Canola Harvest Nearing Completion

Manitoba farmers are nearing the end of their canola harvest.

 

"We are about 90 per cent done our canola harvest," said Justine Cornelsen, agronomist with the Canola Council of Canada. "Most producers are just waiting for ideal ground conditions to get back out into the field. We've got areas of snow cover and we've got some really wet areas across the province, which is obviously delaying production. I know many producers, now that it's freezing at night, are trying to get out first thing in the morning when the ground is solid to get out there and try to get that crop off, if it's not covered in snow."

 

Cornelsen says the quality of the canola is maintaining although prior green seed issues remain in some fields. She adds the standing crop is looking better that what was swathed due to the large amount of moisture that is causing some swaths to sprout.

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.