield was better wherewe had a fall cover crop as well. We arereaping the rewards in corn yield (2011)and sunflower yield (2012) of maintaininga living soil for those three to four monthsafter spring wheat was harvested.”

What Sunflower Brings 

Ironically, both Rick Bieber and sonBen are allergic to sunflower. During thecrop’s bloom period, “I look like I’ve beenrun through a washing machine — red andrashy all over,” he quips. But he’s also al-lergic to cattle . . . cats . . . kochia . . . andtomatoes, among other things. So that in-season allergy is not about to stop himfrom growing this crop — especially whenyields on the Bieber farm averaged in theneighborhood of 2,400 to 2,600 lbs/ac in2010 (with one field hitting nearly 3,500lbs). During the very dry 2012 season,yields varied from 1,500 to 2,500 lbs/acacross their 2,000 acres of oil-type sun-flower.

The Biebers actually didn’t start grow-ing sunflower until 2002. “We needed abroadleaf in our rotation,” Rick recalls. “Alot of broadleaves just don’t sustain underhigh temperatures and low moisture; butsunflower will.

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

THE SUNFLOWER  March/April 2013 9

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

Photo: Cheryl Reese

drill, we top dress — and we’ll even fertil-ize the wheat a third time, because we’regoing for high-quality spring wheat.”

Corn typically follows wheat on theBieber farm, “and we manage the corn forsome high yields also.” Then comes sun-flower the following year, planted betweenthe standing corn stalks. Because it’s thedeepest-rooting crop in the rotation, “we dofertilize — but we fertilize extremely early,because we want the nitrogen to go downdeep,” Bieber says. “We don’t want a lot ofvegetative growth on that sunflower plant.

“When it hits the nitrogen, the sun-flower has some ‘age’ on it already. Wewant it to be taking full advantage of thatnitrogen during seed fill. We wind up withtremendous oil — and that oil gives youtremendous weight at the elevator.”

Weed control has proven very manage-able in the Bieber sunflower fields. “Ourweed control is close to maximum in all the

other crops, so there’s not much of a weedseed bank there when the sunflower goesin,” Rick observes. “We do put down Spar-tan; but it’s more of a preventative meas-ure.” He also counts on the sunflowerplant canopy to aid with suppression of anylate-emerging weeds.

Another benefit to sunflower’s deeptaproot, Bieber says, comes a year or twoafter a field of ’flowers has been harvested.

“When the sunflower plant decomposes,you have that channel that is now devoid ofthe old root,” he points out. “If you nevergo through there with a seeding apparatusor tillage tool that closes the channel, itthen becomes a capillary to let moisturemigrate back and forth. The moisture per-colates down quickly if we get a big rainevent; but [the channel] also lets deepersoil moisture move upward in a dry spell.”

Bieber says one downside with sun-flower to date has been “we have a hardtime keeping the sunflower residue stableafter [seeding spring wheat] and prior tothe wheat’s emergence.” That’s especiallytrue if early spring brings high winds —which is not at all uncommon. He is exper-imenting with flying on a cover crop in thesunflower at about the V5-V6 stage (as hedid on 100% of this past season’s cornacreage); “but 2012 wasn’t a good year toexperiment with that, because we got virtu-ally no rain during July and August.”

Again, It’s the Soil!

When you have the Risk ManagementAgency auditing you because they have ahard time believing how high your yieldswere, you must have been doing somethingright. But again, Rick Bieber shines thespotlight on his soils.

“It’s come to where our soils are sowilling to give back and produce on so lit-tle moisture,” he reiterates. “If you pay at-tention to your soils, they just come alive!If you recognize the wealth that God hasgiven you in the soil, and you look at it as aresource that you must protect — ratherthan just protecting your bank account —the soils respond unbelievably, including invery adverse weather years.

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

10 THE SUNFLOWER  March/April 2013

Photo: R

ick Bieber

‘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.’

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Many production issues, like diseasesand insects, can be examined under a

microscope or studied in a research plot.But some simply cannot be solved in a lab.Nothing compares to “real life” data from

the growers’ fields to get to the bottom of aproblem — especially one that is reoccur-ring.

Every autumn for the last 12 years(with the exception of 2004), the National

Sunflower Association has conducted in-depth surveys in producers’ fields through-out the main sunflower growing regions ofthe United States, as well as in Manitoba,Canada.

The data generated by the fall surveycan be used by producers to make bettermanagement decisions. The information isalso providing trends over time, which isused to help define research priorities inimproving sunflower crop production andthe bottom line for producers.

Examining Plant Spacing

Irregular plant spacing within a rowhas consistently ranked as either the top orsecond yield-limiting factor since the firstsurvey was conducted in 2001. In an effortto capture this elusive piece to the sun-flower puzzle, a spring survey will be con-ducted for the first time during the 2013season. The main objective is to put thisone aspect of plant stand into focus.

