Alta. Ag wants to hear from farmers

Jan 13, 2020

The government is seeking feedback to deliver farmer-led research priorities

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Alberta’s provincial government is looking to farmers for feedback on how to advance industry research.

Alberta Agriculture and Forestry is hosting six free public engagement sessions throughout the province to give producers the opportunity to highlight what farmer-led research means to them, research priorities and governance models for delivering said research.

The meetings are scheduled for:

Mon., Jan. 13 in Lethbridge
Fri., Jan. 17 in Grande Prairie
Tues., Jan. 21 in Camrose and Vermilion
Thurs., Jan. 23 in Olds
Fri., Jan. 24 in Calgary

Producers also have the option of completing an online survey by Fri. Jan. 31.

Alberta Agriculture will use the collected farmer input to determine its next steps.

“The information gathered at the sessions and from the online survey will be analyzed and recommendations on the path forward will be developed,” Adrienne South, press secretary for Agriculture and Forestry Minister Devin Dreeshen, told Farms.com. “We want to make sure that we support research that is important to farmers and ranchers. Our government’s commitment is to ensure that farmers, not government, set key agriculture research priorities.”

The farmer-led research is in line with the priorities set out by the agriculture ministry after the provincial budget release in October 2019.

Ag groups are encouraging producers to take part in the consultation process.

“We highly recommend that all farmers provide the government with views about how research will help their operations grow in the future,” Team Alberta, which represents the province’s canola, pulse, wheat and barley producers, said in a statement.

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.