Farms.com Home   News

Drought Concerns Alleviated With Rain This Week

For farmers concerned about drought again this year, the heavy rain and even snow that hit many regions of the province this week, should help to ease some of those concerns.

There are still ongoing concerns about flooding from the storm this week, which in some places, dumped well over 100 millimetres of rain. But many experts believe that the dry parched land in parts of southern Alberta, soaked up a lot of the water and reduced the risk of overland flooding, like folks in Manitoba have seen this spring. Alberta Environment is keeping a close eye on rivers and streams across the province this week. 

At this point there are no fears of a repeat of the flood 9 years ago that swamped a big chunk of downtown Calgary along with several other communities including the town of High River. Although one weather official said if we should get a second storm like this in the coming days, then flooding could be an issue.  Several farmers on Twitter today describing the rain this week as a gift.

Click here to see more...

Trending Video

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.