Why can’t this be accomplished by thefall survey? “The fall survey only showsthe final stand at the end of the season,”explains Hans Kandel, extension agrono-mist with North Dakota State University.“We do not know exactly why there aregaps. Was it due to poor planting? Pooremergence? Disease or insects? Follow-ing the crop from start to finish hopefullywill answer these questions at the end ofthe growing season.”

Why is plant stand such a critical as-pect of sunflower production? The plantspacing difficulties consist of either a skipwithin the row or areas where plants growtoo close together, causing one or more ofthe plants not to contribute to the sun-flower yield. Equal distribution of plantsis essential to obtaining the maximumyield.

It’s a difficult puzzle to solve becausethere are many factors that could be thecause. But it’s certainly worth a closerlook, because it robs growers of yieldevery season. It is estimated that plantsemerging at different stages for severalweeks with multiple skips and doubles candecrease yields by more than 500 lbs/ac.

Irregular plant spacing in the row mayhave been caused by poor seeding condi-tions, failure to adjust the planter, drivingtoo fast, poor germination, disease, insectdamage or other factors. Based on the datacollected and surveyor observations in2012, Kandel estimates the average yieldof 28 fields with plant distribution issueswas 1,678 lbs/ac, compared to 21 fieldswith no stand problem or other problems

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Spring Survey to Focus On Plant Spacing Issue

Left: Irregular plant spacing within therow has consistently ranked high as ayield-limiting factor in the National Sun-flower Association’s annual crop survey.

Photo: H

ans Kandel, NDSU Extension Agronom

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yielding an average of 2,158 lbs/ac. Producers know the need to pay special attention to their man-

agement and refine their technique while seeding sunflower.Planter calibration may be the first step to reducing skips and get-ting better plant spacing within the row. But some factors regard-ing plant stand go unaddressed or are simply beyond growers’control. That’s where the survey data will come into play.

Survey Procedure

The spring survey will be different from that conducted in thefall — but yet similar in many ways in order to provide a startingpoint. Max Dietrich, oilseeds agronomist with Pioneer and organ-izer of the spring survey effort, says the idea came about duringlast fall’s research planning meeting.

“The NSA Research Committee meets in the fall to determinepriorities for the next year’s project proposals based on the find-ings from the fall survey,” Dietrich explains. “The question onplant spacing keeps coming up year after year, and we simplydon’t have the answer. The fall survey isn’t really geared towardfinding a solution to problems that occur very early in the growingseason.”

So Dietrich went to work on devising a plan to survey fieldsshortly after planting. The objectives and procedures put forth aremuch more detailed than the fall survey because of the goal of try-ing to pinpoint one particular aspect. The fall survey is designedto give a broader overview of possible yield-limiting factors.

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

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

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

Photo: H

ans Kandel, NDSU Extension Agronom

ist

flower grower who seeded his field with aplanter. An interview will be conductedwith the grower to get details on manage-ment, such as planting date, hybrid, seed-ing rate, previous crop, tillage practices, aswell as fertilizer and herbicide applicationtiming and rates.

The survey will also include estimationof plant stand, evaluation of plant spacingand seeding depth, evaluation of insect, ro-dent or bird damage, as well as diseasepresence and impact. Environmental fac-tors will also be recorded, such as soilcrusting and moisture conditions.

To obtain this information, the sur-veyor will venture into the field to evaluatethe situation. “Surveyors will mark theirentry point with flags in order to designatethe same area to be evaluated in the fall,”Dietrich says. “We’re looking at conduct-ing the survey from about June 24 throughJuly 6. We want to time it just right inorder to be able to see what might havehappened in the cases of skips or poorstand.”

Surveyors will enter the field and goapproximately 100 feet for the first evalua-tion; then go approximately 50 more feetand do the same evaluation a second time.Two rows of 25 feet will be sectioned off.In that area, surveyors are asked to recordthe total number of plants in both rows,keeping a close watch for doubles (plantsfour inches or closer) or skips (18 inchesor more between plants). Skips will beevaluated for diseases, insects, birds or ro-dent activity. Surveyors will also dig upthe furrow to attempt to diagnose the prob-lem of the seed, such as seeding depth,germination, disease, insect, etc.

“After this is all said and done, we mayactually come up with more questions thananswers,” Dietrich points out. “But atleast we will know what direction to turnby those questions. Growers know theycan expect to lose 10% of their seeds toplanting issues or environmental factors;but why are we seeing the fall survey re-port 20% or more being lost and not con-tributing to yield? These are things weneed to address, clearly.”

Surveyors will also evaluate standingplants by taking a look at five consecutiveplants. They will measure seed depth andcount leaves on plants that are two inchesor longer.

