Official Announcement: Flax is the new 'Year On the Field' crop. Call for participants!

Common Flax (Linum usitatissimum) is a very important field crop worldwide and not only provides food (seeds and oil), but also is the basis for textiles (be it clothes, fiber, or even ropes) and building materials (for slimming clay, as insulation material or even as bedding). The core of the individual processing steps has been preserved over the millennia and the profession of flax farmer and linen weaver was still widely popular in many countries around the world just 100 years ago. The 'A Year On The Field' project aims to shed light on all the individual growing and processing steps related to flax on a global scale— and to get people talking!

Get involved

We are looking for:

• farmers

• museums

• living history farms

• archaeological open-air museums

to document all steps of flax cultivation and processing with us for a year on site (starting this spring 2022). We are also looking for:

• scientists

• collection staff

• craftsmen and -women (weavers, spinners etc.)

who want to provide us with insights into individual aspects of flax cultivation,

processing and final flax/linen products through the centuries.

Please note, that you do not necessarily have to grow flax this year. Documents, pictures and research on flax from past years is just as valuable for us!

Would you like to participate?

Then get in touch as soon as possible at: c.kropp@kloster-lorsch.de

Join us for our "A Year On The Field" project and become part of a unique, global study with friends and colleagues from many areas of interest.

Become a flax farmer, no matter the size of your soil!

As a small special feature, we offer you our Year On the Field flax box containing seeds, sowing instructions and processed flax samples, so you can learn about this valuable historic crop. In return, all we ask is that you enjoy the flax and send us an occasional picture... or post it on social media under the tag #yearonthefieldflax

The official Year On The Field Flax box contains a lot of interesting details, including seeds and fiber

Are you interested? Then contact us immediately at: c.kropp@kloster-lorsch.de

(subject: flax box)

Hurry before stocks run out!