Standing sunflower crops may look like they are hanging their heads in mourning, but farmers aren’t feeling bad about prices.
On top of good prices for the sunflower crop, which is being harvested and marketed now, 2008-09 bids are appearing that promise farmers a profitable coming growing season.
“We’re very excited about the opportunities,” said Grant Fehr, manager of Keystone Grain in Winkler, Man.
“The Canadian variety has really found itself in the marketplace.”
Fehr’s company has just put out a 2008-09 contract for confectionery sunflower seeds at 25 cents a pound. Present U.S. market prices are approximately the same in number, but the dollar conversion situation makes it hard to make firm comparisons day to day.
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Some prairie farmers complained about poor crops this summer, but Fehr said most of those problems came from Canadian growers trying to grow the XL, or extra long, sunflowers that are the mainstay of American producers.
While those crops produce the black seed that the lucrative Turkish and Spanish markets prefer, they do not grow well in Canadian conditions.
“Those varieties just don’t yield up here,” said Fehr.
“They’ve tried it. They just don’t work.”
But shorter, fatter, grey sunflower seeds grow well in Canada, Fehr said, and they have their own market in the world and are now more popular than American black seeds in many places.
“It really becomes something that distinguishes us from the U.S.A.,” said Fehr. “In certain areas that is a definite benefit.”
Right now the spot cash market from processors is relatively weak compared to booming prices for most other crops, Fehr said. That’s partly a result of the sudden rise of the Canadian dollar, but mainly due to processors collecting all the sunflower seeds they contracted last winter. They don’t need to buy cash sunflowers now.
“There’s really no reason to move the spot market up,” said Fehr. “They’re all full.
“I think we’ll see that change after Christmas. We’ll see things firming up.”
Average Manitoba yields were 1,500 lb. per acre, which is an average crop. Quality was generally good.