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

In a similar fashion as the fall survey,data collected will be sent to Kandel atNDSU. These same fields will be includedin the fall survey to compare spring andfall observations. Results the first year

will likely determine if the spring surveywill be conducted for more than one year.

Dietrich set out to design the springsurvey that will serve to provide answersto the reoccurring questions generated by

the fall survey about poor plant stand. Hesuspects that will be accomplished to somedegree — and hopefully serve as a catalystfor more research leading to real solutions.— Sonia Mullally   �

THE SUNFLOWER  March/April 2013 15

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The spring-surveyed fields will also be included in

the annual fall survey to compare observations.

When south central Nebraska farmerAnson Nielsen decided to plant sun-

flower for the first time, he never thought itwould draw a crowd. He was simply look-ing to try double-cropping sunflower forprofit potential.

Growing sunflower in an area wherethe big yellow bloom isn’t a common sightcertainly caught the attention of his neigh-bors and occasional curious onlookers whostopped to take photos of this rare sight.

The experiment turned out exception-

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

While that might not sound like muchof a bumper crop to some more-seasonedgrowers, there are two factors that mightsurprise folks: First, that sunflower yieldwas achieved after only one inch of rainfell throughout the entire growing season.And second, that field’s oil content came inat a range of 46-48%, which, he was told,was some of the best recorded at the deliv-ery point.

“My dad, whom I farm alongside, hadtried confection sunflower over 20 yearsago,” Nielsen explains. “I had to make achoice on what to follow wheat, so we de-cided to give double-crop sunflower a try.I’d definitely say we were pleased with theresults.”

Nielsen relied on advice from his dadas well as his good friend, Jim Palmer, whofarms 40 miles to the west near Elm Creek,Neb. Palmer hooked Nielsen up with ashort-stature Triumph hybrid suitable forthe area. Both growers provide a uniqueperspective from this locale, where sun-flower acres are not common, but have po-tential to increase.

For the past 12 years or so, Palmer hasbeen growing 300-400 acres of irrigated oilsunflower annually. He says he got intosunflower for the rotational benefits. “Iwas looking for something after wheat on adouble-crop option,” he explains. “NowI’m on a typical five-crop rotation in fouryears with soybeans/wheat/sunflower/

18 THE SUNFLOWER  March/April 2013

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Double-Crop SuccessFirst-Time S.C. Nebraska Grower Anson Nielsen

Impressed With His 2012 Results

Left: The 2012 Nielsen double-croppedsunflower was planted into standingwheat stubble on June 18.

Photo: A

manda & Anson Nielsen

corn/corn. I’ll admit there was a bit of alearning curve when I first started; but it’sreally worked well for our rotation, andnow more than ever that our irrigationwater is limited.”

Nielsen’s dryland field was planted no-till on wheat stubble on June 18 into goodmoisture. “At the time of planting, we haddecent — but I wouldn’t say an overabun-dance of — moisture. During the growingseason, we only ended up getting two half-inch rain events. But one came when theseeds were filling, so that was well-timed,”Nielsen notes.

Despite good moisture going in, thesunflower plants did show signs of stress.“The sunflower seemed to be able to goafter that moisture that the wheat hadn’tutilized,” Nielsen relates. “I did dig upsome of the ’flowers and found it interest-ing that the taproot had gone sideways forthe most part.”

Just prior to planting, Nielsen made onepass with Spartan to go after the trouble-some weeds: horseweed (or marestail) andPalmer Amaranth. He also went in with apreplant application of 60 lbs of liquid ni-trogen. The ’flowers were planted in 36-inch rows with a planter equipped witheSet® meters from Precision Planting (forwhich Nielson happens to be an authorizeddealer). Target plant population was23,000 per acre.

Another pass was made mid-seasonwith a herbicide for some volunteer wheat.He also sprayed for head moth, noting thathe did see some moth activity — but withno experience growing sunflower, hecouldn’t say whether the moth pressurewas “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 agame changer. He figured sunflower wasjust like any other crop at the base: put iton good land and utilize best practices. Heknew the land was good after pulling off55-bu wheat prior and 60-bu soybeans theyear before.

Palmer, who planted his sunflower onJune 23, had his best crop ever this year at2,500 lbs/ac with oils coming in at 43-44%.That date was the earliest he’s ever plantedsunflower. He’s pushed the planting dateback as far as July 19 some years. “I attrib-ute my best crop ever to that early plantingdate, but that might not work for every-one,” Palmer says.

One major benefit both men see withsunflower is the preservation of the wheatstubble that retains snowfall over the win-ter. “I have a field of beans that had goneinto wheat stubble right across the roadfrom this sunflower field. A little whileback this winter, we had a 9-inch snowevent. You look at that bean field andthere’s very spotty, minimal snow catch,”

Nielsen explains. “However, you look atthe wheat stubble and sunflower stalks, anddeep snow had collected — upwards of 18inches in some spots — from where it hadblown in from other fields. That will endup being valuable moisture retained thisspring.”

