Michigan August 1 Crop Forecast

Aug 13, 2015

Michigan growers believe that they will have higher yields for both corn and soybeans compared to 2014, as well as a record wheat yield, according to the USDA, NASS, Great Lakes Regional Office. This report is based on current conditions, as of August 1, 2 015. Some highlights of the Crop Production Report follow:

Michigan corn producers expect a yield of 165 bushels per acre, up 4 bushels from the previous year. Production is projected to decrease, though, due to fewer acres harvested.
Soybean production in the State is expected to total 96.1 million bushels, up from a year earlier. The yield is forecast at 46 bushels per acre, a 3 bushel increase from 2014.
Sugarbeet growers estimate a yield of 30.0 tons per acre, up 0.7 tons from last year.
Winter wheat production in Michigan is expected to total 40.0 million bushels. The yield is forecast at 80 bushels, which would be a state record.
Producers of dry beans are expecting their crop to yield 1,900 pounds per acre, down 40 pounds from last year. Production is expected to decline slightly from 2014.

Source:usda.gov

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.