A U.S based company is hoping to see more flax grown in the prairies.
Grain Millers, a Minnesota based company, is expanding its operations in Western Canada.
The company operates an oat processing facility at Yorkton, Saskatchewan, and has been leasing a small flax processing facility in Saskatoon.
President and CEO Todd Stohlmeyer says with the lease wrapping up and the interest they've seen in flax they decided to build their own facility at Delisle, Saskatchewan
about 43 kilometres southwest of Saskatoon.
The majority of flax acres in the prairies can be found in Saskatchewan.
Stats show in 2024, over 728 thousand acres of flax were grown in the province, and in 2025 acreage increased by 28.5 per cent to roughly 935 thousand. Manitoba production is estimated at about 58 thousand acres, with 44 thousand acres seeded in Alberta.
Wednesday marked the grand opening of the Grain Millers' $30 million flax processing facility.
The flax processed at the Delisle site will go into health food products, baked goods, and pet food.
Grain Millers first opened its oat milling facility at Yorkton in 2001 and has grown its operation since then. Today, the plant processes oats, organic oats and gluten-free oats, which are used in cereals, bread, cookies and more.
The company also sources oats, wheat, barley, flax, lentils, and rye from producers in Saskatchewan, which are then moved and processed throughout facilities across North America.