Another benefit that Nielsen sees forthose who use irrigation would be thecrop’s drought tolerance. “If there are con-tinued or even more water restrictions puton irrigation, sunflower could have the po-tential to pick up acres,” he says.

“The further you go west of here, the

THE SUNFLOWER  March/April 2013 19

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

One drawback to sunflower, the mensee as being an issue for farmers in thisarea, is marketing options. Weed control isalso a concern, but Palmer thinks that Spar-tan has been doing a decent job on most

fields. “The biggest thing is that some peo-ple are just set in their ways,” he says.“Some think sunflower is hard on theground. I just don’t see it.”

The greatest positive impact Palmersees for sunflower in his operation is therotational benefits. “In this area, corn andbeans year after year works, but it’s not

beneficial in the long run. The diversity inrotation that sunflower adds is worth quitea bit.” — Sonia Mullally  �

20 THE SUNFLOWER  March/April 2013

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As many confection sunflower growersknow all too well, the level of rust re-

sistance in confection hybrids has laggedbelow that available in oil-type hybrids.Widely effective sources of resistance tosunflower rust have proven elusive

through the years, requiring confectionproducers to rely on fungicide treatmentsfor management of this disease.

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

Research Unit at Fargo, N.D., should resultin the release — sometime in 2013 — ofconfection lines that carry good resistanceto sunflower rust. The research project hasbeen partially funded by the National Sun-flower Association and the Specialty CropBlock Grant Program administered by theNorth Dakota Department of Agriculture.

“The goal of the project has been to in-corporate rust-resistant genes into an ac-ceptable genetic background — and tothen make them available to the privateseed industry to create commercial resist-ant hybrids,” notes Lili Qi, research mo-lecular geneticist with the Fargo unit andthe project’s leader. She expects threerust-resistant confection lines — possess-ing the resistance genes R2, R4 and R5, re-spectively — to be released to commercialbreeders later this year.

These resistance lines were developedusing the backcross method, Qi says. Thethree resistance genes came from three oilsunflower lines. The oil lines were se-lected as “donor” parents, while two con-fection lines were selected as “recurrent”

parents. “Crossingthe recurrent parentwith the donor par-ent produced an F1hybrid; then, cross-ing the F1 with therecurrent parent pro-duced the first back-cross generation(BC1),” the USDAgeneticist explains.

After screening the cross for rust resist-ance, Qi’s team developed several subse-quent backcross generations by repeatedlycrossing the selected BC plants with therecurrent parent. In total, “seven genera-tions of back crosses with plant materialcontaining a resistant gene are required forthe final product,” she says. “After thefinal backcross generation, selected indi-viduals were self-pollinated so that the se-lected lines are homozygous for the rustresistance.” The USDA group confirmedthe stability of the rust-resistant genes byusing genetic DNA markers and a rust test.

Of course, the final product also mustpossess strong agronomics. Qi reports thatfield tests actually showed agronomic im-provement in terms of plant vigor, plantheight, seed size and seed color. In theend, these three new lines are very similarto the confection recurrent parent — withthe notable difference being that they, un-like the parent, possess rust resistance. �

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Sunflower growers have another weaponavailable to them this year in their deal-

ings with sunflower moth and/or bandedsunflower moth.

That weapon is Prevathon®, an insecti-cide product of DuPont. Prevathon, whichreceived federal registration in 2011, wasapproved by EPA for use on sunflower inlate October of 2012. The main sun-flower-producing states in the NorthernPlains as well as the Southern Plains areamong the numerous states in which thisinsecticide is registered.

FIFRA 2(ee) labels indicate that Pre-vathon is effective on many insects in theOrder Lepidoptera (moths), as well as onColorado potato beetle and grasshoppernymphs. It is “powered” by DuPont’s Ry-naxypyr® chemistry, which is a differentmode of action from the pyrethroid andorganophosphate groups. “Rynaxypyr pro-

duces muscle paralysis, rapid feeding ces-sation and death among leaf-feeding in-sects in either the larval (caterpillar) oradult stage,” explains Janet Knodel, exten-sion entomologist with North Dakota StateUniversity. “It also works as an ovi-larvi-cidal insecticide on the moths; so as theyoung larvae hatch from the eggs that havebeen sprayed with Prevathon, they die assoon as they’re exposed to the chemical.”

Knodel affirms that the new mode ofaction that Prevathon brings to the tableshould help open doors for its use againstthe sunflower moth and banded sunflowermoth. Data from 2011 and 2012 NDSUand Kansas State University insecticideevaluation trials “have shown it’s very effi-cacious against those two insects,” Knodel reports.

