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Despite avoiding major drought conditions, many areas in Sask. still seeing below-average levels of rain

Some farmers in different areas of Saskatchewan are counting their lucky stars that they’ve avoided any major drought conditions.

This includes Prince Albert and some parts of the northeast.

While some crops have been lost due to the lack of precipitation, most fields have kept the majority of their yield. This is the case for farmers Bob Reid who works in the Smeaton area and Kerry Peterson who operates in the Shellbrook area.

However, Justin Shelley, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, told farmnewsNOW the amount of precipitation these areas have received is still quite low.

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Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

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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.