According to Manitoba’s seed guide, most flax varieties yielded close to 34 bushels per acre in provincial trials last year.
However, flax insured by Manitoba Agricultural Services Corp. last year yielded an average of 19.5 bu. per acre.
The substantial yield gap between trials and commercially grown flax is fairly constant from year to year and a consistent source of frustration for people who believe in the crop’s potential, such as Anastasia Kubinec, Manitoba Agriculture’s oilseed specialist.
“With flax, if you gave it the same attention as you were giving canola and soybeans, you’d probably be more likely to get those 30 plus yields,” said Kubinec.
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She said there are two types of flax growers: those who grow flax regularly and know how to optimize yield and those who seed the crop in late spring as a last minute option before the crop insurance deadline.
“They don’t treat it as a high value crop,” Kubinec said. “It’s the crop that everybody’s grandpa grew.”
In 2009, Kubinec and other flax experts tried to convince producers that flax deserves a little tender, loving care.
There were no secrets in what she called the flax road show. The experts told farmers to follow the lead of producers who regularly grow flax and frequently get yields above 30 bu. per acre. The recipe is simple: seed early, control weeds and put on enough nitrogen.
However, growers haven’t responded to the message.
“It’s one of the challenges that we’re facing. There’s a lot more genetic potential in flax than what we producers are getting,” said Manitoba Flax Growers Association president Eric Fridfinnson.
Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission chair Lyle Simonson, who farms near Swift Current, said 2010 was a good year for flax in southwestern Saskatchewan.
“In our area… we had lots of rain, (but) we were well above what our normal averages are.”
Simonson said flax yields are typically 18 to 20 bu. per acre in the region. A new herbicide registered for use on flax should help growers control weed pressure and improve yields, he added.
A Group 14 herbicide sold under the name Authority controls Group 2 resistant broadleaf weeds such as kochia, wild buckwheat, lamb’s quarters and redroot pigweed.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF FLAX
•Flax seed oil is rich in essential fatty acids, which help to build cell membranes
•Flax seeds are a great source of vitamins and minerals. It is used for constipation, functional disorders of the colon resulting from laxative abuse, irritable bowel syndrome, and diverticulitis.
•Flax is used as a poultry feed to produce omega eggs, which are high in omega-3 fatty acids and low in saturated fatty acids.
