New Study On Canola Storage Shows Surprising Results

 

In what could be called a surprising but pleasant result, two recent studies showed farmers shouldn't move canola that's stored in a bin.

 

The Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute conducted two studies, one in 2014 and one in 2016 that came to that conclusion according to Dr. Joy Agnew, the lead researcher.

 

"We started the study in 2014 after a bumper crop, and transportation issues, and massive amounts of canola that were still being stored on farm," she said. "We got a lot of phone calls from producers saying, 'How to I manage this for spring and summer storage? Do I manage it differently than over the winter?'"

 

"We looked at leaving it alone, turning the bin, so pulling some of the grain out and putting it back on the top, which essentially stirs it up a little bit, and aerating it to even out the temperature profile, just to see which one worked best," she said. "In both years, with all conditions of canola we looked at, leaving it alone was the best. It resulted in the most stable conditions throughout the summer months."

 

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.