Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Flax may be known for turning prairie fields blue, but those flowers are more fleeting than they look.
“If you look at a flax field and it's flowering and it's beautiful and blue, those flowers that you see that day are not the same flowers you'll see tomorrow. They last one day,” says Ken Jackle, lead research technician for the flax breeding program at the Crop Development Centre at the University of Saskatchewan.
Speaking at Farming Smarter’s Field Day in Lethbridge, Alta., Jackle says flax can be a valuable addition to crop rotations, helping break disease and pest cycles because many of the issues affecting flax differ from those of other crops.
While flax can be challenging to grow, Jackle says it is also resilient once established and can perform well when given the same management attention as other crops.
Fertility is one area where that management matters. Flax can make use of residual nitrogen in the soil and reaches the point of diminishing returns at a lower nitrogen rate than some other crops. However, Jackle cautions against placing nitrogen directly with the seed, as it can damage embryos and significantly reduce emergence. Side-banding or other placement methods are better options.
Glyphosate management is another consideration. Jackle uses glyphosate when needed for pre-seeding or pre-emergence weed control, but cautions growers using it as a pre-harvest treatment to closely follow guidelines because export markets are increasingly sensitive to residues.
Western Canadian flax is largely destined for export markets, including Europe and the U.S., and Jackle says quality remains a strength.
“We may not grow as much flax as other places, but we grow the best flax.”
#farming #agriculture #flaxseed
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Flax may be known for turning prairie fields blue, but those flowers are more fleeting than they look.
“If you look at a flax field and it's flowering and it's beautiful and blue, those flowers that you see that day are not the same flowers you'll see tomorrow. They last one day,” says Ken Jackle, lead research technician for the flax breeding program at the Crop Development Centre at the University of Saskatchewan.
Speaking at Farming Smarter’s Field Day in Lethbridge, Alta., Jackle says flax can be a valuable addition to crop rotations, helping break disease and pest cycles because many of the issues affecting flax differ from those of other crops.
While flax can be challenging to grow, Jackle says it is also resilient once established and can perform well when given the same management attention as other crops.
Fertility is one area where that management matters. Flax can make use of residual nitrogen in the soil and reaches the point of diminishing returns at a lower nitrogen rate than some other crops. However, Jackle cautions against placing nitrogen directly with the seed, as it can damage embryos and significantly reduce emergence. Side-banding or other placement methods are better options.
Glyphosate management is another consideration. Jackle uses glyphosate when needed for pre-seeding or pre-emergence weed control, but cautions growers using it as a pre-harvest treatment to closely follow guidelines because export markets are increasingly sensitive to residues.
Western Canadian flax is largely destined for export markets, including Europe and the U.S., and Jackle says quality remains a strength.
“We may not grow as much flax as other places, but we grow the best flax.”
#farming #agriculture #flaxseed
Website: realagriculture.com
Find us on our other social media platforms:
X/Twitter: twitter.com/realagriculture
Instagram: instagram.com/realagriculture
Facebook: facebook.com/realagmedia
