Farmers Sharing The Highway With Motorists

It’s the last long weekend of the summer and highways will be busy.

 

It’s also important to remember it’s a busy time for farmers as they work on bringing in the harvest.

 

Motorists are being reminded to stay alert and watch for slow-moving farm equipment.

 

Tyler McMurchy is with SGI and says August is when most collisions involving farm equipment tend to occur noting it’s important to be aware and stay focused on the road and what’s happening

 

“Farm equipment is very slow-moving so if you find yourself behind it, I think our Number 1 tip is to just be patient, give it plenty of space, reduce your speed accordingly and pass when it is safe to do so. You know farm equipment is often much wider and longer than a typical vehicle you’d find on the road even longer than a semi-trailer. So, you may want to give yourself that room, that space to safely pass.”

 

McMurchy says farmers also need to make sure their equipment meets road requirements:

 

“If your operating a piece of machinery at 40 kilometers per hour or slower that equipment must have on it an attached rear centered slow-moving vehicle sign. Depending on the size of the vehicle it also needs to be equipped with either flashing amber lights or flags.”

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.