As sunflower fields begin to bloom, adults of red sunflower seed weevil (RSSW) will be emerging and will fly to the nearest flowering sunflowers. RSSW are small (2.5 to 3.1 mm long) with a snout and are reddish orange. It’s also time to scout for banded sunflower moth (BSM), Arthuri sunflower moth (ASM) and sunflower head moth (SHM). Once the decision to treat has been made, it is critical to time the spray application correctly to get effective management of all sunflower head insects, including RSSW, BSM, ASM, SHM and Lygus bug. The best sunflower plant stage to treat is when most plants are in the R5.1 growth stage. Visit www.sunflowernsa.com/growers/Insects/  to read more about scouting for insects and the best treatments. To see the insecticides registered in sunflower, visit https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/extension/publications/north-dakota-field-crop-insect-management-guide

Nearby prices were unchanged to up 50 cents at the crush plants this week. On June 30, USDA released its first estimate of 2026 planted acres for all crops. Compared with last year, oil-type acreage increased in four of the eight major sunflower producing states. The state with the largest increase from last year is South Dakota, where the planted area increased 56,000 acres compared with last year. North Dakota also had a large increase compared with last year, with the planted area up 30,000 acres from the previous year. Compared with last year, growers in six of the eight major sunflower producing states had increases in planted acreage for non-oil varieties. The largest increase compared with last year occurred in South Dakota, where planted acreage increased by 21,000 acres. Initial estimates using trend yields peg oil-type sunflower production at 2.04 billion pounds down 4% from last year with non-oil sunflower production at 212 million pounds up 12% from 2025. Now that the USDA report is factored into the market, buyers will anxiously watch crop production prospects before making longer term purchases. In October, USDA will provide its first official estimate for oil and non-oil sunflower production.  Sunflower trading will be influenced to a greater extent by crop conditions and progress along with weather conditions in the near term. Mid-August through September is the critical time frame for sunflowers.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources request for Vertento use on sunflowers to control resistant Red Sunflower Seed Weevils. The Section 18 Emergency Exemption will be effective during the growing season from July 15 through August 31, 2026. To remain in compliance with EPA pesticide regulations, applicators must have a copy of the approved Section 18 Emergency Exemption label in their possession at the time of application and follow all label directions and restrictions. For more information: https://extension.sdstate.edu/vertentor-insecticide-approved-red-sunflower-seed-weevil-management

If you are a sunflower grower in central South Dakota, check out the weekly sunflower pest updates from the SDSU Entomology team for the latest pest monitoring information. This project is funded by SD Oilseed Council: https://extension.sdstate.edu/sunflower-pest-recap

According to Statistics Canada data, Canadian farmers planted 76,500 acres of sunflowers this spring, which is up 1 percent from 2025. Last year Canadian farmers planted 75,600 acres of sunflower. The 2026 acreage is 9 percent below the five-year average of 84,065 acres. The majority of Canada’s sunflower crop is grown in Manitoba, with production also in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

January 13-14, 2027 - NSA Research Forum; Holiday Inn; Fargo, ND 

NSA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Anyone requesting special accommodation should notify NSA within a reasonable timeframe. NSA will accommodate reasonable requests.