Agriculture Roundup for Thursday December 15, 2022

Dec 16, 2022

MELFORT, Sask. – Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is giving $1.5 million through its FCC AgriSpirit Fund to 85 community groups across Canada to support rural capital projects.

FCC senior vice-president of Prairie operations Shannon Weatherall said Canadian non-profit groups invest time and energy to support their fellow citizens.

“Through the AgriSpirit Fund, FCC supports causes that contribute to a sense of community and help improve the quality of life for rural residents. It’s one of the ways FCC gives back to the communities where our customers and employees live and work,” Weatherall said.

FCC awarded between $5,000 and $25,000 for various community improvement initiatives.

Click here to see more...

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.