North Star Port

2 | NORTH STAR PORT | SPRING 2024 S unflower seeds and baseball go hand in glove. It's hard to even imagine America's national pastime without the nutty kernels suited up in their pinstriped shells. The snack has been a huge hit at baseball stadiums and fields for generations—enjoyed by players and fans alike. The iconic pairing dates back to the 1950s, but really caught on in the 1970s, when superstar Reggie Jackson launched a major league tradition by chewing sunflower seeds on the field and touting their virtues. It was a gamechanger. Ironically, just as confectionary sunflower seeds were scoring points at ballparks across the United States, the Port of Duluth- Superior found itself a player in a different game—exporting oilseed sunflower seeds to Europe. While the bulk shipment of sunflower seeds through the port was relatively short-lived, stretching roughly from the early 1970s through the mid-2000s, the recent expansion of containerized shipping capabilities at Duluth Cargo Connect could potentially provide another swing at this commodity. Sunflowers are grounded in history Sunflowers have been part of North America's landscape since well before European explorers arrived on the continent. According to the National Sunflower Association (NSA), a non- profit agricultural organization that represents sunflower grow- ers and industry stakeholders, there is evidence that indigenous people cultivated sunflowers in present-day Arizona and New Mexico as early as 3000 B.C. In fact, sunflowers may have been domesticated before corn. Native tribes harvested and used the towering flower with its coarse stalks, brilliant golden petals and versatile seeds in numerous ways for food, pigments, medicinal ointments and even building materials. Sunflowers and their seeds were widely used ceremonially, as well. Spanish explorers introduced the exotic plant to Europe sometime around 1500 A.D., and by 1710, there was an English patent for squeezing oil from the seeds. By 1830, Europeans were manufacturing sunflower oil on a commercial scale with Russia taking the lead in cultivation and research. During that time, two specific types of sunflowers were identified—one with oil-rich Here Comes The Sun SUNFLOWER SEED EXPORTS WERE A HISTORIC HOME RUN FOR TWIN PORTS. IS IT TIME TO PITCH A RETURN? by JULIE ZENNER

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