Flax fields will be fewer and farther between in Western Canada this year, according to Statistics Canada’s First survey-based seeding intentions report for 2023-24.

In a report released late last month, StatsCan projected only 689,000 acres of flaxseed to be planted this spring, an 11.6 per cent decrease from the year before.

More significantly, the total number of flax acres would be the fewest since 1950.

While flaxseed area in Manitoba is expected to expand 40 per cent to 71,200 acres, Saskatchewan and Alberta were projected to see declines of 11.7 and 31.6 per cent to 527,300 and 88,000 acres, respectively.

SaskFlax Chair Greg Sundquist says StatsCan’s estimate for flax acres is “very close.”

He says while flax prices are doing well, those for other commodities were outperforming it.