Agriculture Canada is forecasting there will be 275,000 tonnes of stocks to start the 2023-24 crop year, which is more than a typical export program of late.
Tag Archives Flax — page 3
Pooled resources benefit specialty crop research
The Diverse Field Crops Cluster works with camelina, carinata, canaryseed, flax, hemp, mustard, quinoa and sunflowers
After five years of research through a time that included a drought and a pandemic, the Diverse Field Crops Cluster has issued a report on its achievements. Carol Ann Patterson, DFCC project manager, said researchers showed their resourcefulness in keeping projects going despite health restrictions. “People were shut down for a year sometimes or with […] Read more
Flax area expected to be smallest since 1950
Statistics Canada expects 689,000 acres of the crop will be planted this spring, an 11.6 percent drop from a year earlier
Greg Sundquist, chair of the Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission (SaskFlax), said flax is disease resistant compared to canola, as well as cheaper to grow and can be quite profitable. He said the lack of flax acres will become a temporary setback.
Flax hits another hurdle
Canadian flax is encountering yet another trade obstacle in the European Union. The EU has established new maximum levels for hydrocyanic acid in flax that went into effect Jan. 1. The acid is a health concern because it is converted to cyanide in the intestinal tract of humans. The EU’s new hydrocyanic acid limit amounts […] Read more
Less flax straw burned as local demand grows
The once-common practice of burning unwanted flax straw is happening less frequently in farm fields across Western Canada, according to sources in the industry. Prairie flax producers still don’t have reliable access to “one or two major buyers of flax straw,” said Wayne Thompson, executive director at SaskFlax. But local demand for flax straw is […] Read more
Research tackles flax market threat
EU has set limits on cadmium levels, prompting efforts in Saskatchewan to lower presence of naturally occurring metal
The Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission and Agriculture-Applied Research Management are searching for ways to lower cadmium levels in flax after the European Union set a cadmium limit of 0.5 mg/kg in flaxseed imports. Four research farm sites have been testing agronomic methods to find a solution. South East Research Farm in Redvers, Sask., is one […] Read more
Canadian flax crop looks to be in good shape
A processor and exporter of Canadian flax remains confident about supplies despite plummeting acres in the United States. “We were a bit nervous on being short acres and bushels to fill our contracts for our ingredient companies but that seems to be gone now,” said Evan Johnson, sales manager with TA Foods Ltd. in Yorkton, […] Read more
Steam comes out of hot flax market
Flax prices have come off of their highs as the market undergoes a reset, says a processor of the crop. “It seems to be easing off now because we’re just at some values that are just so, so high,” said Kevin Dick, president of All Commodities Trading. Prices have dropped to $40 to $41 per […] Read more
Tension with China also worries flax
China buys a lot of Canadian flax, and an analyst says farmers can’t afford to lose market share to political issues
Canada’s concerns about sales to China go beyond canola, says market analyst Marlene Boersch. More than half of Canadian flax exports so far this year have gone to China, and Boersch said farmers can’t afford to lose market share to political issues. China can source most crops, including flax, from other suppliers. “It is possible […] Read more
Flax council to close office; future uncertain
The Flax Council of Canada is laying-off its employees, but the organization may continue in a different form. The council, which represents the entire flax industry when it comes to market development, crop research and flax promotion, announced today that its Winnipeg office will close Jan. 31. The council’s executive committee said in a news […] Read more
