Flax market

[farming101]

It looks like the possibility of Russia overtaking Canada as top exporter of flax is quite likely in 2017.
World trade is growing but Canada's share is shrinking.


So what happened. Besides triffid, the Russian ruble has cratered. The CAD would buy 28 rubles in 2010, today it will buy 46.


And the ruble got cheap in part because of world oil prices. So you could say the price of flax is down because of lower oil prices. Nothing much to do about it. Hedging oil would have worked but it would have been painful at times. Selling CAD dollars or buying USD would have been a better hedge.

[makar]

Growing flax interests me about as much as drinking spiced rum.

[farming101]

Rum consumption way up amongst flax growers

[shtferbrains]

Why does anyone grow flax?

Haven't been any yield improvements since group 1 Wild Oat herbicide.

Basically you grow it praying for a short situation?

[Sheepwheat]

Why does anyone grow flax?

Haven't been any yield improvements since group 1 Wild Oat herbicide.

Basically you grow it praying for a short situation?

Save own seed, way lower input costs. Way less risk. Not feeding the parasites...

[farmaholic]

With last year's anomalous 38 bu/ac yeilds and $13.20/bu(fob farm)price we grossed about $500/ac. Not so good this year! Half the yeild and a little poorer price....

Great crop in rotation for disease cycle break.

Leaves land less than ideal conditions. ...seems to leave the surface so dry.

Pain in the ass dealing with residue. ...our rotary combine twists it up in ropes or lumps and then it doesn't chop and spread worth a shit....and too hard on the chopper drive.

Best quote so far... $12.75-12.85 fob farm....nice and clean and uniform color.....milling quality. I would need approx $27/bu to match last year's gross returns....I don't think it will get there. Lol.

[farmaholic]

Remember the Triffid fiasco.....testing.....signing affidavits......losing market access.....

I was at an IHARF meeting and a producer flax rep insinuated that we as "Individual" producers don't want to be responsible for a rejected cargo in Europe and should all buy reconstituted affected varieties or new non affected certified seed to "flush" the system.

I asked him how we as Producers could be held accountable for something we never caused? I bet he was a seed grower!

Have we fully recovered from this or has that experience given Russia (eastern Europe) an advantage?

[bucket]

Where do you think the Russians got the flax seed?


The flax seed growers mostly on the councils and boards would have seen a windfall by the triffid issue....

And it was the developers of the seed that caused it....on purpose?
Maybe ...maybe not....but I think the costs came to farmers.....


Besides we have no flax processing in Canada. ....?????

And the FSU has learned agriculture is a good investment. ...Canada has no clue....having a system that only handles 50 percent of trend line production is stupid....

[Guest]

With last year's anomalous 38 bu/ac yeilds and $13.20/bu(fob farm)price we grossed about $500/ac. Not so good this year! Half the yeild and a little poorer price....

Great crop in rotation for disease cycle break.

Leaves land less than ideal conditions. ...seems to leave the surface so dry.

Pain in the ass dealing with residue. ...our rotary combine twists it up in ropes or lumps and then it doesn't chop and spread worth a shit....and too hard on the chopper drive.

Best quote so far... $12.75-12.85 fob farm....nice and clean and uniform color.....milling quality. I would need approx $27/bu to match last year's gross returns....I don't think it will get there. Lol.

I bet you will get there, if it is , we got $14 picked up last winter from the 15 crop . milling quality is always in short supply
but wtf is a guy gonna grow next year ????

[farmaholic]

I bet you will get there, if it is , we got $14 picked up last winter from the 15 crop . milling quality is always in short supply
but wtf is a guy gonna grow next year ????

Case....In the Slum of the Ghetto out here in no-man's land we get deducted a fair chunk of freight off our fob the farm bids to get it to my buyer's facilities north or south east of here.....both of which are fairly far. But I like dealing with them....decent guy and usually good bids.