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

flower moth and banded sunflower mothare similar to those already in place, Kn-odel notes. So treatment for seed-infestinginsects would be recommended when pop-ulations of those insect pests are at theeconomic threshold level and sunflowerplant growth is at the R5.1 stage (10% ofdisk flowers open).

Another apparent benefit of Prevathonis a residual activity period that’s signifi-cantly longer than that of the pyrethroidand organophosphate insecticides. Basedon DuPont research data, Prevathon pro-vided about a 30-day-long residual. Kn-odel still plans to test this parameter aswell.

Prevathon is very stable at high tem-peratures, and toxicity data show that it isquite safe. Bee toxicity studies using Cor-agen®, a “sister insecticide” to Prevathon,have demonstrated low (but not zero) toxi-city to bees. DuPont believes that the beetoxicity profile for Prevathon would bequite similar. The company recommendsagainst direct sprays of bees or other bene-ficial insect pests, however

“Prevathon is very compatible for tankmixing with other insecticides, fungicidesand fertilizers, notes NDSU’s Knodel.“However, it’s always a good idea to do ajar test (to check for separation) beforemixing it in your commercial tank.” Thefield re-entry period after treatment is justfour hours. — Don Lilleboe �

24 THE SUNFLOWER  March/April 2013

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

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Ever wonder where your checkoff dol-lars go? How are they spent? What is

the National Sunflower Association, andwhat does it do besides bring you the mag-azine that you’re now holding?

Back in the early 1980s, the NationalSunflower Association (NSA) was createdin order to have one central voice for sun-flower. The organizers put together agrower and industry membership organiza-tion that brought ideas and funding fromall sources into one association. Throughlots of cooperation among producers, in-dustry and our government partners, theNSA works together for the betterment ofthe sunflower industry. Working togetherallows for good planning and getting themost bang for the buck. Our overarchinggoal is to make sunflower a profitable cropfor all involved in the industry.

The NSA Board of Directors consistsof 13 sunflower producers and five indus-try members. They are the guiding forcethat sets the direction for the organization.Representation on the NSA Board of Di-rectors relates to the amount of contribu-tions from each checkoff council/commission. Each checkoff state and in-dustry group participating in an assessmenthas representation on the NSA board.

Checkoff councils/commissions fromNorth Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Col-orado and Minnesota now participate in

the NSA, with 50% or more of each stategroup’s annual revenue directed to theNSA. Those funds are enhanced with in-dustry assessments of the oilseed crushingplants, the confection processing plantsand the hybrid seed companies. The NSAis able to expand that income even furtherwith other grants, including a market de-velopment grant from USDA’s ForeignAgricultural Service. All in all, every dol-lar coming into the NSA grows exponen-tially at least 10-fold.

The National Sunflower Association’s2012/13 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

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 forWashington representation.

Keeping in mind the goal of makingsunflower a profitable crop for all in-

volved in the industry, checkoff, industryand grant dollars are spent in the followingareas:

• Production Research — The Na-tional Sunflower Association providesgrants to public researchers to stimulatenew or additional work that may result inlower production costs, increased qualityand higher yields. The four key researchareas are: production issues, disease, in-sects and weed control. Resolving Sclero-tinia continues to be a high priority.

The NSA, in conjunction with theUSDA Agricultural Research Service(ARS) and hybrid sunflower seed compa-nies, established the National SunflowerAssociation Sunflower SNP Consortium.The consortium will help plant breederscreate new sunflower hybrids as quickly aspossible through the application of state-of-the-art marker-assisted breeding tech-nology. Application of this technologywill give plant breeders new tools to de-velop hybrids resistant to such perennialdiseases as rust, downy mildew, powderymildew and Sclerotinia more quickly andwith much greater precision than what ispossible using traditional plant breedingmethods. This technology also can beused to capture specific oil traits, insect re-sistance and yield enhancing traits.

• Crop Protection — This is an ongo-ing process, with the NSA participating inresidue trials to accelerate the chemicalregistration process. This includes attend-ing the annual IR-4 meeting which priori-tizes labeling for minor crops or a minoruse on a major crop; and working withcrop protection companies and universitypersonnel to determine efficacy of newproducts to establish possible new labels. Many of the sunflower herbicide registra-tions in the last 10 years — includingSpartan®, Beyond® and Express® — werepartially financed by the NSA.

The NSA is currently working with

Your Checkoff Dollars At Work

The NSAWhat It Is & What It Does

26 THE SUNFLOWER March/April 2013

By John Sandbakken

John Sandbakken is executive director

of the National Sunflower Association.

USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services on thebird repellent Anthraquinone. This prod-uct has been tested under cages for twosuccessive years, and the results look verypromising for repelling birds. NSA willwork with USDA to conduct large field-scale efficacy to determine applicationrates, timing and overall efficacy.

