Lisa Prassack to speak at 2015 Precision Ag Conference

Feb 25, 2015

Innovations and issues among topics she will cover

The 2015 Precision Ag Conference is well underway at the Best Western Lamplighter Inn in London, Ontario.

Exhibitors like Farm Credit Canada, Devolder Farms, Northern Equipment Solutions and Cargill are showcasing their latest agricultural technology to the hundreds of visitors sure to walk through over the two-day conference.

In addition to the exhibitors, there will be many breakout sessions and panel discussions for visitors to take in.

The speakers include J.P. Gervais, Chief Agricultural Economist from Farm Credit Canada, Kaye McLagan from Premier Equipment, Monsanto’s Canadian Trait Launch Lead, Dan Wright and the keynote speaker Lisa Prassack, an agri-food innovation expert and data strategy consultant. She will delve into her more than 20 years of experience to inform and educate farmers about many issues and innovations revolving around precision agriculture.

One innovation Prassack will touch on is the speed at which farmers will be able to know if their operation is profitable.

“Historically farms have been able to figure out if they’re going to be profitable by the end of the year,” she said. “Because we’re starting to make sure the data can flow through a system that a grower can see or their agronomist can see. New precision farming tools are going to let them know in season.”

One of the major concerns Prassack will point out is security.

“People are worried about who has their data, where it’s going, how it’s being used,” Prassack said. “They want to share with their banks, crop insurers and agronomists. They want to decide who gets to see their data.”

Prassack will also talk about new technology that to employ today would be very expensive, but as time passes could come down in cost and be of use to farmers.

“What the US military does with ground sensor technology is spread it in a big area and it can identify whether a goat, tank or people are going over it,” she said. “Super expensive today but imagine what that would look like in 10-15 years on a farm.”

Prassack will talk about technology of the past, present and what the future holds for precision agriculture. Her breakout session will begin at 8:00am Thursday morning.

Lisa Prassack

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.