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Southwest Agriculture Conference Kicks-Off Today

University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus Hosts 20th Anniversary Edition Southwest Ag Conference

By , Farms.com

The 2013 Southwest Agricultural Conference opens today at the University of Guelph, Ridgetown campus. The conference is celebrating its 20th Anniversary edition calling it “The Future of Agriculture.” The conference is considered to be one of the leading conferences pertaining to agriculture education in North America.

The two day conference has an impressive line-up of speakers including Canadian humanitarian Stephen Lewis and renowned financial planning author David Chilton just to name a few. The full list of speakers can be found on the Southwest Ag Conference website at: http://www.southwestagconference.ca/index.cfm

 


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

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.