Flax growers will benefit from improvements at Scoular processing site

New high-speed processing equipment, and a significant increase in storage capacity.  

Both are among improvements at our processing site in Richardson, Saskatchewan, that deliver good news for Scoular’s flax producers and customers.   

The improvements follow Scoular’s decision earlier this year to exit the pulses business, enabling our company to focus 100 percent on flax at the site and provide a reliable supply of flax ingredients for our feed, food and crush customers. 

Health Benefits

Trends in flax demand provide good timing for Scoular’s effort. For example, growing consumer awareness of the health benefits of flaxseed – such as it being a non-GMO source of omega-3 fatty acids and fiber – creates opportunities for growers. Our site will help farmers capitalize on those trends. 

The Richardson location produces whole and milled flax available in the brown or golden categories for a range of applications, including for breads and snacks to oils, supplements, pet food, and livestock feed. The site also holds organic certification.     

“The indications are that flax demand is growing,” says Rick Mitzel, president of the Flax Council of Canada. “It’s positive for the industry and positive for growers.” 

For end-users, the site’s technology enables Scoular to deliver some of the highest purity flax available on the market. 

More Storage

Improvements at the site include: 

• State-of-the art equipment that enables the site to meet the highest level of food safety standards certified to the rigorous Global Food Safety Initiative benchmarked to the FSSC 22000 standard.  
• Over 280,000 bushels of storage devoted entirely to flax – significantly more than previously. 

• Three lines dedicated to flax, doubling processing capacity. 
• Faster and more efficient outbound loading for truck and rail, enabling the site to more quickly meet end-user needs. 

Scoular has strong experience with flax, with our company and its predecessors having been a partner in the Canadian market for more than 30 years. Canada is the world leader in flax production, and Richardson, located in south-central Saskatchewan, is in the heart of the country’s flax-growing region. The majority of the country’s flax is now grown in Saskatchewan. 

Crop Looking Good

Our Merchandising Team got a first-hand look at this season’s crop as we drove North America’s flax growing region this summer. We traveled from the Red River Valley of North Dakota across the northern prairies of North America to Richardson, walking fields and visiting growers along the way.  

We saw good to excellent crop stands with average or better seed counts in most fields, signs that the crop is looking good, despite drought conditions. Our prediction is the crop will meet average yields for North America’s main flax growing regions. 

Questions about our flaxseed? Contact our team here.