SunOpta Crop Report - June 2016 As of mid-june Provided by the SunOpta Crop Procurement Managers: Brenton Wiesz, Jim Smith & Tim Petry

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1 ISSUE 1: JUNE, 2016 TM CROP REPORT Sunflower Confections Acres Update Provided by Michael Todd, Vice President of Sunflower & Soybeans It s the middle of June and the Sunflower crop is off to another good start. The prospective plantings report from March showed expected acres at 249,000 down 20% from last year and down almost 40% from the 2014 crop. Plantings are well ahead of the 5 year average, but we have a long summer ahead of us. Based on the action in Corn and Soy thus far this year it feels like the declines in Sunflower prices are reaching an inflection point as there is typically a delay compared to the main futures traded commodities. The significant decline in acreage this year is in reaction to last year s strong yields and should work well to get the market back to equilibrium. We will continue to offer different options for High Oleic and Organic kernel, please reach out to your salesperson to learn more. Sunflower Crop Progress June 13, 2016 State N. Dakota This Week Last Week Last Year 5 Yr Average Planted Emerged NA S. Dakota Planted Minnesota Texas Colorado Planted Planted Planted Minnesota Planted Emerged 14 NA 9 20 ConOil; East Central ND 1

2 SunOpta Crop Report - June 2016 As of mid-june Provided by the SunOpta Crop Procurement Managers: Brenton Wiesz, Jim Smith & Tim Petry Minnesota - Northwest Region Dry conditions persisted through the first half of May which caused concern for some areas as they would be planting into dry soil. However, needed rainfall did occur. Unfortunately, in some isolated areas it was more moisture than needed. Compaction from heavy rainfall was a problem in a few fields but in general, plant stands look good. With expected warmer weather in the forecast and a good supply of soil moisture, sound growing progress is expected. Sunflower planting is about 95% complete. The last few acres should be planted in the next few days barring any significant rainfall events. 85% of the crop has emerged and is anywhere from just breaking through the soil to the V-4 stage. Wet conditions have created an environment conducive to downy mildew and cutworm activity. At this time, no significant concerns exist. Continued field scouting will take place to monitor the crop for these possible issues. Hot and dry weather in the upcoming weeks would be very beneficial for good sunflower plant development. Minnesota - Southern Valley & Southwestern Region The Southern Minnesota sunflower crop is 98% planted with excellent emergence and plant stands. Plant stages range from emergence to the V-6 stage of development. Currently, there are no major weed pressure or cutworm concerns. Most Clearfield varieties will be sprayed with Beyond chemical within the next week and a half. This region has adequate moisture and the extended forecast is calling for temperatures to reach up into the 80 s and 90 s which will benefit sunflower growth. North Dakota - Northern Half Planting in the northern region will be drawing to a close this week. 95% of the crop has been planted. The dry conditions early on allowed growers to plant their sunflower acres on time and quickly. Much of the region received rainfall over the last two weeks of various amounts which relieved some of the drought concern and brought some optimism to growers. The week of June 6th brought some very good heat units which has allowed the sunflower crop to emerge at a nice pace. Emergence should be right on par with planting at roughly 90%. A few growers ran into some cutworm damage but it is isolated. Once the cutworm presence was known, growers were quick to apply insecticide treatment to ward off further damage. Presently the growing conditions couldn t be much better. The extended forecast is showing temperatures in the 80 s and 90 s with a few chances of rain, which would keep the crop moving in the right direction. North Dakota - Southern Half Planting progress is at 80% for this region. 60% of the crop has emerged and some production has advanced to the V-4 stage. There have been some reports of minimal cutworm damage in the southwest region but this is not a major concern. Moisture and rainfall has been adequate over the past few weeks in the southern half of the state. Clearfield varieties will be sprayed within the next two weeks. ConOil; East Central ND ConOil; Northwest MN 2

