Wheat Crops In Oklahoma And Kansas Remain In Fair To Good Condition Despite Warm, Dry February

 

February was extremely warm and dry for Oklahoma. A few rain storms in the middle of the month did little to ease the drought or high temperatures. According to the OCS Mesonet, 2017 was one of the hottest Februarys in Oklahoma’s history.

 

Conditions of small grains were rated mostly fair to good. Winter wheat grazed reached 65 percent, up 15 points from the previous year Rye grazed reached 70 percent, down 1 point from the previous year. Oats grazed reached 70 percent, up 44 points from the previous year.

 

Temperatures ranged from 8 degrees at Boise City on Saturday, February 25th to 99 degrees at Mangum on Saturday, February 11th. Precipitation ranged from 0.16 of an inch in the Panhandle district to 3.08 inches in the Southeast district. Soil temperature averages ranged from 34 degrees at Kenton on Friday, February 3rd to 63 degrees at Hugo on Sunday, February 12th. Click here for the full Crop Weather Report for Oklahoma.

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.