Open Farm Day Celebrates 10 Years This Sunday

Sep 13, 2019

Sunday, September 15 is Open Farm Day in Manitoba.

Coordinator Wendy Bulloch says there are 56 sites taking part this year, the most they've ever had. Twenty-three of those sites are brand new this year.

Bulloch explained the purpose of the event.

"We really want to make people more aware of agriculture in our province," she said. "We know there's only two per cent of the population involved in farming, one in eight jobs are involved in agriculture and we just want people to have a better understanding of what agriculture is and the opportunity to ask those questions."

This year marks the 10 anniversary of Open Farm Day in Manitoba.

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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.