Sunflower : an American native (1993)

Abstract

Of all crops harvested for seed around the world, only one was domesticated in America -sunflower. This widely adapted crop is now grown in every temperate region, including many parts of the U.S. In the U.S., 2.7 million acres were grown in 1991, about 85 percent of which was oilseed sunflower. The rest was grown for whole-seed confectionary uses. North Dakota has been the leader in sunflower production, with 1.4 million acres in 1991. South Dakota and Minnesota are the next biggest sunflower producers.