US Sunflower Harvest Hits 61% Done, Yields Beat Drought Expectations

US sunflower harvest reached 61% complete as of Nov. 1, ahead of the five-year average of 56%, and the 2026 crop is tracking above average in both quantity and quality despite a season of worsening drought, according to John Sandbakken, executive director of the National Sunflower Association.

"Overall, I would say the crop performed really well," Sandbakken said, citing higher-than-expected yields and oil content across major producing states.

Where does harvest stand?

USDA NASS Crop Progress data released Nov. 2 shows:

• North Dakota, the national leader in sunflower acreage: 61% harvested, versus 55% on average.
• South Dakota: 60% complete, versus 55% average.
• Colorado: 65% complete, matching its 65% average.
• Kansas: 55% complete, lagging its 68% average.

The drought backdrop was severe. The US Drought Monitor counted 57% of sunflower territory out of drought or merely abnormally dry on May 26. By July 28, that figure had collapsed to 7%. September and October rains reversed some of the damage, lifting the share of areas better than abnormally dry to 22% by Oct. 27.

What are growers actually combining?

Yield reports vary but consistently beat expectations. A grower in northwestern Minnesota told Sandbakken his fields averaged 3,200 pounds per acre with high test weight. A farmer near Mott, North Dakota, figured he was averaging about a ton per acre — a result Sandbakken said surprised the farmer given the dry conditions.

Oil content is the standout. One North Dakota farmer reported 52.5% oil, which Sandbakken called extremely high. Crushers pay premiums above 40% oil content, worth roughly a 2% price increase for each percentage point above that threshold.

Not everything held. Sandbakken said he heard reports of lodging after wind events, including gusts near 70 mph. "It's a little hard for anything to stand upright in that," he said.

What does this change for prices?

Acreage rose about 5% from 2025, yet prices sit higher than a year ago. Sandbakken attributes the strength to the continuing Russia-Ukraine conflict. "They export 75% of the sunflower oil in the world," he explained, and that volatility has pushed nervous domestic and international buyers toward US supplies.

Prices typically soften during harvest pressure. This year they've held up well against last year, Sandbakken said, and new-crop bids also run above year-ago levels. "The trend is positive," he said. He expects the crop to be at minimum average and likely above average.

Harvest practice and fire risk

More farmers, especially in eastern North Dakota, now spray desiccant to dry fields faster, cutting weather and bird losses and reducing reliance on a hard frost. For non-desiccated fields, the late rains and warmth likely boosted yield, test weight and oil content.

Early-November rains should slow harvest but add plant moisture, lowering combine fire risk. NDSU Extension farm and ranch safety specialist Angie Johnson warned in a statement: "The high wind speeds and the large amount of extremely dry plant material in our fields and grasslands create perfect conditions for fire when provided with an ignition source, such as the hot exhaust from the combine's turbocharger or exhaust manifold."

Johnson and Sandbakken urge growers to cool and clean combines daily, service equipment regularly, watch for wiring problems, use air intake kits, check hot spots with infrared thermometers, carry fire extinguishers and park away from vegetation. Fire-prevention guidance is available at ndsu.ag/sunflower-dust26.

With harvest pace ahead of normal, oil premiums stacking above 40% content, and war-driven demand supporting basis, growers head into the final weeks of harvest with margins holding firmer than last season.