Farmers: Grow With Us
BECOME AN EARLY ADOPTER
Our ideal early adopter is:
Within 3 hours of Philadelphia
Experienced with row crops or grain
Can dedicate at least 10 acres to flax per year
The first step to get started, is to take the Commercial Grower’s Questionnaire
In your first year of growing with us, we ask that you dedicate at least 5 acres to fiber flax, in order to gain experience with the equipment necessary for larger scale production.
PA Flax Project is with you every step of the way from seed to fiber.
As a worker owned cooperative, membership has many benefits
We source the highest quality seed available for sowing
We provide guidance on the equipment needed for a successful planting
At harvest time, we provide guidance on the timing of pulling, turning and baling the flax straw.
We coordinate the movements and handle the operation of our cooperatively owned harvest equipment.
We locate and engage with buyers, and market your flax on both the domestic and international marketplace
We ensure the best price for the flax straw leaving your farm
You will share in the profits of our scutching mill once it is operational
Join us as we build this industry together. Our cooperative members will share in the challenges and rewards of establishing this high value emerging industry in our region.
Our early adopter farms also serve as places for research, education, and recruitment for future farmers. As we scale, farmer to farmer mentorship and education will be key to our cooperative’s success. We look forward to preparing for this growth with a dedicated group of early adopter farmers.
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We work with Conventional, Organic and transitioning to organic growers. Growing fiber flax is similar to growing other grains such as oats, wheat, or rye. Experience with cover-cropping, tillage, seeding, and weed management with these grains will be helpful in growing flax.
Growing fiber flax at scale of five acres or more will require: a precision seeder, primary and secondary tillage equipment (unless you are conventional no-till,) soil amendment application, tine cultivation or herbicide application, and a bale handling machine. Access to an Esch seed drill, or another drill capable of precision seeding at row spacing of 5.5 inches or less, is required.
Early planting and establishment is critical for spring planted fiber flax. Soil temperatures of 50-54 ensure good germination and rapid growth, typically the last week of March in zone 7. Fiber flax reaches maturity in 90 - 100 days followed by a period in the field to 'rett' for 2-4 weeks.
Fiber Flax for long-line fiber production must be pulled from the ground, not cut. Cutting reduces the length of marketable fiber and reduces the overall quality and marketability of the flax. Harvest equipment is currently rare in the United States. PA Flax owns and operates our harvesting equipment as a benefit to our early adopter farmers and cooperative members.
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While the majority of fiber flax globally is in conventional production, efforts are underway to increase the acreage of organic flax.
We support these efforts while we build a flax economy in the U.S.
We are evaluating organic flax production in our region, assessing straw yield, fiber quality, weed populations, insect and disease incidence, cost of production, and profitability.
The first step to get started is to take the Commercial Grower’s Questionnaire