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Our Industry: Grains - Flaxseed

FLAXSEED

What It Is, How It's Marketed
and How It's Used

Flax is grown for its seed and for its fiber.

It is one of the oldest textile fibers. There is evidence that it was grown and used in the prehistoric lake dwellings of Switzerland. Fine linen fabrics made from flax also have been discovered in ancient Egyptian tombs.

Mediterranean traders introduced the plant to current-day Germany and Britain. The Romans introduced flax linen manufacturing throughout their empire. In the 1600s, the German states and Russia became the major sources of raw flax material, and they supplied the linen industries that were established in The Netherlands, Ireland, England and Scotland.

In North America, flax was introduced by English settlers. Flax was an important source of fiber for soldiers' uniforms during the Revolutionary War. The use of flax in the United States declined after the advent of the cotton industry and the invention of the cotton gin.

Flaxseed (also known as linseed) was used as food by the ancient Greeks and Romans, and continues to be used as a human food in parts of central Europe. But in modern times, its main use has been as a feed ingredient for livestock.

Today, flaxseed is a relatively minor crop in the United States. We usually produce between 3.5 and 7 billion bushels of flaxseed annually. Flaxseed is grown primarily in North and South Dakota, and production can vary dramatically from year to year based on the climatic conditions in those two states. In years when the United States has a production shortfall, it imports more flaxseed than it produces.

Despite these facts, the United States still is one of the world's leading producers of flax, ranking behind the Commonwealth of Independent States, Canada, Argentina and India.

The Types of Flax

There are two basic varieties of flax:

Fiber: Flax that is grown primarily for its fiber is densely planted, and grows to heights of three to four feet. The plant has slender stalks (about 1/10th-inch thick).

Oilseed: The flax plant that is cultivated for seed is shorter and contains more branches than the fiber variety. The leaves, alternating on the stalk, are small and lance-shaped. The flowers, which grow on the stems from the branch tips, usually are blue in color but sometimes can be white or pink.

Small globular capsules, composed of five lobes, contain the seeds. Each capsule produces about 10 seeds, which are long, flat and elliptical in shape. Usually, they are brown, smooth and shiny.

Flaxseed -- Stages of Life

Flax is an annual, cool-season plant that is adaptable to a wide variety of soils and climates. But it grows best in well-drained, sandy loam and in temperate climates. Cool, moist growing seasons produce the most desirable fiber.

In most areas, planting of the same land with flax is limited to once every six years to avoid exhausting the nutrients of the soil.

Planting: Flaxseed is planted in the spring, much like wheat and barley. The field is first cultivated and plowed. The seeds then are planted with a standard grain drill. Because the seeds are small, they usually are planted at depths of 1 inch or less. Each plant has several slender stalks with branches concentrated at the top. This is where the flaxseed grows.

Growing: The flax plant grows during the spring and summer months. The seedlings can stand temperatures as low as 15 degrees, F., until they flower. Ideal growing temperatures for flax are 70 to 80 degrees, F. The plant's shallow, sparse root system makes consistent rainfall (18 to 30 inches) and proper weed control essential during the growing season.

Harvesting: Flax typically is harvested in the fall with a grain combine. Harvesting usually begins when the lower portion of the stalk has turned yellow and before the seed is fully mature. The harvested seeds range in color from brown and yellow to green.

Flaxseed -- Its Journey to Market

After harvest, the producer typically hauls the flaxseed directly to a processing plant.

This is different from other major grains grown in the United States -- like wheat and corn -- that typically are sold to a country elevator located near the farm for subsequent sale to a terminal elevator, export elevator, processor or miller.

Of the flaxseed consumed in the United States each year:

about 88 percent is crushed for oil and meal.

about 8 percent is exported.

about 3 percent is used for seed.

the remainder is allocated for residual uses.

Flax -- How It's Transformed

into Useful Products

As we've seen, the flax plant is harvested both for its seed and its fiber. But to be useful, the flax first must be processed.

The seed is used to produce:

Linseed Oil: This product is a golden yellow, amber or brown liquid. Between 33 and 45 percent of the weight of the seed is oil. A bushel of flaxseed will yield as much as 19 pounds of oil. More than 90 percent of the linseed oil produced by the United States is used domestically, while about 5 percent is exported.

Flaxseed produces four different grades of linseed oil:

Raw: This grade is the slowest drying.
Refined: This grade is raw oil with the solid fats, seed fragments and other extraneous materials removed.
Boiled: This grade is not actually boiled, but rather is heated with materials called driers, such as manganese oxide, which are added while the oil is hot to improve its drying qualities. This grade dries faster than either raw or refined oil, and becomes thicker, denser and darker when dry.
Blown: This grade dries to an even harder film. It is produced by blowing air through the oil while it is heated to about 260 degrees, F. This grade is used in enamels and interior paints.

Although most linseed oil is used by the paint industry, some also is used in manufacturing plastics. Linseed oil is used in such products as:

house paint printing inks lacquers and enamel

varnish medical supplies and emollients

linoleum lubricating oils

Linseed Meal: The byproduct of processing flaxseed for oil is the linseed meal. This product is very useful as a livestock feed ingredient. That's because as much as 35 percent of linseed meal is protein, and 85 percent of that amount is digestible by livestock and poultry. Between 75 and 85 percent of the linseed meal produced by the United States is used domestically, while between 13 and 25 percent is exported.

The stalk is used to produce fiber. The fiber is obtained by drying, crushing and beating the stalks. Fiber color ranges from buff to gray, with the best qualities having a creamy white color.

Flax linen is valued for its strength, luster, durability and its ability to absorb moisture. In fact, flax is considered to be a stronger fiber than cotton. Its smooth surface repels soil. Fine grades of flax linen are made into: