Record low sunseed production forecast for US

In the 2024/25 marketing year, farmers in the United States planted record-low sunflower acreage – almost half of what was planted the previous year. That’s according to a report from the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. “Most of the decline in planted acreage occurred in the two largest producing states: North Dakota and South Dakota. The decline is due to lower profitability compared to other oilseed crops such as canola and soybeans,” the service writes. Sunseed stocks at the end of 2023/24 were the highest since 2016 – 2017, resulting in the lowest purchase prices in the last 4-5 years. In addition, the expansion of canola and soybean processing capacity in these states created additional domestic demand for the crops, leading to an increase in acreage planted to beans and canola at the expense of sunflower, the report elaborates. Total sunseed production this season is forecast at 1.3 billion pounds (589,000 tons), the lowest since 1976-1977. For almost 30 ...