Iowa farmers give peace a chance

Mar 28, 2022

Iowa farmers show symbolic support for the people of Ukraine.

Farmers in Hubbard, Iowa gathered to arrange their tractors into the peace symbol as a way to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

Nineteen farmers from the area brought their tractors out to make the symbol—only truly visible from the air (see image above), as nearly 100 people gathered at a local school to host a candlelight vigil, offer prayers, and a moment of silence for those affected by the Russian Federation invasion of Ukraine.

Donations were also gathered with plans to send the money to a church in Hungary where numerous Ukrainian refugees were forced to flee.

The Russian Federation invaded the Ukraine on February 26, 2022. With the war ongoing, Ukrainian farmers will be hard-pressed to plant crops this year, as towns and cities have fallen under the onslaught.

It is estimated that over 3.9 million refugees have left Ukraine as of March 27, 2022, with about 6.5 million people displaced within the country as of March 18, 2022.

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.