Dec. 17, 2025 (Carman, MB) – Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) is proud to announce that for the first time ever, a confection sunflower hybrid bred specifically for Manitoba growing conditions is now available to farmers.

MCA 359 is the first commercialized variety produced by MCA’s confection sunflower breeding program.

“Sunflowers are an integral part of Manitoba’s agricultural landscape and farmers need access to new genetics to ensure the crop remains a competitive option for their rotations,” says MCA chair Jonothan Hodson.

“A confection sunflower hybrid designed to thrive in our climate and our soils is a made-in-Manitoba success story and a great example of the tangible return on investment MCA is providing to farmers for their check-off dollars.”

MCA 359 is high yielding and early maturing, with excellent standability. It has resistance to downy mildew and rust and is 100 per cent tolerant to Express^®, a Group 2 herbicide for broadleaf weed control. It also has many traits that are attractive to end-users in the confection sunflower market, including large seed size, high nut meat percentage, dark colouring and great flavour.

MCA 359 was included in MCA’s Sunflower Variety Performance trials in each of the last three growing seasons (as EX 359239 in 2023 and MCA 359239 in 2024), with the results published on the MCA website and in Seed Manitoba.

“The goal of our breeding program is to develop new confection sunflower varieties that are well suited to the Canadian climate and market,” says Katherine Stanley, MCA’s research program manager for special crops.

“MCA 359 marks an important milestone for the program, but we will keep searching for the most beneficial sunflower traits, so we can create even better varieties and ensure confection sunflowers remain a profitable and sustainable option for Manitoba farmers.”

To learn more about the confection sunflower breeding program, or other research funded by Manitoba Crop Alliance, visit mbcropalliance.ca.

-30-

For more information, please contact:

Cole Christensen
Communications Manager
Manitoba Crop Alliance
403-589-3529
cole@mbcropalliance.ca

Limited quantities of seed are available for 2026. Visit the CHS website to learn more.

About Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA):
MCA represents more than 7,700 farmer members who grow wheat, barley, corn, sunflower and flax in Manitoba. MCA puts its farmer members first and strives to continuously improve their competitiveness and profitability by focusing on four main areas: research, agronomy, market development and access, and communications. By investing in these key areas, MCA ensures wheat, barley, corn, sunflower and flax remain sustainable production choices for Manitoba farmers. For more information, visit mbcropalliance.ca.