It is not a noxious weed

The Kansas state flower
Photo: Jaime Greene, www.kansas.com The Wichita Eagle

  In 1895 the Sunflower was declared a noxious weed.  The Kansas Legislature wanted it cleared from the State.  Eight years later it was declared the State flower, and Kansas become known as The Sunflower State.
  There are a lot of sunflowers in Kansas, but North Dakota grows more than any other state, and the cooking oil and bird seed companies are grateful.  Personally I just like to look at them, the plant not the seeds.
  I do see that a lot of people will grow a small patch and at least one farm, in Newport, grows a small commercial crop of sunflowers.  Click on photos to enlarge

A crop near Hutchinson, Kansas
Photo: Jaime Greene, Wichita Eagle

A Kansas roadsign speaks for itself.
Photo: Jaime Green, www.kansas.com