Flax straw

[the big wheel]

Has anyone sold bales to the fibre burning plant I think it is in Manitoba. I left messages but no call back.

[Robertbarlage]

Thought that place burnt down 20 years ago?

[the big wheel]

Thought that place burnt down 20 years ago?

Haha no wonder no call back!
There was a place advertised recently in the producer? That’s where I called and I lost the number also.

[the big wheel]

PCE actually in sask.

[seldomseen]

Must be a tough game. Companies come and go with big plans for flax straw. Always big optimistic plans that never work out.

Best we had it was in the 80's when Kimberley Clark would come in after harvest and bale all the flax straw and stack it. They would even pay for the straw and local kids got jobs putting a top on the flax stacks to help protect the stack.

[6V53]

Good way to punch out the grid roads and create a rat infestation.

[Robertbarlage]

Could probably make masks out of that sh it.

[burnt]

Could probably make masks out of that sh it.

Was swathing flax many years ago and the stuff was winding on the reel tighter than------tight.

Hacked at it and finally had it all cleaned off.

The pile of stuff on the ground, all those strands - if I had a magic wand I'd a poofed it into a brand new pair of Levis.

Nasty stuff to work with.

[Guest]

ah yes, unwrapping feeder house beaters on a 750 massey with a chain saw
fingers and hands bleeding
those were the days my friend , glad they did end
the sadistic bastard that dreamed those up was hopefully shot and pissed on

[Rareearth]

Case , you can grow flax again, now they have battery operated chainsaws and saws all. If that doesn’t work use a match 😊

[farmaholic]

Re Massey paddle feeder housing.

We even tried timing the paddles so they weren't running at 90° to each other. Synchronised to be in the same position or as close to the same as the chain links would let you get.

Some people even installed extra paddles on the square cast blocks of the top and bottom paddle assemblies. Then put some sort of slatted canvas-like thing on so none of the paddles weren't exposed but the flax would be "conveyed" up between the bottom of the feeder house and the canvas thingy. But there was always the front beater to contend with.

Best was not combine the flax when the straw was greenish or tough. Ya right.

[Tucker]

I always knew that MF didn't stand for Massey Fergusen. Thank God my dad raised me on a 7720. Was doing some custom harvesting helping an organic guy with a MF. Flax. Golden. $50/bu that year he said. Passed by him on a round and stopped to see why he was stopped. Feederhouse open and flax straw everywhere. Fock paddles.

[foragefarmer]

I remember in the mid 70s we has a big wind storm and the flax swaths rolled all over the field. We had a 510 Massey my brother and I had to run ahead of the 510 and hand feed the swaths into it so it wouldn't plug for dad.

Scratched up hands and faces, and noses and eyes full of dust. What we had to do growing up on a mixed family farm just to make ends meet.

Still look back on those simpler days fondly for some reason.

[burnt]

I remember in the mid 70s we has a big wind storm and the flax swaths rolled all over the field. We had a 510 Massey my brother and I had to run ahead of the 510 and hand feed the swaths into it so it wouldn't plug for dad.

Scratched up hands and faces, and noses and eyes full of dust. What we had to do growing up on a mixed family farm just to make ends meet.

Still look back on those simpler days fondly for some reason.

Great story. When we think back at some of the things we did and never even questioned it, sure makes me wonder about not liking to suffer the smallest hardships today.

Many years ago, had a neighbor who was always short on feed for his cows. So he put about 50 acres of "free" flax straw up in SMALL SQUARE BALES.

For COW FEED.

Come springtime, somebody asked him if they ate it.

He said yup, they had to. Because when they took a mouthful it was so stemmy that they couldn't spit it back out.

Flax is very rare around here anymore.

[LEP]

Great story. When we think back at some of the things we did and never even questioned it, sure makes me wonder about not liking to suffer the smallest hardships today.

Many years ago, had a neighbor who was always short on feed for his cows. So he put about 50 acres of "free" flax straw up in SMALL SQUARE BALES.

For COW FEED.

Come springtime, somebody asked him if they ate it.

He said yup, they had to. Because when they took a mouthful it was so stemmy that they couldn't spit it back out.

Flax is very rare around here anymore.

You might be surprised. If you leave it sit in a stack for 4 or 5 years , the cows love it.