Sunflower Harvest Jumps a Third
WASHINGTON - Oct 9/15 - SNS -- The first sunflower production for 2015 came in at 2.91 billion pounds in the United States, up 31% from 2014, down 4% from last year, according to the USDA.
Area planted, at 1.86 million acres, is up 10% from the June estimate and up 19% from last year. Sunflower growers expect to harvest 1.78 million acres, up 11% from June and up 18% from the 2014 acreage. The October yield forecast, at a record high 1,629 pounds per acre, is 160 pounds higher than last year's yield.
As of October 1, higher yields are expected in 4 of the 9 published States compared with last year, with all four States expecting an increase in average yields of more than 100 pounds per acre. The forecasted production in South Dakota, the leading sunflower-producing State, is 1.27 billion pounds, up 45% from 2014 due to a combination of improved yields and increased acreage this year compared with last year. The yield in South Dakota, at 1,929 pounds per acre, will be a record high, if realized.
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