Alberta Government Announces New Grain Dryer Program

Feb 12, 2020

Details of a new grain dryer program for farmers were announced in a joint news release by the federal government and the Alberta Government on Monday.

The release said the new grant program is available to help grain farmers upgrade their grain handling systems.

Applicants will be able to choose equipment that makes sense for the size and volume of their agri-business and improve energy efficiency within their operations.

Eligible expenses will be cost-shared with 50 per cent funding from the grant and 50 per cent funding from the applicant. Based on the final crop report issued by the province in early December, close to 10 per cent of crops across Alberta were left in the fields and will be harvested sometime this spring.

In the Peace Region, more than 30 per cent of crops were left to be harvested this spring.

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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.