Oilseed hybrids are usually black and have a thin hull that adheres to the kernel.
Oil is extracted by first employing a cold press method, followed by a hot press procedure.
The kernels of nonoilseed sunflower are eaten, raw or roasted, by humans, used to make flour and are a prime ingredient in many feeds for both wild and domesticated birds. The flower petals can be used to create a natural yellow dye. The crop stubble can be grazed and the hulls left over after processing are used as filler in livestock feeds. Sunflower is a North American native, first utilized and cultivated by Native Americans. Of all the world's seed crops, it is the only one domesticated in North America.