BREAKING OUT OF THE STATUS QUO

By Alvin Ulrich, Fiber Specialist, Crop Fibers Canada and Biolin Research

One of the reasons we do not have much investment in new flax straw processing plants is that farmers do not know how and/or do not have the right financial incentives to produce flax straw with improved characteristics. Without improved straw characteristics, higher end straw and fiber processors will not set up processing plants in Western Canada. If processors don’t sell into higher end markets, they will not be able to pay farmers more than a token amount for their straw. If farmers only get token amounts for their straw, we will not break out of the status quo of having a “straw problem” with few buyers of flax straw and much burning of straw. Significant expansion of flax area will not happen; significant increases in the number of processors using flax straw will not take place; and significant potential profits from producing and processing flax straw will not be realized.

If farmers want someone to buy their straw, the characteristics of the straw must be tailored more closely to the intended end use. The higher the price of straw, the more demanding potential buyers will be. For example, animal shelters, bird-nesting islands, ditch linings, animal bedding and bales for burning can be made from flax straw. Convenience and low cost are the primary criteria for purchase. The presence of weed seeds and/or weed stalks, and far distant field locations, are usually the only negative characteristics that are considered. However, farmers will receive, at best, only a token payment for straw with these intended end uses.

Processors of flax straw destined for specialty paper (e.g., cigarette paper) and lower end plastic composites (e.g., extrusion molded deck boards) use severe mechanical and/or chemical treatments to turn the flax straw into products they can use. These treatments are drastic but allow processors to buy most flax straw that: is free of plastic litter, is relatively free of weeds, is within 50 miles of the processing facility, has reasonable fiber content and has reasonable height. These criteria are often easy for farmers to meet, without any extra effort, and hence farmers are often willing to sell their flax straw for token amounts ($5 to $10/tonne). Medium value uses of flax fiber include geotextiles, insulation products, absorbency
products, filtration products, middle quality plastic composites, and low-end textiles. For these uses, processors need to produce flax fiber that: is almost totally free of shives (i.e., shives are the non-fiber part of the stems), has relatively consistent fineness (i.e., fiber diameters), has relatively consistent length, and is reasonably strong. These requirements, in turn, mean that the straw that is collected and processed must have fairly consistent length, stem diameters, reasonable fiber content (i.e., greater than 12% to 15%) and be partly or totally retted. Negative and/or unacceptable characteristics would include the presence of plastic litter, and abundance of weed seeds or stalks, short pieces of straw, the presence of seeds or seed holders, and far distant locations of fields. Payment for such straw, could, in theory be in the range of $30 to $100 per tonne depending on the actual level of the various desirable fiber properties.

High end uses of flax fiber include high-end plastic composites and many textile applications. For these uses, processors need to produce flax fiber that is totally free of shives, can be finely divided, has good strength and has a consistent length distribution. The requirements, in turn, mean that the straw that is processed must be consistent in length, stem diameter, fiber content and degree of retting. It also means that the straw must be quite well retted so that the fiber bundles can be finely divided. Negative and/or unacceptable characteristics would include unretted straw, the presence of plastic litter, and abundance of weed seeds or stalks, short pieces of straw, the presence of seeds or seed holders, and far distant locations of fields. Payment for such straw, could, in theory be in the range of $60 to $150 per tonne depending on the actual level of the various desirable fiber properties.

The production of higher quality straw for higher quality fiber also results in shives that can be sold into higher end markets. This, in turn, creates further opportunities for value adding industries and permits processors to pay even more for higher quality flax straw.  Research is still going on to find all the possible profitable ways to increase the quality of oilseed flax straw without negatively impacting on the quantity and quality of flax seed that can be harvested. Some of the techniques that do work include using a stripper header or cutting the straw as high as possible with a straight cut header. This leaves the straw as long as possible and maximizes the amount of straw that can be collected. The straw can then be cut with a properly adjusted disk bine or drum mower to lay it flat on the ground in a thin layer that covers as much of the field as possible to maximize the chance for fast and consistent retting.

Rolling the standing straw with a land roller in two directions on a dry day can often, but not always, substitute for disk bining. The straw is then left to ret as long as possible before raking and baling. The quantity and quality of oilseed flax straw can also be improved by selecting oilseed varieties that have higher than average fiber content, by seeding at a consistent depth, by increasing the seeding rate, by spreading the seed in a ribbon-like pattern, by seeding later in May, by using only moderate levels of nitrogen and by improving weed control.

We welcome any additional suggestions and research about how planting and harvesting methods could be altered to improve the quality and quantity of straw that is available to process. “If we keep doing what we are doing, we’ll keep getting what we are getting” – which, at the present time, is little or nothing for our flax straw. Let’s change the status quo!

Source: The Saskatchewan Flax Grower newsletter, June 2005, page 4.