Farmers Yield Record Harvest, Statistics Canada

Dec 05, 2013

Canadian farmers yielded records crops this year, according to a Statistics Canada report.

The report said that while farmers had a late start to planting, good weather led to higher than normal yields for canola, wheat and soybean growers.

Canola and wheat production reaches record levels

Here are the highlights:

? Canola increased 29.5 per cent from 2012, 18.0 million tonnes
? Wheat increased 38.0 per cent from 2012, 37.5 million tonnes
? Barley increased nearly 28 percent from 2012, 10.2 million tonnes

Corn and soybean production also set records

? Corn increased 8.7 per cent
? Soybeans were up 2.2 per cent

The good news is that farmers’ crops yielded well. The bad news is that they are unable to move their grain fast enough, delaying overseas shipments and missing out on market opportunities. This situation is especially true for growers in western Canada, who say there is a shortage of rail cars available to transport grain to the ports.

Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.