3 SunOpta Crop Report - June 2016 As of mid-june Provided by the SunOpta Crop Procurement Managers Brenton Wiesz, Jim Smith & Tim Petry South Dakota Planting progress is between 60-70% with less than 30% of the crop emerged. There have been a few reports of downy mildew damage in the north central part of the state due to excessive rainfall over the past two weeks. Planting should be wrapped up within the next two weeks for the state. Growers purposely delay planting in this region to minimize insect damage as the crop progresses into the bloom stage. Wyoming - Nebraska Planting progress is 100% complete. Growth stages range from V-E to V-4. Emergences look good with no crop issues at this time. Organic 65% of the organic sunflower acreage is planted. The ConOil; Northeast SD majority of acres in the southern growing region are expected to be planted by the end of June. Most areas are reporting excellent sub-soil moisture and in some cases excessive rainfall has caused a delay in planting progress. The abundance of soil moisture should allow contracted acres to thrive in the upcoming hot, dry weeks of summer. No major issues have been reported in regards to downy mildew and cutworm damage. The next few weeks will be critical for good plant progress. Emergence of planted acres range from just breaking through the soil to the V-4 stage. U.S. Drought Monitor June 7,

4 Departure of Average Temperature from Normal June 5 - June 11, 2016 Growth Stages of a Sunflower STAGE VE Vegetative Emergence V (number) Vegetative Stages (i.e. V-1, V-2, V-3, etc.) DESCRIPTION Seedling has emerged and the first leaf beyond the cotyledons is less than 4 cm long. These are determined by counting the number of true leaves at least 4 cm in length beginning as V-1, V-2, V-3, V-4, etc. If senescence of the lower leaves has occurred count leaf scars (excluding those where the cotyledons were attached) to determine the proper stage. R-1 Reproductive Stages The terminal bud forms a miniature floral head rather than a cluster of leaves. When viewed from directly above the immature bracts form a many-pointed star-like appearance. R-2 The immature bud elongates 0.5 to 2.0 cm above the nearest leaf attached to the stem. Disregard leaves attached directly to the back of the bud. R-3 The immature bud elongates more than 2.0 cm above the nearest leaf. R-4 The inflorescence begins to open. When viewed from directly above immature ray flowers are visible. R-5 (decimal) (i.e. R-5.1, R-5.2, R-5.3, R-5.4, R-5.5 through R-5.9, etc.) This stage is the beginning of flowering. The stage can be divided into substages dependent upon the percent of the head area (disk flowers) that has completed or is in flowering. Ex. R-5.3 (30%), R-5.8 (80%) etc. R-6 Flowering is complete and the ray flowers are wilting. R-7 The back of the head has started to turn a pale yellow color. R-8 The back of the head is yellow but the bracts remain green. R-9 The bracts become yellow and brown. This stage is regarded as physiological maturity. From Schneiter, A.A., and J.F. Miller Description of Sunflower Growth Stages. Crop Sci. 21:

5 Weather and Crop Conditions Worldwide June 14, 2016 Eastern Asia Showers continued through most summer growing areas, with beneficially dry weather for wheat in portions of the North China Plain. In northeastern China, 10 to 30 mm of rain (locally up to 50 mm) maintained beneficial soil moisture levels for vegetative corn and soybeans. Rainfall since the start of the season (beginning May 1) has been above normal and early crop prospects are favorable. Farther south, favorably dry weather in eastern sections of the North China Plain aided mature wheat, as farmers prepare for harvesting in the next few days. In contrast, western areas continued to receive unwelcomed rainfall (10-25 mm) raising concerns over grain quality. Meanwhile, wet weather continued across much of southern China, with 25 to over 50mm of rain keeping rice and other summer crops well watered. Pockets of dryness in the Yangtze Valley occurred, however. In other parts of the region, mostly dry weather persisted on the Korean Peninsula, although heavy rainfall in the early half of May provided sufficient water for rice establishment. In Japan, dryness in central Honshu increased seasonal (since May 1) rainfall deficits, while light to moderate rainfall (10-25 mm) elsewhere maintained adequate water supplies and soil moisture for rice. Argentina Cool, mostly dry weather dominated the region, improving conditions for drydown and harvesting in southern summer crop areas following last week s wetness. Aside from some lingering showers (10-25 mm) along the coast of southeastern Buenos Aires, little to no rain fell in the area. Unseasonably cool weather accompanied the dryness, with temperature departures ranging from 1 to 2ºC below normal in southern and western farming areas to more than 5ºC below normal in the northeast. Freezes were reported as far north as Santiago del Estero and Chaco, coming too late in the growing season to pose a risk to now maturing summer crops. According to Argentina s Ministry of Agriculture, corn and soybean harvesting was 39 and 86 percent complete, respectively, as of June 9. In 2015, corn was 56 percent harvested and soybeans 98 percent. Canadian Prairies Warm, showery weather favored spring grain emergence and germination throughout much of the region. Rainfall was variable but mostly light (5-25 mm), with the highest concentration of rain (25-50 mm) in the upper Peace River Valley of Alberta. Most of the Prairies have benefited from several weeks of abovenormal rainfall and enjoy at least adequate moisture for uniform germination. An exception, however, would be some of the more northerly farming areas of Saskatchewan, which were missed by the rain and need moisture soon to ensure proper establishment of spring grains and oilseeds. Weekly average temperatures were generally 1 to 3ºC above normal in southern and eastern agricultural districts and more than 3ºC above normal in southern farming areas of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Daytime highs reaching the lower 30s (degrees C) fostered a rapid rate of crop development across the southern Prairies, where moisture reserves were adequate to abundant. No freezes were recorded, though nighttime lows dipped below 5ºC in spots. 5

6 Weather and Crop Conditions Worldwide June 14, 2016 Europe Following last week s heavy rain and flooding, drier conditions returned to much of central and northern Europe. Although a blocking high persisted over Scandinavia and northern Eurasia, rain abated in previously-saturated central and northern Europe. Crop areas in northern portions of Germany and the Low Countries saw little if any rain (5 mm or less), promoting winter crop maturation. Scattered showers lingered in France, with amounts for the week varying from a trace to 30 mm. The overall trend toward drier weather enabled a return to fieldwork, allowed saturated fields to dry somewhat, and promoted the development of filling winter crops. The same held true in southeastern England, where variable amounts of rain (1-25 mm) interspersed with periods of sun supported favorable development of filling wheat and rapeseed. Furthermore, abovenormal temperatures (2-5 C) accelerated crop development and increased evaporation in these same flood affected areas. In contrast, sunny, hot weather (32-40 C) in Spain encouraged winter grain drydown and harvesting but occurred early enough in the summer growing season to not pose a significant threat to vegetative corn and sunflowers. Farther east, widespread showers (10-75 mm) in Italy and the northern Balkans boosted soil moisture for corn, soybeans, and sunflowers. Rain was lighter (2-10 mm) albeit still beneficial for summer crops in the lower Danube River Valley. Mostly dry weather in Poland was favorable for filling winter crops, while showers (10-20 mm) in the Baltic States maintained good soil moisture for spring grains. Western FSU Unsettled weather prevailed over central and northern portions of the region, while somewhat drier weather returned to primary southern wheat areas. A persistent blocking high over northern Eurasia caused storms to drift and stall over Ukraine and Russia for a third consecutive week. As a result, an additional 10 to 30 mm of rain was reported from central Ukraine into central and northern Russia, while moderate to heavy rainfall (20-80 mm) was observed in Russia s North Caucasus District. As a result, soil moisture remained adequate to abundant for reproductive to filling winter wheat as well as vegetative corn, soybeans, and sunflowers in Moldova, Ukraine, and Russia. However, key Russian winter wheat areas of Rostov and Krasnodar Krai in the southwestern Southern District were favorably drier (mostly less than 5 mm), with this week s respite from recent wetness facilitating fieldwork and crop maturation. Temperatures averaged 2 to 5 C below normal, which slowed crop development but also minimized heat concerns following a warm, locally hot start to the month. SunOpta Sunflower P.O. Box th Street North Breckenridge, MN SunOpta Sunflower 1220 Sunflower Street Crookston, MN Toll-free: Tel: Fax: sunflower@sunopta.com