Recently, NSA was able to get ap-proval for IR-4 funds to be used for Pyrox-asulfone for field trials, lab residue testsand assistance to accelerate the registrationprocess at EPA. Pyroxasulfone herbicidehas utility in conventional, Clearfield orExpressSun sunflower production systemsto achieve greater weed control than cur-rently exists. It has a mode of action inwhich no major crop weeds have devel-oped resistance and it works well in a tankmix with Spartan.

•  Domestic Promotion — NSA worksclosely with our member companies, espe-cially those smaller companies that needmore assistance finding domestic cus-tomers. We continue to use our website,Facebook and YouTube to provide moreinteractive opportunities for consumers.

NSA works to improve awareness andeducate food processors about the favor-able characteristics of sunflower oil for useas food processing oil. We also spend timepromoting kernel usage to domestic buyersin order to promote the functionality andflexibility of using kernel as an ingredientin food products.

On the oil side, approximately 80% ofsunflower oil produced in the U.S. is nowsold domestically. This is a change fromthe past when the same percentage was ex-ported. The shift from export to more do-mestic sales is a direct result of theindustry switch to NuSun and high-oleic

sunflower oil. These oils are tailor-madefor the needs of the domestic market andmeet consumer demand.

Sunflower kernel consumption is in-creasing, with 75% of kernel produced inthe U.S. consumed domestically, resultingin 39% growth over the past 10 years.

•  Foreign Market Development —The NSA continues to be a cooperator withthe USDA Foreign Agricultural Service formatching dollars in overseas market devel-opment. The NSA operates in five coun-tries with an USDA allocation ofapproximately $1.6 million annually.

Canada is the main oil exportmarket targeted with USDA funds. Ger-many, Mexico, Spain and Turkey are mar-ket targets for confection sunflower.

Working with our export partners hasresulted in U.S. sunflower oil dominatingthe Canadian sunflower oil sector with a75% market share. NSA has worked col-laboratively with leading Spanish im-porters to develop the local market forU.S. confection sunflower products. TheUnited States is the leading supplier toSpain’s confection sunflower import mar-ket, with more than a 60% market share,despite increased price competition fromour competitors. Over the last 10 years,total U.S. in-shell confection exports to allmarkets have grown by a whopping 86%.

•  Publications & Grower Informa-tion —  Information is power, and the

more you have the better. Thus The Sun-flower magazine, NSA website andnewsletters continue to be the mainstay ofthe communications system. NSA pro-vides producers and industry memberswith access to the latest news and develop-ments concerning sunflower.

The Sunflower magazine is free ofcharge to all sunflower growers and has amailing list of nearly 30,000. The maga-zine has six issues per year.

The website averages more than50,000 hits a month and is updated daily.Interested individuals can opt into aweekly newsletter sent via email to receivethe latest news in the sunflower world.

The NSA conducts the annual Sun-flower Research Forum where public re-searchers present their year’s findings. Wealso host the annual Summer Seminar forgrowers and industry members.

So, really what is the NSA? It is “your”NSA working for the producer and the

industry for the betterment of the U.S. sun-flower industry. We will seek to increaseprofitability to sunflower producers andthe sunflower industry by having aggres-sive research, expanding sunflower mar-kets, impacting public policy andproviding information and education.

Working together we can achieve ourcommon goal of making sunflower a prof-itable crop for all involved. �

THE SUNFLOWER  March/April 2013 27

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.

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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, the final install-ment in a series, discusses NSA foreign mar-ket development efforts in Mexico. With abudget of just under $500,000 in Mexico,the NSA undertakes trade servicing, adver-tising, exhibits at trade shows, and conductstraining seminars to educate the key snackprocessors and the bakery industry on prod-uct quality, value and consumer acceptanceof U.S. confection sunflower products.

NSA also has consumer activities forconfection sunflower products that includein-store sampling, trial samples of products,and a school education program. Over thecourse of the last seven years, more than5,000 schools have been visited, and NSApromotional materials have reached morethan 500,000 students and their families.

The consumer promotions focus on thehealth attributes and cost value of confec-tion sunflower products for snacks relativeto other snacks. Long-term market trendspoint toward future growth in U.S. confec-tion sunflower product exports to Mexico.

This article was written by Raul Ca-ballero of Mercalimentos ConsultingAgency in Mexico City and director of theNSA promotions program in Mexico.

Mexico is home to approximately 114million people. The urban population

continues to grow as many rural inhabitantsmove to larger cities for better living oppor-tunities. While Mexico is a large producerand exporter of produce to the United Statesand other countries, it also needs to importvarious foods — mainly from the UnitedStates.

Agricultural production in Mexico con-tinues to be unpredictable, as many of thegrains depend on in-season rains, anddrought conditions are common.

