Our story starts with flax.
Flax is a climate-positive plant that’s easy to grow. It requires little-to-no chemical inputs or irrigation. It protects waterways, remediates soil, and provides pollinator habitat.
Flax’s most valuable use is for linen production. Demand for linen grows as consumers turn away from synthetics and demand natural fibers. Flax can also be turned into dozens of other products, making it a versatile and high-value crop.
Flax has the potential to provide new revenue streams for hundreds of farmers in Pennsylvania alone.
But in order to become linen and other products, flax must be processed. The United States has ample space for growing flax, but we lack the infrastructure for processing.
There used to be a significant textile industry in PA, but the equipment and infrastructure are long gone.
PA Flax Project is organizing farmers, creating infrastructure for processing, and making American linen possible again.
The Latest News
PAFP is a recipient of the Organic Market Development Grant (OMDG)!
We will be proud owners of fiber flax harvesting equipment by Summer 2024.
We’re organizing a cooperative of farmers to plant significant acreage in flax by 2024.
To pull it off, we’re conducting seed trials to choose a variety of flax that’s best suited to our region.
At the heart of everything we do…
Growth -
We’re creating business opportunities for farmers and manufacturers in Pennsylvania. This is economic growth that’s good for people and the planet.
Healing - In everything we do, we aim to repair and restore. Nature shouldn’t be an afterthought and neither should human dignity.
Inclusion - We want everyone at our table, especially those historically harmed by the textile industry. Inclusion is the path to something more fair and just.
Proud to be founding members of NALA and PA Fibershed
The People Behind the Project
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”The land, textiles and design have always been central in my life.”
A former dancer turned costume designer, Heidi Barr (she/her) holds a BFA in dance from Cornish College of the Arts and is a two-time Leeway foundation grant recipient. In 2012, she founded Kitchen Garden Textiles, a Philadelphia based lifestyle brand working at the intersection of food and fabric. Heidi is currently a founding board member of the North American Linen Association (NALA). A new trade organization dedicated to advancing bast fiber production and processing in North America. Equaling her lifelong commitment to artistic pursuits in dance and textiles, is Heidi’s attention to environmental issues. These interests combine into her passion for bringing linen production back to Pennsylvania.
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Emma de Long (she/her) has lived and farmed in Pennsylvania since 2012. She owns and operates Kneehigh Farm, a 4-acre diversified vegetable farm located outside of Pottstown. She also co-owns Red Dog Market, a hyper-local grocery store, with her husband Aaron de Long as of 2020. Emma is committed to climate mitigation and is passionate about changing the food and textile industry for the better. She has been growing flax for linen at Kneehigh Farm since 2020.
In our vision of the future, work is meaningful. Economic opportunities heal the earth. And an American linen industry thrives based on healthy soil and profitable farms.
