Canadian Flax Industry Update – October 2014
Canadian Flax Industry Update – Fall 2014
Here is snippet of the cover article:
Looking Back
Linda Braun Retiring Executive Director
It’s hard to believe that it has been 18 years since that first interview with SaskFlax. The Commission, formed April 1996, had been operational under Don Jaques until June 1997 when Don lost his life in a traffic accident. Food Focus was contracted that October to provide for the collection, coordination of the check-off and management of the day to day business of the Commission.
The first order of business was to create our corporate identity and establish the “store front” office at A5A – 116 – 103rd Street East, Saskatoon.
The logo tells a story. The bright and lively crown of the flax sheaf represents the coming together of the registered producers into a solid organization. The stalks of the plant positioned in a woven manner, represent fiber based products as well as the close interaction between members. The boll of the plant, made of three droplets represents oil based products as well as the overlapping areas of production, research and marketing.
Our mission and vision have remained relatively stable as have our fares of focus – food, feed and fiber. Commission strategic plans have and continue to incorporate research, communication and market facilitation priorities. Building partnerships have also been a constant throughout the Commission’s history. The overarching purpose was and is to provide for the orderly and effective development of the province’s flax industry and increase net returns to registered producers.
I have been privileged to work with exceptional flax producers to develop and sustain the provincial flax industry. Several efforts that stand out in my mind include:
- The “Everything Flax” cookbook, the first Canadian flax cookbook featuring recipes and photography.
- The “Essential Flax” – A compilation of diet reference information, facts, folklore, recipes and research written by Lee Pengilly, a colleague and friend whose passion for flax rivalled my own.
