Editor’s Note: The Sunflower’s 1996 publishing schedule did not include either an October or November issue. So our regular ’30 Years Ago’ page this month instead travels back 40 years to the October/November 1986 issue of this magazine.
Update on NSA Activities in Washington, D.C. / By Larry Kleingartner — “Over the last several months, the National Sunflower Association has been working in the Washington arena in an effort to establish a support price for sunflower with a market clearing mechanism. The NSA has employed John Gordley, a former [aide] to Senator Dole (R-Kansas), to represent NSA interests in Washington.
“Prior to the November elections, the NSA had two alternative courses of action in implementing a market loan. The first was to convince Congress to legislate a market program; the second was to request USDA to take an administrative action. When Congress returned from its August recess, numerous market loan bills were written. However, it was generally understood that only a bill from Majority Leader Dole would stand a chance of passage in the agenda-filled schedule prior to the election process.
“A Dole bill calling for marketing loans for wheat, feed grains, soybeans and sunflower was written but was not introduced. Observers indicated that the bill was over budget, and some producer groups were not supportive of language as it pertained to their commodity. The NSA was very supportive of the bill. It called for a nine-cent market loan for the 1986-88 crops. The loan level could have gone higher considering the historic price relationship with soybeans, and there was no requirement for average adjustment.”
Sunflower Works Well in Minimum-Till Program — “Moisture retention and soil erosion are two of the major concerns facing farmers in south central South Dakota. That is why you won’t see any black fields on the Ed Daum farm. Along with his two sons, Ken and Darrell, Ed has built a successful minimum tillage program on his 5,000-acre farm near Murdo.
“The center of the Daums’ minimum-till program is an undercutter which cuts weeds below the soil surface but leaves stubble standing, The stubble controls erosion and also serves as an excellent snow catch throughout the winter months.
“The undercutter is not a new piece of equipment for the Daums. In past years, they had used the undercutter in conjunction with other tillage treatments. Over the years, they began substituting herbicides for the other tillage, and today the undercutter is the only tillage treatment they use.
“In addition to giving better erosion control, undercutting has allowed the Daums to expand their cropping options to include sunflower. The Daums traditionally plant winter wheat and sorghum (milo) but were looking for a crop to fill in the extra acres that the government prevented them from planting to the program crop.
“ ‘Sunflower has not been a popular crop in this area because many farmers feel it is prone to erosion,’ Ed remarks. ‘We’ve found that by planting into wheat stubble, erosion is no longer a threat. This is the case even after the sunflower is harvested. Furthermore, sunflower complements our rotation as it fits well alongside our milo,’
“The Daums plant their sunflower in alternating 20-rod strips with sorghum. The strips increase the erosion control within the sunflower. ‘Sunflower works well for us because we can plant the two crops at roughly the same time and harvest them back-to-back in the fall,’ says Ed.”
On-Ground Storage Can Work / By Skip Bye — “Low sunflower prices and bursting storage facilities could have farmers and elevator managers looking at storing sunflower on the ground this year. Although the practice is not uncommon, there are several risks involved.
“Any crop stored as an exposed pile could result in losses ranging from five to 100 percent, according to agricultural engineers at North Dakota State University. ‘It’s very difficult to keep losses minimal,’ says NDSU’s Ken Hellevang. ‘Maintaining crop quality in a bin where moisture content and temperature cab be controlled is difficult enough. Without this control, the risk of deterioration is greatly magnified.’ Exposed seeds are also subject to weather, insects, rodents and birds.
“On the other side of the coin, open air storage means avoiding a large cash investment in constructing or renting additional storage space. It also provides more marketing flexibility in extending sales options since a farmer is not forced to sell as soon as he harvests his crop. With the present market situation, there may be sufficient incentive to consider the risk of outdoor storage.
“So what should you watch for if you decide to store your seeds on the ground? Ron Flaten, manager of the Farmers Coop Elevator in Galesburg, N.D., says sunflower seeds will absorb moisture from damp soil, so it is important to pile the seeds on ground that is both high and dry. He says it’s also important that the seeds are peaked so that they do a better job of shedding water. ‘You don’t want any valleys in the pile that would allow water to pool. Such pools can quickly turn into hot spots for crop spoilage.’
“Peaking the seeds also helps prevent the seeds from blowing away. Flaten has had his seeds piled near a hydrant, so on windy days he is able to add weight to the seeds by spraying the pile with water. Flaten feels the excess moisture is shed without causing extensive seed damage.
“Flaten says as long as the seeds are reasonably dry, he is not afraid to store the seeds on the ground for up to three months. In 10 years of experience, he has yet to sustain a significant crop loss in this manner.
“At the Farmer’s Elevator in Underwood, N.D., Glenn Opp has been using temporary storage to house sunflower seeds for the past three years. In addition to choosing a high spot for his location, Opp forms a floor on his temporary structure using a mixture of agricultural lime and gravel. This helps keep the seeds from absorbing ground moisture.”