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International Potato Growers Gather In Winnipeg

Over 250 delegates from around the world are in Winnipeg this week attending the 103rd annual meeting for the Potato Association of America.
 
Manitoba Agriculture's Vikram Bisht is one of the co-chairs for the event.
 
He gave us an update on the local potato crop.
 
"At the moment the crops are looking very good. Rainfall is a bit short but the potato guys are able to irrigate their fields and that what is increasing the potential of what we can get this year. So far, it has been very good."
 
Bisht says the Manitoba potato crop is about 4 or 5 inches in size.
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Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

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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.