Mexico points at the right direction in itseconomy and policies. NAFTA has helpedMexico’s economic growth and its demo-cratic growth as a country that still needs to

mature within its political system. FelipeCalderon the former president, did a fair jobperforming important fiscal, union, tax, oiland judicial reforms, as well as a hard anddifficult fight against the drug cartels inMexico. His presidential term ended De-cember of 2012, while President EnriquePeña Nieto was elected in July of 2012. Peña Nieto, from the old PRI party, appearsto be a modern president — which was de-manded by modern Mexicans who want andneed a more-modern Mexico with the needfor better living opportunities to emerge.

Despite the problems that the drug car-tels have generated in Mexico and thedownturn of the economy since 2008 in theU.S., Europe and rest of the world, Mex-ico’s economy has been growing and has astrong base due to the well-managed macro-economic factors, including having a re-serve of $165 billion.

With the downturn of the worldwideeconomy, the only sector that has been ableto show strong growth every year is the foodindustry. Mexico is the third largest im-porter of processed foods and the number-one importer of food ingredients from theU.S. One of the categories with continualgrowth for the U.S. in the Mexican marketis the snack segment.

Sales for salted snacks from Januarythrough May 2012 totaled 184,000 metrictons (MT), improving from the 171,000 MTexported in 2011. After a contraction periodduring the economic crisis between 2009and 2010 and during a moderate improve-ment in 2011, the snack industry recuper-ated in the first five months of 2012,reaching a growth of 7%, attracting newcompanies to the segment. In terms ofsales, the snack industry had a 10.5% in-crease during the mentioned period. Thetotal sales in the snack segment added17,486 million pesos in the first five monthsof the year, vs. 17,120 million pesos duringthe same period in 2011. According to theNational Statistics Institute in Mexico(INEGI), the snack segment market in Mex-ico has a value of 39,000 million pesos, or $39 billion.

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

hoto: R

aul C

abellero

28 THE SUNFLOWER  March/April 2013

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

tional Sunflower Association is working toadvance in Mexico. With an aggressive pro-gram that in 2011 met five years of visits toelementary schools in Mexico City, Monter-rey and Guadalajara, a total of almost half amillion kids were visited by nutritionists fora talk in healthy eating and an invitation totry U.S. sunflower snacks. This marketingexercise yielded interest from kids and par-ents to consume more sunflower products,due to its association to health benefits.

The program has been very successfulbecause the NSA has brought to schools aresource that had been left behind by theEducation’s Secretariat in Mexico. The gov-ernment nutritional programs were verybasic and poorly implemented and the ap-pearance of the NSA school program hashelped to reinforce nutritional education tokids, while teaching and promoting the ben-efits of consuming U.S. sunflower products.

During these talks that nutritionists pres-ent to kids in the schools, a sunflower snacksample is provided as well as U.S. sun-flower educational and promotional give-aways that promote the qualities ofsunflower and direct kids to the Spanishwebsite and the social networks. In addition,parents are invited to the talks, and thosewho attend receive a recipe booklet that pro-vides them with bakery and snack recipeswith sunflower.

The introduction to the flavor of sun-flower snacks has resulted in 95% approvalfrom the kids; and the presence of the par-ents reinforces the idea that U.S. sunflowerproducts are healthy. These efforts carrythrough to the selling point later on.

Prior to the NSA’s promotion of U.S.sunflower products in Mexico, there wereonly about a half-dozen sunflower-contain-ing items in the country, including one ortwo snack products, one or two granolas andone or two cereals. Now, the inventory ofsnack brands that carry sunflower as an in-gredient numbers more than 25 products.The consumer is now able to find more vari-ety and at more shopping locations. Amongother lines, in-shell and kernel snacks, cere-als, granolas, breads, energy bars, nutritionalcookies, toppings and others can be found atselling points such as supermarkets, the cen-tral market (farmers market), vegetarian andnatural food outlet stores, etc. So the avail-ability of the product has been increasingpaired with the increased consumption ofsunflower.

As a complement to the educational pro-gram that the NSA has been conductingthrough the marketing firm MercalimentosConsulting, a promotional program is beingcoordinated with new partners every year toensure that new products and projects areincluded. The promotional program includessupermarket chains, department stores andthe Farmers Market (Central de Abasto) inMexico City, as well as natural food stores.

Chains like Wal-Mart, Superama, Liverpool,Waldos and brands like Bimbo, Kelloggsand other brands and private labels are partof this program.

In-store demos have been the key ele-ment to connect the consumer directly withU.S. sunflower products at the point of sale.Demonstrators have offered thousands ofproduct trials to consumers, and the accept-ance level has been above 90%, accordingto surveys that have been done by the samedemonstrators.

