U.S. Flax Harvest Sinks

WASHINGTON - Jan 12/18 - SNS -- Production of flaxseed in 2017 totaled 3.84 million bushels, down 56% from the previous year, according to the USDA's final crop estimates.

Harvested area totaled 272,000 acres in 2017, down 26% from the previous year. Harvested acreage in North Dakota, the largest flaxseed-producing State, was estimated at 229,000 acres, down 30% from 2016.

The average United States yield for 2017, at 14.1 bushels per acre, was down 9.6 bushels from 2016 and represented the lowest United States yield since 1989.

Hot and dry weather during the growing season negatively impacted yields in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

Flaxseed Area Planted and Harvested, Yield, and Production - States and
United States: 2015-2017
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                :          Area planted          :         Area harvested
      State     :-----------------------------------------------------------------
                :   2015   :   2016   :   2017   :   2015   :   2016   :   2017
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                :                           1,000 acres
                :
Minnesota 1/ ...:      3        (NA)       (NA)          3      (NA)       (NA)
Montana ........:     31          29         52         30        28         38
North Dakota ...:    410         335        245        405       329        229
South Dakota ...:     19          10          6         18         9          5
                :
United States ..:    463         374        303        456       366        272
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                :         Yield per acre         :           Production
      State     :-----------------------------------------------------------------
                :   2015   :   2016   :   2017   :   2015   :   2016   :   2017
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                :   --------- bushels ---------     ------ 1,000 bushels ------
                :
Minnesota 1/ ...:   14.0        (NA)       (NA)         42      (NA)       (NA)
Montana ........:   15.0        22.0        9.0        450       616        342
North Dakota ...:   23.0        24.0       15.0      9,315     7,896      3,435
South Dakota ...:   16.0        16.0       13.0        288       144         65
                :
United States ..:   22.1        23.7       14.1     10,095     8,656      3,842
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(NA) Not available.
1/   Estimates discontinued in 2016.

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U.S. Flax Harvest Sinks

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