Minimum-price contracts for spring linseed are available from co-op United Oilseeds after a successful 2011 crop.

Forward values for the 2011 harvest are trading at around £300/t, offering farmers a gross margin of £423/ha (£171/acre), says the company. However, contracts were only available on a restricted tonnage, said trader David Whyte.

“The area of linseed planted in the UK has increased from 40,000ha in 2009, to a predicted 50,000ha in 2011. Growers who are thinking of including linseed in their spring rotation, therefore, need to act quickly to secure a buy-back contract and to reserve the necessary volume of seed,” he said.

Spring linseed could also be a useful crop in rotational blackgrass control, he added.