To support the in-store promotion, edu-cational materials have been developed topromote the natural and healthy image ofU.S. sunflower products. Posters, handouts,tent cards, aprons and shelf talkers havebeen placed in retail stores at the demo cartin order to promote the U.S. products. Withan increasing trend to consume natural andhealthy food products, the future of sun-flower in Mexico is promising.

New Regulations &

School Food Guidelines

In 2010, the Mexican government,driven by concerns about the obesity levelsof adults and children in Mexico, imple-mented an aggressive program to educateand encourage the Mexican population toeat healthier. Junk food has been banned

from elementary and middle schools, givinga hard hit to some of the largest snack man-ufacturers. However, the implementation ofthese new rules and regulations wasn’t donein a strict manner, so many of the snackprocessors found ways to get around thenew program guidelines by reducing theportions to half. In some other cases,sodium and fats were reduced in the contentof the potato chips or extruded snacks; how-ever, no major changes were made.

For the nutritional benefits that sun-flower products represent to consumers, theopportunities are big — and the NSA hasthe chance to conquer a new consumer thatis looking for healthier snacks. Sunflowerproducts are one of the snacks accepted inthe school program in Mexico due to theirhealth benefits.

Consumers in Mexico continue to ex-plore healthier diet options. More and moresunflower products can be found at moreselling points. The opportunities are mag-nificent, and the NSA’s promotional effortsneed to be continued to work towards edu-cating more consumers who are unaware ofsunflower or haven’t tried it yet. For sure,sunflower products in Mexico will continueto grow at a good pace, and more sunflowerproducts will continue to be exported intoMexico. Now is the time to secure a pieceof this market. �

THE SUNFLOWER  March/April 2013 29

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

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

“Larson experimented with various sunflower cropping prac-tices during 1982 in an effort to learn which system will do the bestjob of helping him attain projected yields of about 1,000 pounds peracre while simultaneously keeping soil erosion to a minimum andconserving soil moisture.

“Part of Larson’s ’82 sunflower acreage went into conventionaltillage, i.e., planted in 48-inch rows with a lister and then cultivatedduring the season. The remainder of his sunflower was planted withan 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 pre-

vious 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 wentonly 300. The yield on the chemically fallowed ground was closer

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 abnormalamount of snow received this winter, prospects for ’83 yields arevery good.”

Get the Jump on Cutworms — “Cutworms can be very de-structive to a field of sunflower seedlings. Feeding at, just above orjust below ground level, they chew on the plant stalk until it is cutoff — then move on to the next plant. If a grower plans ahead andis prepared to stop cutworm damage when it begins, losses can oftenbe minimized.

“ ‘Early detection and early treatment are two vital factors instopping cutworm damage in sunflower fields,’ reports DeanMcBride, extension entomologist with North Dakota State Univer-sity. ‘Cutworm larvae typically feed at night, and, particularly withcrusted soil conditions, they’ll stay just under the soil surface duringthe daytime. Thus, the only way to really determine if there is a cut-worm infestation is to get out into the field, dig around and scout forthem. We advise that a farmer begin scouting at plant emergenceand continue at least twice a week until about mid-June. . . .

“ ‘The economic threshold for cutworms in sunflower is onelarva per square foot or 25-30 percent stand reduction in the imme-diate 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. govern-ment commodity credit programs.

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

“U.S. sunflower’s dependence on foreign markets is hardly a se-cret. As either seed or oil, the great majority of our domestic pro-duction ends up in export pipelines. Yet burdensome world oilseedsupplies, increased rapeseed and sunflower production in France,the high price of U.S. sun oil compared to its subsidized Argentinecompetitor, and a struggling world economy, have all combined toexert downward pressure on U.S. sunflower seed price levels. Andit appears these factors will continue to restrict prices for the re-mainder of the current marketing year.”

Plant Chemicals Help Repel Insects — “When scientists at theUSDA Conservation and Production Research Laboratory at Bush-land, Texas, observed that some wild species of sunflower weremore resistant to attacks by certain insect pests than were cultivatedvarieties, they wanted to know why. And when they could find noobvious structural feature on the wild plants to account for this natu-ral resistance, they wondered if there could be a chemical basis. . . .

“To help find out, they turned to Dr. Tom Mabry, chairman ofthe University of Texas botany department, and Jonathan Gershen-zon, a UT graduate student. With support from the National Sun-flower Association and the National Institute of Health, Mabry andGershenzon have now completed a detailed chemical analysis ofhundreds of populations of wild sunflower collected during a10,000- mile trip throughout the United States.

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

“After isolating large quantities of the chemicals (which wereconcentrated on microscopic hairs on the leaf surface and flowerparts), the botanists added the chemicals to the diets of sunflowermoth larvae. . . . [They] found that most of the insects were repelledby the altered diet — and ended up starving.” �

30 THE SUNFLOWER  March/April 2013

30 Years AgoExcerpts from the March & April

1983 Issues of The Sunflower

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