Canada’s Primary Industries: Farming

1. What is agriculture? Agriculture is the production of food and goods through farming.

2. There are five major agricultural production sectors in Canada 2. There are five major agricultural production sectors in Canada. They are… Grains – 34% Crop farming Red meats - 27% Animal farming Dairy - 12 % Horticulture – 9% Poultry and eggs - 8%

Grains & oilseeds – 34% wheat, oats, rye, flax seed, canola, soybeans and corn

Red meats - 27% beef, hog, veal, lamb

Dairy - 12 % Milk and cheese

Horticulture – 9% Fruit and vegetables

Poultry and eggs - 8%

3. Why is crop production so much more valuable than animal production? Much more land is suitable for crop production so more crops are grown Animal production is more labour intensive so it costs more money to produce Crops are non-perishable and can be stored for a long time

4. What is the main crop produced in Canada and where is it mainly produced? The main crop is wheat Grown in the Prairies especially Saskatchewan 11 billion hectares of land are dedicated to wheat

Why don’t all crops grow everywhere? Interactive Map Terrain Map

5. Why don’t all crops grow everywhere? Each crop requires specialized: climate and soil conditions

Grapes

Potatoes

Cranberries

Ginger

Onions

Christmas Trees

Fruit

What about the animal production?

Where are the 12.6 million cattle located? Province % of total cattle in Canada Alberta 40.3% Saskatchewan 17.8% Ontario 15.8% Quebec 9.7% Manitoba 9.2% British Columbia 4.8% Atlantic Region 2.4%

7. Why are so many beef farms located in Alberta Alberta has fertile grasslands A lot of precipitation It is easy to transport cattle all over Canada so they do not need to be located close to the customer

8. Why are local dairy farms found across the country? Milk is perishable Cannot be transported long distances Cows need to be milked twice a day – a lot of labour Results in many, small farms located across Canada

9. What is a pesticide? What is it used for? Chemical Used to kill insects, weeks or fungi

10. What are some problems with pesticides? Not good for the environment Rain can wash them off soil & plants into rivers and kill fish

11. What is a sustainable farm system? A farm that is productive but does not harm the environment Example: Not using harmful pesticide Natural fertilizer