PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE, Man. – Sunflower growers were cautioned last week against a rapid expansion of the crop, despite a good outlook for 2006.
“What I’m hearing now is people want to grow it from fence post to fence post,” said Tom Droog, owner of Alberta Sunflower Seeds Ltd., during the annual meeting of the National Sunflower Association of Canada.
“Guys, watch that,” he warned, noting that too much production could harm everyone in the industry.
Besides dragging down the price paid to farmers, an oversupply could also prompt food retailers to demand a price cut from processors.
Read Also
New coal mine proposal met with old concerns
A smaller version of the previously rejected Grassy Mountain coal mine project in Crowsnest Pass is back on the table, and the Livingstone Landowners Group continues to voice concerns about the environmental risks.
A cut in the price paid to those processors could ripple through the industry and have an effect that lasts for years, farmers were told during the meeting.
Droog and his wife Emmy found success through the Spitz brand of confectionery sunflower seeds. They have grown their business into a multi-million-dollar enterprise.
“If we control ourselves in growth and meet demand, we’re all going to make money,” said Rob Park, Manitoba Agriculture’s provincial oilseed specialist. “We need to maintain a positive slow growth.”
Production from 200,000 to 250,000 acres of sunflowers would be manageable, he said, whereas 500,000 acres would be excessive.
At the same time, however, he provided growers at the annual meeting with a comparison of the outlook for several crops in 2006. Taking prices and the projected costs of production into account, he noted that confectionery and oilseed sunflowers have good potential to return a profit, whereas the outlook for crops like flax and canola is stark for the coming crop year.
Park noted seed availability is helping to moderate sunflower acres.
Manitoba leads sunflower production in Canada, with most of that production in confectionery seed.
There were close to 200,000 acres of sunflowers grown in the province this year. That was a moderate increase from the five-year average of 180,000 acres.
