Sunflower Seed - Not Just for the Birds

Did you know that the sunflower is the world’s largest family of flowering plants? It is estimated that there are over 25,000 named species. Some common garden plants that are in the sunflower family are: artichoke, aster, chrysanthemum, daisy, dandelion, ragweed, goldenrod?just to name a few!

Archaeologists have found evidence that prehistoric native Americans of the southwest used sunflowers for food, religious rituals, and decoration. In the 16th century, Spanish explorers took sunflowers to Europe where they were used for ornamental purposes. In the 19th century the Russians recognized the sunflower’s food value; today Russia is among the world’s leading producers of sunflowers. In the U.S., North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota lead the country in production.

Although sunflower seeds are the single most popular birdseed, that’s not what they’re grown for. The seeds we use in our birdfeeders are a by-product of the confection seed and oil seed market. Three fourths of the sunflowers grown are black oil seeds, which are used for sunflower oil; stripe sunflower, used for confectionery purposes, makes up the balance. The wild birdseed market gets the sunflower seeds that are too small for human use.