Flaxseed supplies expected to be tight

More farmers are turning to the crop

Farmers hoping to sow flax this spring might have trouble locating seed, the Manitoba Flax Growers Association says in a release. “Several seed growers and retailers are reporting they are sold out or near sold out of certified seed, though there are still supplies available of the most common varieties,” the release says. Flax acres

Morden Research Centre

Ag Canada drops flax breeding for agronomy research

The Manitoba Flax Growers Association says more research is needed to increase flax yields

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) is getting out of the flax-breeding business so it can focus more on research to boost farmers’ flax yields. “We maintained our staff in the flax area to transition from breeding to agronomy and pathology,” George Clayton, AAFC’s acting director general for the Prairie/Boreal Plain Ecozone, said in an interview


CDC Triffid contamination on the decline

Officials from Canada’s flax industry are in Europe this week to brief government and industry officials on the progress Canada is making removing traces of CDC Triffid, a genetically modified (GM) flax, from Canadian flax. “It’s getting less and less frequent and less and less intense,” Flax Council of Canada president Will Hill said in

Early Seeding Boosts Flax Yields

Last year, Manitoba’s flax crop averaged a disappointing 19 bushels an acre, not far off the 10-year average of 20. But there are ways to boost flax yields, says Anastasia Kubinec, an oilseed specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives. A survey of farmers who grew above-average-yielding flax found they planted at least 40


New Killer For Kochia In Flax

Western Canadian flax growers have a powerful new herbicide to control Group 2-resistant kochia, called Authority. But there’s lots for farmers to consider before using Nufarm’s new pre-emergence product with residual weed control. Soil pH, organic matter and texture will affect the application rate and in some cases prevent its use. And there are re-cropping

Flax Growers Vote To Scrap Checkoff Cap

The Manitoba Flax Growers Association (MFGA) wants the $275 cap removed from its farmer checkoff of half a per cent of the value of flax when it’s sold. MFGA members voted in favour of removing the cap at their annual meeting here March 3. The MFGA will ask the Agricultural Producers’ Organization Cer tification Agency


New Flax Recommended For Registration

FP 2270, a new flax cultivar developed by Scott Duguid, a flax breeder with Agriculture and Agri- Food Canada based in Morden, has been recommended for registration. It yields much the same as CDC Bethune across the West, but does slightly better in Manitoba, where CDC Bethune yields on average 34 bushels an acre, Duguid

Non-GM Glyphosate-Tolerant Flax Being Developed

Glyphosate-tolerant flax that hasn’t been “genetically modified” (GM) could be on the market by 2014, according to James A. Radtke, vice-president of product development for Cibus, an American plant trait development company. If the $6-million project between Cibus, the Flax Council of Canada, and Agriculture and Agri- Food Canada is a success, Canadian flax growers


What’s Up – for Mar. 3, 2011

Please forward your agricultural events to [email protected] or call 204-944-5762. March 3:Manitoba Flax Growers Association annual meeting, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Holland Community Centre, Holland. For more info call 204-638- 5231 or email [email protected]. March 5:Manitoba Sheep Association annual general meeting, 9:30 a.m., Commonwealth Air Training Museum dining hall, Brandon Airport. For more info

Manitoba Flax Growers Turn Thumbs Down On Bill C-474

The Manitoba Flax Growers Association (MFGA) has decided it won’t support Bill C-474, a private member’s bill that would require market impact be considered before approving the release of new genetically modified (GM) crops in Canada. “It is a difficult issue,” MFGA president Eric Fridfinnson said in an interview May 6, the day after the