Report Outlines Producer Experiences with Conservation Stewardship Program

Jan 30, 2023

The Center for Rural Affairs released a report on the results of its survey of Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) participants in the Midwest. Producing a Sustainable Future: Producers’ Feedback on the Nation’s Leading Conservation Program shows that CSP is making strides in providing financial and technical assistance for producers to maintain agricultural production on their land and simultaneously address resource concerns with conservation practices. The report incorporates feedback from 421 farmers and ranchers in Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Kansas. These points are among the findings:

More than 70% of participants said the program improved or is improving the financial health of their operations.
About 77% of respondents said that CSP-supported conservation efforts have improved or are improving their soil health.

Click here to see more...

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.