STAT Communications Ag Market News

18% Drop in Sunseed Output

WASHINGTON - Jan 12/18 - SNS -- The 2017 sunflower production totaled 2.17 billion pounds, down 18% from 2016, according to the USDA's final crop estimates.

The United States average yield per acre of 1,613 pounds decreased 118 pounds from 2016. However, the average yield was still the third highest on record. Planted area, at 1.40 million acres, was 12% below the previous year. Area harvested decreased 12% from 2016 to 1.34 million acres.

South Dakota, the leading sunflower-producing State during 2017, produced 1.04 billion pounds, a decrease of 2% from 2016. Compared with 2016, planted area in South Dakota increased 11% but yield decreased 208 pounds to 1,750 pounds per acre. Meanwhile, production in North Dakota decreased 39% primarily due to harvested area, which decreased 36% from the previous year. The average yield in North Dakota declined 80 pounds from 2016 to 1,636 pounds per acre.

United States production of oil-type sunflower varieties, at 1.86 billion pounds, decreased 22% from 2016. Compared with the previous year, harvested acres were down 14% and the average yield decreased by 146 pounds to 1,585 pounds per acre.

Production of non-oil sunflower varieties was estimated at 312 million pounds, an increase of 10% from 2016. Area harvested, at 172,700 acres, was up 6% from 2016, but was the second lowest since 1983. The average yield increased by 75 pounds from 2016 to 1,804 pounds per acre and represented the second highest yield on record for non-oil varieties.

Harvest of sunflowers began in very late September and progressed mostly behind normal throughout October in the four major States. As of October 29, fifty-three% of the crop was harvested, 7 percentage points behind the previous year and 1 percentage point behind the 5-year average. By November 26, harvest progress had reached 93% complete Nationally, 4 percentage points behind the previous year but equal to the 5-year average.

