NSA Board Members Advocate in Washington, D.C.
Several members of the National Sunflower Association Board of Directors recently visited Washington, D.C. The participating directors made calls to members of Congress from Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, and North and South Dakota about the pending farm bill and Fiscal Year 2027 appropriations. In addition, the group met with officials from the USDA APHIS/Wildlife Services to discuss blackbird depredation concerns as well as the USDA Agricultural Research Service regarding sunflower research needs.
Guy Christensen Named 2026 Gold Award Winner
Guy Christensen has been chosen as recipient of the 2026 NSA Gold Award. This award, established in 1989, is given to individuals who have contributed extraordinarily to the overall sunflower industry, either through his or her occupation or through the National Sunflower Association. It is the highest award presented to individuals by NSA. The award will be presented to Christensen during the 2026 NSA Summer Seminar, scheduled for June 23-25 in Deadwood, S.D.
Christensen retired in 2025 after a career spanning more than four decades in the sunflower industry. He most recently served as account manager for ADM Processing, supporting the Enderlin, N.D., oilseed crushing facility—an operation he had been associated with since 1983. Over the course of his career, he worked as a buyer for the facility’s original owners, served as vice president of marketing for its second owners (National Sun Industries) and, beginning in 1994, held a variety of posts with ADM.
Christensen played a key role in efforts to restart the Enderlin facility after financial difficulties impacted the original owners. His support of the sunflower industry included advancing high-oleic sunflower crushing in Enderlin, contributing to the industry’s transition from linoleic to NuSun in 2000, and supporting the later conversion to high-oleic sunflower as today’s industry standard. He was also active in promoting sunflower acreage by introducing grower production contracts that helped producers with marketing and risk management. Throughout his career, he regularly attended grower-focused events and shared current market insights to help producers identify and pursue successful strategies.
Christensen served on the National Sunflower Association Board of Directors for 12 years and spent 18 years on the selection committee for the Curt Stern Memorial Scholarship.
NSA Joins Ag Coalition Supporting USMCA
The National Sunflower Association along with 40 other farm and agricultural groups launched the Agricultural Coalition for the United-States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), underscoring the accord’s vital role as an economic engine for the U.S. farm economy and calling for its renewal with targeted improvements. As part of the launch, the group unveiled a new website — https://agforusmca.com/ —and kicked off an aggressive ad campaign in the nation’s capital, all of which is designed to promote the benefits afforded to the U.S. food and agriculture sector under the USMCA, as the administration approaches the 2026 mandatory review.
Research Forum Presentations on NSA Website
PowerPoint presentations of all reports given at the 2026 Sunflower Research Forum can now be found on the NSA website under the “research” tab. Visit https://www.sunflowernsa.com/Research/Research-Forum-PowerPoint-Presentations-Since-2008/2026/ to see this year’s presentations. Researchers from the USDA, North Dakota State University, South Dakota State University and University of Wisconsin-River Falls presented papers and posters on their work. All presentations dating back to 2008 are available there as well.
2026 South Dakota Pest Management Guide
South Dakota State University Extension has released the 2026 South Dakota Pest Management Guide. It is available free at https://extension.sdstate.edu/south-dakota-pest-management-guides. The guide provides updated recommendations for controlling weeds, insects and diseases in sunflower. In addition, it includes a comprehensive index of what pesticides are labeled for South Dakota fields.
S.D. 2025 Variety Trial Results Available Online
The South Dakota Sunflower Trial results for 2025 and accompanying hybrid selection guide are now available online. Producers can find data about hybrid performance throughout the state and information about yield and other information needed for accurate selection of sunflower hybrids for agricultural production in South Dakota. Find the guide here: https://extension.sdstate.edu/south-dakota-sunflower-hybrid-performance-trials .
Production Conference Video Available Online
If you missed NDSU’s ‘2026 Getting-It-Right in Sunflower Production’ video conference, you can access it online. Topics covered ranged from hybrid data, soil considerations and plant nutrition, updates for blackbird, weed, disease and insect management, and a market update. The program was conducted by North Dakota State University Extension. Recording and resources at https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/ag-hub/getting-it-right. Scroll to the conference video section and click the sunflower meeting link. Each individual talk has its own video clip. Additional publications and resources are available under the sunflower conference resources.
Continue Checking Binned Sunflower Seeds
Producers with some of last year’s sunflower crop still stored in bins are encouraged to keep an eye on the seeds’ moisture level. The maximum recommended moisture content for stored sunflower is 9.5% through the winter months and 8% if the storage period is longer than about six months. It’s also important to check the sunflower weekly and make sure you check the sunflower, not the bin. Remember, walking around in filled bins can be dangerous, so be sure to take extra precautions.
For more storage tips visit https://www.sunflowernsa.com/growers/HarvestingStorage/Harvest--Storage-Resources/ .
Suggestions Welcomed for Magazine Issues
With another production season approaching, the National Sunflower Association staff is looking toward another publishing season for The Sunflower magazine — an industry fixture since 1975.
“Our goal with the magazine is to provide news and articles of real interest and use to our readership — which consists mainly of sunflower producers around the U.S. and Canada, along with industry personnel,” says John Sandbakken, NSA executive director and magazine editor. “Our ongoing objective is to provide timely, useful information, and we always welcome readers’ suggestions for potential topics or persons to interview for articles.”
Story suggestions can be submitted to Sandbakken at johns@sunflowernsa.com