Sunflower
Helianthus annuus
Annual oilseed/grain crop suitable for Zones 2-11, grown as double crop after wheat in Northeast; drought tolerant with deep taproot.
Crop Snowflake Score
/acre
/acre
/acre
years
Overview
Growing Season
- Plant
- Late April to mid-July (double crop) – Late April to mid-July (double crop)
- Harvest
- When back of head browns (Aug-Oct) – When back of head browns (Aug-Oct)
- Frost-free days
- 100+
- GDD (base 50°F)
- 2,200
Yield
- Typical yield
- 1,500 lbs/acre
- Productive lifespan
- 1 years
Market Fit
Active Regional Buyers
Emerging crop with growing buyer network
Price Trend Stable/Up
Price stable over past 3 years
Supply Below Demand
Regional supply roughly balanced with demand
Multiple Buyer Channels
Limited market channels; primarily single outlet
Value-Added Potential
Strong value-added potential through processing, direct sales, or specialty products
Market Growth Projected
Stable market outlook
Market Channels
Climate Fit
Hardiness Zone Match
Region's hardiness zone within crop range (2.0-11.0)
GDD Sufficient
Regional GDD (2600) meets crop requirement (2200)
Precipitation Compatible
Regional precipitation (~40 in/yr) compatible with crop needs
Frost-Free Season OK
Frost-free season (160 days) meets crop requirement (100 days)
Chill Hours Met
Chill hour requirement N/A for this crop type or met by default
Climate Trend Favorable
Climate projections remain favorable for this crop in the region
Soil Compatibility
Soil Texture
Drainage
Infrastructure Fit
Equipment Compatible
Standard farm equipment compatible or easily adapted
Storage Available
Dry/ambient storage sufficient; commonly available on farms
Irrigation Compatible
Low water needs or rain-fed viable
Field Layout Suitable
Vineyard field layouts suitable for this crop
Labor Availability
Labor needs manageable with existing farm workforce
Processing Proximity
No nearby specialized processing; may need direct marketing or shipping
Equipment Requirements
planting
Same planter as corn or soybeans with sunflower seed plates. Confectionery and oilseed varieties may use different singulation discs.
Mid-to-large tractor sized for planter and field cultivator pulls.
cultivation
For mechanical between-row weed control. Useful where herbicide options are limited; sunflower has fewer registered herbicides than corn or soybeans.
spraying
For pre-plant, pre-emerge, and post-emerge applications. Custom-application also common.
harvesting
Header cost; the combine itself is shared with corn/soybean. Sunflower-specific pan or all-crop heads reduce shatter loss; conversion kits also exist for corn heads.
Same combine used for corn and soybeans. Reel speed and concave settings need adjustment for sunflower threshing.
post_harvest
For moving harvested seed from combine to truck. 800-1000 bushel cart sized to combine capacity.
Sunflower harvest moisture is often above safe storage levels. Drying is critical to prevent storage molds and rancidity. Custom drying is also available.
For holding crop until contract delivery. Aeration is more critical for sunflower than for cereals due to higher oil content and storage instability.
general
Bird depredation is a major sunflower-specific cost. Cannons, kites, and reflective tape rotated weekly are typical; effectiveness varies and integrated approaches work best.
Storage Requirements
Grain bin (on-farm)
Temperature
35–50°F
Max Storage
365 days
Ambient dry storage (grain)
Temperature
40–70°F
Humidity
?–65%
Max Storage
180 days
Cold storage (shelled kernel)
Temperature
32–45°F
Humidity
?–50%
Max Storage
365 days
Finance Fit
Revenue Above Average
Gross revenue ($375/acre) below regional average
Input Costs Acceptable
Annual operating costs ($70/acre) within typical farm budgets
Payback Period OK
Annual crop; returns in first season
Insurance Available
Federal crop insurance available
Revenue Per Labor Hour
Mechanized crop; good revenue per labor hour
Grants/Subsidies
No specific subsidy programs identified
Economics Breakdown
| Avg Price/Unit | $0//lb |
| Gross Revenue/Acre | $375 |
| Annual Operating Cost | $220/acre |
| Establishment Cost | $0/acre |
| Total Input Cost | $310/acre |
| Net Return/Acre | $65 |
| Revenue/Labor Hour | $94 |
| Crop Insurance | Available |
Source: NDSU Extension EC1657 Feb 2025 Projected Crop Budgets; UNL Ag Economics 2025 Sunflower Analysis (2025)
Risk Fit
Manageable Pest/Disease
Low pest/disease pressure; manageable with standard IPM
Market Diversified
Market access diversified across multiple channels
Low Establishment Risk
Low establishment risk; quick to establish or low upfront investment
Climate Resilient
Hardy and resilient to climate variability in the region
Regulatory Burden Low
Minimal regulatory burden for production and sale
Diversifies Portfolio
Diversifies farm revenue away from grape monoculture
Known Risks
disease
Most yield-limiting disease of sunflower. Head rot causes white mold on flower heads; stalk rot causes mid-stem breakage. Same pathogen as white mold in beans/canola.
Soil-borne oomycete causing systemic infection with stunted, chlorotic plants. New races break resistance genes. Seed treatments provide control for known races.
Causes brown lesions at leaf axils that girdle stems. Infected stems weaken and break, especially under wind. Widespread in Europe and expanding in the Americas.
pest
Larvae bore into developing seeds, causing direct yield and quality loss. More damaging to confection types than oilseed. Native to the Americas.
Larvae tunnel in stem pith causing stem weakening and lodging at maturity. More of a problem in northern Great Plains.
Birds are the single greatest pest for sunflower, especially confection types. Blackbird flocks can destroy 5-25% of a field near wetlands or roosting sites.
climate
Sunflowers are drought-tolerant overall but sensitive to water stress from bud formation (R1) through seed fill. Can reduce oil content and yield 20-40%.
market
Commodity sunflower oil competes with cheaper soybean and canola oil. Margins depend on premiums for high-oleic or NuSun types.
environmental
Sunflower seed shed at harvest can result in volunteer plants in following crops, particularly in no-till systems. Volunteers are weed hosts and disease bridges.
Nutritional Yield
Nutrition data pending.
Research agents will profile Sunflower against USDA FoodData Central on the next maintenance pass. Per-acre nutritional yield will appear here once the per-100g panel is recorded.
Ecosystem Services
Ecosystem service data pending.
The next research-agent rotation will document this crop's contributions to pollinator support, soil health, water quality, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration.
Nearby Buyers
Data Sources
Every data point on this page is traceable to its source. Below you'll find the complete provenance trail — which sources were used, when data was last verified, and a full change history.
Primary sources: Data sourced from Cornell Cooperative Extension, Penn State Extension, USDA resources, and regional research.
Economics data year: 2025 · Region: lake_erie View economics source →
49 tracked changes across 9 data categories