Sunflower growers get strong results and production is forecasted to increase due to favorable weather and improved inputs.
Ask any producer why they grow sunflowers and nine times out of ten they will say it’s because they make good money. Because, sunflower as a crop offers a great return on investment.
Sunflowers help reduce crop rotation risk such as disease and insect pressure, environmental stress and harvest timing. Many sunflower pre-plant or pre-emergent herbicides employ different modes of action than those commonly used in other crops, reducing weed pressure and preventing herbicide resistance in fields. Furthermore, extending and diversifying crop rotation reduces disease and insect pressure in general.
Because they are deep-rooted crop, sunflowers can thrive under drier conditions and with fewer fertility inputs than other crops. Sunflowers access moisture deep in the root zone as well as utilize nutrients that may be leached down in the soil profile. Not only are sunflowers beneficial for the resource utilization, the crop helps producers mange environmental risk, such as inclement weather or drought.
One of the benefits of growing sunflowers is the use of subsoil moisture and nutrients. Sometimes producers are pulling out a great yield where, at planting they didn’t know if they are going to get a crop. That’s spreading out your risk as far as the weather goes, with respect to return on investment on your farm.
Top FIVE Reasons to grow sunflowers:
- ROI – Sunflowers have an excellent return on investment
- Lower Input Costs – Sunflowers can mine nutrients lower in the soil profile than shallower rooted crops
- Crop Rotation – Decrease disease, insect and herbicide resistance pressure by including sunflowers in your rotation
- Limited Moisture – In dry conditions deep rooted sunflowers often outperform other crops
- Soil conditioners – Sunflowers are very good for the soil. Their root system increases organic content of the soil and its water holding capacity
What’s your top reason for growing sunflowers in 2018? Visit Nuseed regional Facebook page and let us know.
