USDA Undersecretary Ted McKinney is Upbeat on Completing USMCA and Reaching the Phase One Deal with China

Ted McKinney, U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agriculture Affairs, spoke on Friday in Lucas Oil Stadium to the 2019 National FFA Convention- offering greetings from USDA on behalf of US Secretary of Ag Sonny Perdue, who was unable to attend the 2019 Convention.

 

After his remarks, Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays caught up with McKinney backstage- and they talked the key trade issues impacting US farmers and ranchers. McKiney shared that he is very hopeful that a vote to ratify the USMCA will happen this calendar year. He worries that the official transmission of the new trade deal has not yet been sent to Congress- and that could still be a roadblock. Still, he remains optimistic that Trade Ambassdor Lighthizer and the House Democrats will come to a solution which will result in a vote.

 

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.