Sunflower Area Planted and Harvested, Yield, and Production by Type - States and
United States: 2015-2017
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Varietal type  :          Area planted           :         Area harvested
     and State    :-------------------------------------------------------------------
                  :   2015    :   2016   :   2017   :   2015    :   2016   :   2017
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  :                            1,000 acres
                  :
Oil               :
California .......:     33.0       45.0       54.0        33.0       44.5       52.5
Colorado .........:     60.0       60.0       80.0        57.0       57.0       74.0
Kansas ...........:     57.0       45.0       52.0        53.0       42.0       50.0
Minnesota ........:     77.0       66.0       34.0        75.0       64.0       33.0
Nebraska .........:     29.0       29.0       30.0        27.0       28.0       28.5
North Dakota .....:    620.0      630.0      395.0       605.0      610.0      384.0
Oklahoma 1/ ......:      3.5       (NA)       (NA)         3.0       (NA)       (NA)
South Dakota .....:    580.0      510.0      540.0       570.0      495.0      520.0
Texas ............:     91.0       33.0       31.0        87.0       28.0       30.0
                  :
United States ....:  1,550.5    1,418.0    1,216.0     1,510.0    1,368.5    1,172.0
                  :
Non-oil           :
California .......:      1.4        1.6        1.3         1.4        1.5        1.3
Colorado .........:     13.0       14.0       12.0        12.0       13.0       11.0
Kansas ...........:     27.0       18.0       13.5        25.0       16.0       12.2
Minnesota ........:     24.0       14.0        4.7        23.5       13.5        4.2
Nebraska .........:     20.0       12.5       15.5        17.5       11.0       15.0
North Dakota .....:    100.0       58.0       43.0        97.0       53.0       42.0
Oklahoma 1/ ......:      2.2       (NA)       (NA)         2.0       (NA)       (NA)
South Dakota .....:     99.0       48.0       82.0        92.0       45.0       74.0
Texas ............:     22.0       12.5       15.0        19.0       10.5       13.0
                  :
United States ....:    308.6      178.6      187.0       289.4      163.5      172.7
                  :
All               :
California .......:     34.4       46.6       55.3        34.4       46.0       53.8
Colorado .........:     73.0       74.0       92.0        69.0       70.0       85.0
Kansas ...........:     84.0       63.0       65.5        78.0       58.0       62.2
Minnesota ........:    101.0       80.0       38.7        98.5       77.5       37.2
Nebraska .........:     49.0       41.5       45.5        44.5       39.0       43.5
North Dakota .....:    720.0      688.0      438.0       702.0      663.0      426.0
Oklahoma 1/ ......:      5.7       (NA)       (NA)         5.0       (NA)       (NA)
South Dakota .....:    679.0      558.0      622.0       662.0      540.0      594.0
Texas ............:    113.0       45.5       46.0       106.0       38.5       43.0
                  :
United States ....:  1,859.1    1,596.6    1,403.0     1,799.4    1,532.0    1,344.7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
See footnote(s) at end of table.                                           --continued
Sunflower Area Planted and Harvested, Yield, and Production by Type - States and
United States: 2015-2017 (continued)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Varietal type :         Yield per acre          :           Production
    and State   :-------------------------------------------------------------------
                :   2015    :   2016   :   2017   :   2015    :   2016   :   2017
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                :   ---------- pounds ---------     --------- 1,000 pounds --------
                :
Oil             :
California .....:   1,300      1,350      1,050        42,900     60,075     55,125
Colorado .......:   1,200      1,200      1,030        68,400     68,400     76,220
Kansas .........:   1,520      1,370      1,420        80,560     57,540     71,000
Minnesota ......:   1,650      1,500      1,800       123,750     96,000     59,400
Nebraska .......:   1,580      1,350      1,440        42,660     37,800     41,040
North Dakota ...:   1,470      1,730      1,630       889,350  1,055,300    625,920
Oklahoma 1/ ....:   1,600       (NA)       (NA)         4,800       (NA)       (NA)
South Dakota ...:   1,840      1,940      1,700     1,048,800    960,300    884,000
Texas ..........:     950      1,200      1,480        82,650     33,600     44,400
                :
United States ..:   1,579      1,731      1,585     2,383,870  2,369,015  1,857,105
                :
Non-oil         :
California .....:   1,300      1,200      1,000         1,820      1,800      1,300
Colorado .......:   1,400      1,700      1,300        16,800     22,100     14,300
Kansas .........:   2,200      1,570      1,460        55,000     25,120     17,812
Minnesota ......:   1,800      1,300      1,950        42,300     17,550      8,190
Nebraska .......:   2,100      1,850      1,870        36,750     20,350     28,050
North Dakota ...:   1,850      1,550      1,690       179,450     82,150     70,980
Oklahoma 1/ ....:     900       (NA)       (NA)         1,800       (NA)       (NA)
South Dakota ...:   1,970      2,150      2,100       181,240     96,750    155,400
Texas ..........:   1,300      1,600      1,200        24,700     16,800     15,600
                :
United States ..:   1,865      1,729      1,804       539,860    282,620    311,632
                :
All             :
California .....:   1,300      1,345      1,049        44,720     61,875     56,425
Colorado .......:   1,235      1,293      1,065        85,200     90,500     90,520
Kansas .........:   1,738      1,425      1,428       135,560     82,660     88,812
Minnesota ......:   1,686      1,465      1,817       166,050    113,550     67,590
Nebraska .......:   1,784      1,491      1,588        79,410     58,150     69,090
North Dakota ...:   1,523      1,716      1,636     1,068,800  1,137,450    696,900
Oklahoma 1/ ....:   1,320       (NA)       (NA)         6,600       (NA)       (NA)
South Dakota ...:   1,858      1,958      1,750     1,230,040  1,057,050  1,039,400
Texas ..........:   1,013      1,309      1,395       107,350     50,400     60,000
                :
United States ..:   1,625      1,731      1,613     2,923,730  2,651,635  2,168,737
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(NA) Not available.
1/   Estimates discontinued in 2016.

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