Flax crops are looking at average to slightly below average in Manitoba, according to the Manitoba Flax Growers Association (MFGA) chair.

Eric Fridfinnson says earlier in the year, it looked like flax crops would be well above average, but from what he can gather, excess rains have taken a toll on quality. However Fridfinnson says it's hard to know how much the weather has impacted crops until it's been harvested.

"I think that we're going to have some disease issues and damage from hail, excess rain, that sort of thing," he says. "It's really hard to know exactly, but I've talked with some of my fellow MFGA directors and to some of the folks at our sister organization in Saskatchewan, so my impression is that it's probably not quite as good of a crop as we thought earlier."

Fridfinnson expects flax crops could be harvested by the end of the month, although some could go sooner, as hot weather has moved crops along quickly.

According to Fridfinnson, flax acreage across Western Canada is also down a bit from last year, but he thinks this could provide good returns for those who did grow flax, adding he's optimistic flax prices will hold up well this year.