Show greatest flaxseed crop in bistor yr asked ma N A ira 4 e C W 2 from farms 5 to foundries fodnes factories factories and the fighting fronts and back t to 0 farms the cycle of 01 millio ns as of 0 bushels h Is i of flaxseed to t be produced in the united states this year after the farmer in the upper lefthand left et hand picture 7 has h harvested his flaxseed it becomes linseed oil and acts as a binder in the cores of the molds for metal castings shown ow at lower lowel left le much of this metal goes into shines machines of war linseed oil is an essential hin hina ingredient of t paint and varnish and the meal let left after the oil is pressed out returns to t farms S as high protein feed 6 for cattle five million acres ol of flaxseed in 1345 1945 HOSE mighty mites from THOSE T americas farms flaxseed are in the news again linseed oil is the reason about three quarters of a billion pounds will be needed to answer I 1 minimum national requirements in 1945 and the only source of that essential oil is the tiny flaxseed i chief use for linseed oil is in paint and varnish it accounted for approximately 85 per cent of all the fats and oils used by the drying industries dus tries last year and may be expected to carry on in the same way in 1945 it is also a valuable ingredient of linoleum and oilcloth oil coth printing inks adhesives and soap and for processing leather and textiles one of the little known but important por tant uses of linseed oil is in the manufacture of metal castings for many types of military industrial and agricultural machinery it acts as a binder for the fine sands of cores for the molds nothing is wasted in the processing of flaxseed says the war food administration the meal remaining after the oil has been pressed out or extracted from the seeds goes back to farms as high protein livestock feed in fact the tonnage volume of the meal is a bigger business than the oll oil last year for example about a million tons of linseed meal were sold five million acres needed it will take acres of flax for seed plus a small amount of imported seed if it can be obtained to produce the necessary pounds of linseed oil according to the military requirements for the oil are increasing at a time when domestic reserves are short because of the small 1944 flaxseed crop in addition possible imports are uncertain acreage sought is 64 per cent greater than last year which reached only acres total use of linseed oil in 1944 hit an all time high of pounds far exceeding U S production this brought a serious drain on reserve supplies points out that with consumption su eption levels inventories of linseed oil will be as low as they can safely go by next fall when oil from the 1945 crop becomes available with normal yields the acreage goal would produce about bushels of flaxseed to which would be added an expected import of bushels for a total of bushels the minimum oil requirements quire ments would take about bushels of seed and another bushels are estimated as the seed requirements for plantings during the following year so vital is the need for linseed oil that congress has authorized the expenditure of in special payments to farmers to help assure a sufficient supply this is in addition to the regular price support program for flaxseed and will be by the he agricultural ad adjustment j agency farmers who plant flax for seed will receive payments at the rate of an acre up to the limit of the individual farm goals worked out by the farmer and his AAA committeemen the flax must be on suitable soil and the crop properly handled to be eligible under the payment plan price supports for flaxseed in 1945 as announced by the war food administration are designed to bring the farm price to not less than 90 per cent of the parity price crop can be insured further protection for growers is available through the federal crop insurance corporation insurance on this crop is being offered this year for the first time and will assure production returns up to 75 per cent of average yields contracts are for one year and will be available through county AAA offices or other authorized agents closing date for submitting applications will be the beginning of seeding or march 31 whichever is earlier for all areas except north dakota and montane montana parts of minnesota where the closing date is april 10 i average yield of flaxseed is 8 bushels per acre that means it takes some of the seeds to produce pounds of linseed oil since they average to a pound although all seeds contain oil 11 some like flaxseed are a rich source of that valuable product by weight just over one third of a flaxseed is linseed oil |