Can Flax Make a Comeback in 2013?

It sure is pretty when it flowers and the health benefits of the seed is hard to match, but growing flax can be a tough slog for farmers. It’s not terribly competitive, markets are volatile and the resulting straw is more of a waste product than second income due to limited options in the west. Add to that a nasty CDC Triffid admixture event a few years ago, and flax acres have taking a beating in recent years.

The flax industry, however, should be commended for the job it did in addressing the CDC Triffid disaster, and, as attendees of Grainworld ’13 heard, the crop’s prospects for 2013-14 are actually quite improved.

In this video, Jon Dreidger of FarmLink Marketing Solutions, talks about where the flax market is now and where it may go. Acres have not and likely will not rebound to pre-Triffid levels, but calling this crop dead is premature.

If you cannot see the embedded video, click here.

 

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