Sunflower growers navigate harvest and questions over seed-oil health claims

BALDWIN, N.D. (KFYR) – North Dakota is the top sunflower-producing state in the nation, but as harvest takes place, farmers grapple with rising concerns about the health of sunflower oil.

Warm, sunny days are the perfect opportunity for Dean Goetz to make progress on his sunflower crop.

“It’s another harvest, the one thing I do like is that it shows that you’re getting to the completion of the season,” said Goetz.

Goetz harvests sunflowers for two main purposes: dehulled sunflowers are sold for use in baking and cookies, mostly for European markets, while oil sunflowers are processed for cooking oils and biofuels. He has already harvested a third of his crop.

“In the fall, they turn into kind of an ugly-looking plant. They’re brown and not the most attractive. Anyway, they’re interesting to raise and we’ve raised them for a lot of years and had some good luck with them,” said Goetz.

Sunflower oil has received its fair share of criticism lately.

Critics like Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr and influencer communities argue that seed oils are harmful because of their high omega-6 fatty-acid content and associations with inflammation and chronic disease.

Many nutrition scientists, on the other hand, found no evidence of unique harm from seed oils. Some trials even show cardiovascular benefits.

Goetz said he is vigilant about his farming practices to produce the best products.

“I think people need to realize there’s a lot of research and things that go into it, prior to planting and after planting every year. And we want to raise something that is very consumer-friendly and something that works for everybody,” said Goetz.

As the weather gets colder, Goetz isn’t sure about when he will be done with the harvest, but what he does know is that he will make the most out of today.

Goetz said about 20% of his sunflower crop becomes oil, and he takes a cautious approach to chemical application.