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NAT explores second flax-growing region
CRAiLAR producer Naturally Advanced Technologies (NAT) is to explore a second flax-growing region, in Oregon, US, with the help of veteran grass seed industry expert Ralph Fisher.
As a regional agronomic advisor to NAT, Mr Fisher will help contract planted acres of flax in Oregon and will work closely with the company and Oregon State University (OSU) to evaluate strains, growth cycles and techniques that ensure the greatest yields in the region.
Jay Nalbach, chief marketing officer of NAT, said: “The demand for CRAiLAR Flax fibre has been established through our partnerships with Hanes, Levi's, Carhartt, Target, and other global brands.
"Oregon's history in the flax industry, combined with the presence of our US operations in Portland, made it a logical choice to explore the Willamette Valley as our second major growing region. As we did, Ralph's name came up at every single meeting, often multiple times. Once we met in person and worked on a few projects together, this decision was very easy to make.”
A native Oregonian, Fisher has a long history of involvement in governance and economic development in the region, including past chairmanships of both the Oregon Seed Council and the Oregon Seed Growers League.
Mr Fisher said: “I was originally attracted to the story of NAT's CRAiLAR Flax fibre based on its ability to be worked into a grower's calendar year as a rotation crop.
“Risk management is a critical need in the Willamette Valley, and one that I have taken a great deal of interest in, but NAT brings a lot more to the table than that. Both the partner brands that have helped them establish demand, and the terms of their grower contracts, which are exceptional, make this one of the most promising new opportunities the region has seen in years."
