Sunflowers could help extend crop rotations and break disease cycle

Oct 03, 2022

Sunflowers is one crop that could hold a lot of potential for producers on the prairies.

Currently, the majority of the acres in the prairies are found in southern Manitoba, with some acres also grown in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Crops Extension Specialist Sherri Roberts says sunflowers is a crop that can be seeded a little bit later, and is generally harvested into October which can help to spread out the workload.

She notes there were producers in Manitoba that didn't get them seeded until the second week in June, and they still had a really nice growth pattern for the season.

Roberts says sunflowers can access water and nutrients at deeper depths than other plants.

"So some of these areas that have been really dry, they've got the nutrients sitting there in the soil, because the other crops haven't been able to utilize them. You put in a crop of sunflowers and I can guarantee you that they're going to go in they're going to scavenge that water that's there. They're going to scavenge nutrients, and they're going to come up with a really decent crop that's going to be a benefit to your bottom line."

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Video: Our Own On-Farm Research Is the Best Source - Managing White Mold in Northeast Nebraska

If you assumed Nebraska was too hot and dry for white mold to be a problem in soybeans, think again.

This week we're featuring Galen Samuelson, a farmer and dealer from Wakefield, Nebraska, who knows all too well how devastating white mold can be.

"We don't have it consistently every year, but with our temperature and humidity, it can hurt us quite bad," Samuelson says. Looking for alternatives, he explains, "What I like about Heads Up is that it's non-harmful to the beneficial fungal colonies in the soil." Galen has been using Heads Up for several years now, after first hearing about it through a small ad in a regional newspaper. Watch below to hear about his journey.

When asked to write about Samuelson Seed, Galen said the following:

"Samuelson Seed is a 4th-generation, family-based company. It started with my grandfather, and I'm now starting to pass the torch to my son, Caleb."

"In the early 1990s, I started working with a company whose focus was on plant and soil health before those benefits were widely known. I've continued to keep plant and soil health the main focus in our farming operation decisions."