The 64th Flax Institute will take place on Thursday and Friday, March 29-30, at the Doublewood Inn in Fargo.
North Dakota State University has been the lead university in organizing the biennial Flax Institute.
The aim of the Flax Institute is to bring together national and international researchers with an interest in flax to share and learn about flax research. More than 20 presentations will be given by researchers from Canada, China, Pennsylvania and South and North Dakota.
A tour, poster session, exhibits and dinner will provide added learning and networking opportunities.
The topics covered during the event include breeding flax, agricultural production, use of flax in food products, using flax fibers for industrial purposes and human health effects of consuming flax.
Those interested in scientific presentations are encouraged to attend the institute's meeting.
Registration for the event will start at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 29, with the program starting at 8:15 a.m. On Friday, March 30, the program will run from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Hans Kandel, NDSU broadleaf agronomist and president of the Flax Institute, invites participants to share information informally about their interest in flax during the dinner on Thursday evening.
The institute will conclude with a short business meeting after lunch on Friday. Cliff Hall, NDSU associate professor and vice president of the 64th Flax Institute, will provide a tour of the NDSU food science laboratory and talk about flax food research taking place at the university.
In 2011, 196,000 acres of flax were harvested in North Dakota, which is 87.5 percent of all the flax acres planted in the U.S. Flax has gained in popularity as a food source because of its beneficial characteristics.
There is a registration fee of $125 for the event to cover the breaks, lunch, dinner and scientific proceedings. Registration can be completed online at ndsu.nodak.edu
or contact Lisa at the NDSU Plant Sciences Department at (701) 231-7122.
