48 GERMINATION.CA SEPTEMBER 2017 “What needs to happen is we need to create new varieties that do two things: fulfill the needs of farmers in terms of yield, disease resistance and such, and fulfill the needs of the end users, like improvements in oil quantity and the like. This way you select only lines that will make the cut, and that results in a much more efficient use of resources.” That was the thinking early this year, when the CDC put forward only one line at the PGDC meetings, and it’s that kind of thinking that will help flax succeed in the marketplace, notes Kerr. “Growers are choosing what gives them the best bang for their buck. Yield has always been an issue with flax- seed, but growers were seeing 27 bushels per acre last year with flax, which is pretty good,” he says. “I think the work we’re doing as a sector has contributed to that, and it’s not just genetics — part of that is getting information about best management practices out there.” Rachel Evans, extension agronomist for the Flax Council, concurs. “What I try to remind growers is that flax is in the Linum family and is completely different than anything else we grow on the Prairies. That means that it has the potential to improve the productivity of other 'main' crops by reducing disease and insect pressure,” she says. “One of the challenges that flax growers face is year- to-year variability. Improved genetics and some key BMPs are starting to go a long way to increasing flax yields. Highest yields by rural municipality in 2016 were 37 and 38 bu/ac in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, respectively. That’s way above our Prairie average of 22 bu/ac.” Muffins, India and the Future of Flax According to Kerr, despite the drop-off in Canadian flax acres, the crop is well positioned to experience a renais- sance all its own. “We’ll see a rebound in acres next year. In terms of mar- kets, we have a good story to tell about flaxseed,” he says. The Health Canada claim, he says, has gone a long way to boosting the crop’s profile. The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority has added flax muffins to the menu in many of its personal care homes and hospital sites. In 2016, an estimated 50,000 muffins were served in the health region. The muffin’s appearance on the menu began in September of last year, after consultation with the Flax Council. Three other foods made with ground flaxseed were cre- ated and tested at the Food Development Centre in Portage la Prairie — a bread, smoothie mix and nutrition bar. The Flax Council also embarked on a trip to China in April. Chinese demand has been growing steadily over the past number of years, says Kerr, and he wants to ensure Canadian flax is in front of them. “We could see our exports bounce back. Europe is a major market, and we might see some increases there this year. There’s also growing demand in India. They grow some flax there, but not in any great quantity. Our pulse industry is benefiting from shipments to India, and I think flax will as well. We’re also looking at Mexico and markets like that, where we can see some positive growth.” For Agblor, there is indeed a good story to tell about flax. A recent economic assessment the CDC conducted of its plant breeding program showed a $6 return to the farmer for every $1 the CDC invests in flax development. “That’s impressive. It sounds low, but that’s because there’s such few acres. What we need is to convince people to grow more flax, and to do that we need a method of cap- turing the value of the varieties in the marketplace,” he says. “If you buy certified seed once and you re-use the seed for the next six years, where does the money come from to develop a new variety that has better yield? That’s a discus- sion we have to have industry-wide. A lot of our breeders have to run around to get money to get that work done. They spend a lot of time filling out applications and looking for funding.” The advent of new products, like the new flax being developed by the California-based Cibus expected to be released in 2019, could also raise the profile of the crop. Cibus’ new non-transgenic, glyphosate-tolerant flax product will offer improved yields for flax farmers and promises healthier flax-based oils for consumers, according to the company. It also provides a gateway-enabling development platform that can be used for additional non-transgenic trait development in flax, notes Jim Radtke, the company’s senior vice-president of product development. He spoke about the product at the PGDC meeting in Winnipeg in February. It uses Cibus’ non-transgenic Rapid Trait Development System (RTDS) to make gene edits to plants, a technology it’s also using in canola, rice and potato. The Canadian flax market is in need of an effective weed control package for flax, and that’s why the Flax Council of Canada with the support of the federal govern- ment has partially funded the development of this crop. According to Agblor, germplasm from the CDC was used to help develop it. “It was really exciting to see glyphosate tolerant flax in a greenhouse. Flax doesn’t like glyphosate at all, so we’ve clearly made significant progress,” Radtke says. Don Kerr, recently-retired president of the Flax Council of Canada, addresses an audience in China earlier this year during a trip to promote flax.