Custom Machine Work Rate Estimates Available

May 02, 2017

By Dennis Stein

Farms are gearing up for the 2017 crop production season during which farms trying to keep costs under control may utilize neighbors’ equipment to perform some production tasks.

The Michigan “Farm Machine Work Rate for 2017” summary report has been posted on the Michigan State University Extension FIRM – farm management page to be used as a reference tool. This report has been updated to provide Michigan farms with estimated values for farm machine work exchanges. This report is not an actual cost on any one farm, but is a summary of custom rate values taken from several sources. The report has been compiled and published to be a reference, or starting point for farms to use in negotiating their own farm’s actual numbers.

The one bright spot is that the price of fuel is lower than the last several year’s reports, providing some relief in the estimated operational costs.

For farms looking back, you can find a copy of the past couple years Farm Machine Work Rate reports still posted on the page.

Source:msu.edu

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.