NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665

February 25, 1999

N.D. Flax Acreage Up for Several Reasons; Flax Plot No. 30 Continues to Serve

Flaxseed production in North Dakota peaked in the late 1950s at nearly 3.65 million acres, but during the ensuing 40 years production levels fell off until reaching a low of only 80,000 acres in 1996. Now, flaxseed production appears to be headed for a modest comeback, with producers planting 280,000 acres in 1998 and getting a record-setting average state yield of 21 bushels an acre.

There are several reasons for producers' renewing interest in flax. First, it serves as a good rotational check against Fusarium head blight (scab), currently the most serious threat to the region's wheat and barley production. And second, the loan price for flax currently hovers at about $5 per bushel.

But more important, researchers at NDSU and other land-grant universities are uncovering new uses for flaxseed and the flax plant's straw, says a long-time NDSU agronomist who is arguably the state's most enthusiastic supporter of the crop.

"I think the demand for these accessory uses beyond linseed oil is going to steadily increase," says Jack Carter, former chair of the NDSU Department of Plant Sciences and president of the Flax Institute of the United States. Since his retirement from NDSU in 1987, Carter has continued working with the North Dakota Oilseed Council to research and promote oilseed crops, particularly flax.

Linseed oil is a flaxseed extract used in paints and coatings, hardboards, patent leather, soap and many other products. The meal resulting from the extraction process has been used primarily by the livestock industry, particularly dairy producers, Carter says. The fiber from the flax straw that remains after harvest can go into cigarette and other high-quality papers, although most of North Dakota's flax straw residue is now burned. Europeans produce most of the taller flax varieties, which yield the fiber for linen cloth.

"If we can get flax into more laying-hen rations, flax production could increase significantly," says Carter, a 1999 North Dakota Agricultural Hall of Fame inductee.

Flaxseed contains high levels of linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid. When laying hens consume a ration including flaxseed, the birds lay eggs that are six to eight times higher in omega-3 fatty acids than traditional eggs, Carter says.

These "omega eggs" not only contain increased levels of omega-3 fatty acids but also slightly less saturated fat. In terms of a health benefit, eating two omega eggs is roughly equivalent to eating a 4-ounce serving of cold-water fish, Carter explains. Research at the University of Nebraska shows that people can eat two omega eggs per day without increasing their cholesterol. The Nebraska research was partially funded by flax checkoff dollars managed by the North Dakota Oilseed Council.

Another checkoff-supported effort currently underway at NDSU has an industrial application. Researcher Mark Soucek in the NDSU polymers and coatings department is studying ways to improve the coating ability of linseed oil polymers on metals. Another use for this modified linseed oil is in asphalt shingles, Carter says.

Two other NDSU researchers, Mukund Sibi in the chemistry department and Dennis Wiesenborn in the agricultural and biosystems engineering department, are investigating methods to efficiently synthesize and extract, respectively, a type of flax fiber called lignan. Carter says lignan has use as a food supplement in the human diet. Research at other universities has proven that lignan can prevent cancer in animals, and clinical trials involving humans are now underway in Canada.

While some researchers are studying ways to use parts of the flax plant to keep humans healthy, a group of NDSU agronomists continue the work of keeping flax varieties protected from a killer disease: flax wilt. Aiding the researchers in this effort is Flax Plot No. 30, which has been planted to flax every year since 1893.

"It's a severe environment to test for wilt," says Al Schneiter, current NDSU plant sciences chair. "We continue to get breeding material from all over the world for us to test in this plot."

Located in the northwest corner of the NDSU campus in Fargo, Flax Plot No. 30 is on the National Register of Historic Places. Schneiter compares the devastating potential of flax wilt on flax to what a new "killer" race of stem rust would to do wheat or barley. In short, either disease has the potential to drop production levels to nearly zero.

"The plot is most likely the oldest in the world continuously used for a plant breeding effort," says Jim Hammond, NDSU's flax breeder.

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Sources: Jack Carter (701) 231-8155 and Al Schneiter (701) 231-8137

Editor: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136