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ATB Financial gives $250,000 to Olds College

Olds College has received a $250,000 donation from ATB Financial in support of agricultural technology research and education, officials said.
 
The five-year financial commitment will be used to support the college’s high-tech smart farm, as well as to support the AgSmart technology expo at the college on Aug. 13-14.
 
College president Stuart Cullum says support for the smart farm through the donation will have long-term benefits.
 
“The Olds College Smart Farm provides an environment where producers, industry partners, college researchers, faculty and students can explore the challenges and opportunities facing the agriculture sector and together investigating solutions and determine how we can use technology, data and expertise to evolve our existing agricultural practices,” Cullum said in a release.
 
Curtis Stange, president and CEO of ATB Financial, said supporting the smart farm will help keep Alberta agriculture competitive moving forward.
 
“We know the ag industry is rapidly changing with technology playing a growing role and we are proud to support initiatives like the Olds College Smart Farm that harness technology and innovation in such an integral sector,” said Stange.
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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.