If processing companies want Saskatchewan farmers to grow fibre flax there’s a simple way to get them to do it: pay enough money to make it worth their while.
That’s the advice from Allen Kuhlmann, chair of the Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission.
“If you pay Saskatchewan producers enough money to cover their costs and give them something for their pocketbooks, they’ll be ready to do it,” he said in an interview during last week’s international conference in Saskatoon.
Growing flax for fibre might require different management practices, harvesting techniques and handling methods, but that’s no big deal, said Kuhlmann.
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“We’ve seen lots of huge changes in the past 10 years, so it’s nothing we couldn’t handle.”
Kuhlmann added that while he’s not sure how much farmers might earn from flax straw, any new source of income is always welcome.
“We’re not going to get rich at it, but maybe it will add something to our returns. It will be found money.”
The Saskatoon conference brought together researchers, processors and bureaucrats from around the world to talk about various issues associated with growing flax and hemp for fibre.
In Europe, flax is grown for its straw and fibre, which is processed into a variety of industrial products. Farmers there aren’t particularly concerned about seed yield or quality.
But western Canadian growers have focused on growing flax for seed yield and quality, which has made this country the world’s leading producer and marketer of high quality flax oil and meal for human and livestock consumption.
However, there is a view that Canadian growers are missing out on extra revenue by treating their straw as waste to be sold cheaply or burned.
Foreign buyers have from time to time expressed interest in importing Canadian flax fibre, much of which would fit into the high-end fibre market, depending on the variety.
“There are possibilities we could find some real money here instead of just ‘take care of the mess’ money,” said Kuhlmann.
Ideally, he said, Canadian farmers would like to see new flax varieties developed so they could maintain excellent quality and yield for seed, and also have good quality fibre.
Paul Dribnenki, a researcher with Viterra, was part of a group that last year evaluated 28 flax varieties for their fibre content and straw and fibre yields.
The results showed a 45 percent spread in fibre content between the top and bottom groups.
“That’s a major issue if you’re setting up a business to process this stuff,” said Dribnenki.
It also showed there is an 85 percent chance that any new variety will have a fibre yield below the top level.
Unfortunately, he added, no money is available to repeat the study, which cost about $18,000.
