Texas ranch sells for $300-million

Nov 03, 2021

In a sale valued at US$240-million (~CDN $300-million), a Texas ranch was sold, including land and industrial assets, featuring 31,000 acres in Milam and Lee counties.

Known as the Sandow Lakes Ranch, the property included the site of the former Rockdale smelter, permanently closed in 2018.

Completed on October 29, 2021, the transaction included improved pasture lands, ag properties and industrial assets, purchased by SLR Property I, LP, an affiliate of a Texas real estate enterprise.

The property was owned and sold by Alcoa Corporation who since purchasing the land, have worked with tenants to create economic development opportunities.

Alcoa received US$230-million in cash, noting that it had taken six years to get to this point after performing significant agricultural land improvements, adding water development and solar components, as well as intermodal, tech and other industrial capabilities that apparently SLR found most agreeable.

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.