Flax is a very delicate crop, if the soil is too wet, it compacts and the flax does not grow

Norman farmers are growing impatient as the soil is still too wet to sow flax. The rains at the beginning of spring are delaying the planting.

This Tuesday, March 31, 2026 is a good day for Frédéric Belloncle. After several days of waiting, this farmer from Saint-Gilles-de-La-Neuville (Seine-Maritime), northeast of Le Havre, can finally sow his flax. On his tractor, he starts by preparing the soil to receive the seeds. He details, “We plowed this ten-hectare plot four days ago. It rained in the evening and on Sunday, almost 13 millimeters. But thanks to the sun and wind on Monday, the soil dried out, we say it has been dried out.”

As a result, the conditions in his area are now ideal for sowing flax. It will take a full day for Frédéric Belloncle to finish this plot. After preparing the soil, he still has to pass with his seeder, then the harrow, and finally the roller to compact.

An agricultural project that he should have started over two weeks ago. But the conditions were not right. “In February, in my area, it rained 209 millimeters. For the past ten days, the weather has improved. But until today, the soil was too wet, we could make balls with it.” Frédéric Belloncle knows what he’s talking about. Before him, his parents cultivated flax, and last January, he became a reference for this crop within the FDSEA 76, the Departmental Federation of Agricultural Trade Unions (the majority union). The farmer from Caux knows that he must be patient if he wants the flax to be sown in the best conditions.

“The flax is a very delicate crop,” he continues. “If the soil is too wet, it compacts, and the flax does not grow. Maybe it will manage to sprout, but then it will stagnate. We will have what we call small flax, meaning of small size. However, the longer and more abundant the fiber in the plant, the better we are paid.”

Nevertheless, for the moment, Frédéric Belloncle is not alarmed. Until the end of April, the delay will not have a significant impact. “In 2001, we sowed around May 8,” he recalls. “That year, the harvest was poor. No tonnage, and almost no fiber.”

Flax is a highly profitable crop in Normandy. We will know at the end of summer if the yields and quality have met expectations. Until then, many steps await Frédéric Belloncle, such as uprooting and the famous retting process.

A specificity of flax. Swept by rain and wind, the straw left on the ground is overrun by microorganisms that separate the textile fibers from the rest of the plant. These fibers are then exported for nearly 80% to Asia, mainly China.