CANADA’S RENEWABLE RESOURCES: PART 1 Agriculture In Canada CANADA’S RENEWABLE RESOURCES: PART 1

AGENDA Farming Overview About Canada’s Agricultural Resource Agricultural Deficiencies Disappearing Farmland!

FARMING: AN OVERVIEW Resources required: Suitable climate (farmers love good weather!) Fertile soils (nutrient rich for growing) Problems: Soil deterioration (nutrients used up) Urbanization (cities taking over!) Climate change (farmers hate bad weather!) Risk factor: Moderate (changes can be made to help)

THE BUSINESS OF FARMING V1 V2 THE BUSINESS OF FARMING Many people still think of farming like this: But really, it’s more like this: Farming of all types accounts for close to 10% of the Canadian economy, netting a total of over $108 billion annually!

TYPES OF FARMING Intensive Farming: needs a large amount of labor, machinery, or fertilizer and is used on small farms. Examples: chickens, pigs, fruit, etc. Extensive Farming: needs small amounts of labor, machinery, or fertilizer and is used on large farms. Examples: wheat, corn, cattle, etc.

CANADA’S AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES There are five major agricultural production sectors in Canada. These include: Grains and Oilseeds (E.g. wheat, oats, rye, flaxseed, canola, soybeans, corn) Red Meats (E.g. beef, pork, veal, lamb) Dairy (E.g. milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream) Horticulture (E.g. flowers, shrubs, plants) Poultry and Eggs (chicken, turkey, eggs)

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION SECTORS

CANADA’S AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES Horticulture, poultry & eggs, and dairy are all produced with a domestic orientation. This means they generally stay in Canada once produced or harvested. Grain, oilseeds, and red meats have both a domestic orientation and export orientation. This means they both stay within Canada and are often exported to other countries.

AGRICULTURAL DEFICIENCIES “I'm glad I don't have to make a living farming. Too much hard work. Too many variables you don't have control over, like, is it going to rain? All I can say is, god bless the real farmers out there.”

FARMING CHALLENGES: CLIMATE Farmers face many climate challenges as they try to grow their crops, such as: Growing season too short or cool Insufficient moisture Poor weather What might a farmer do to prevent or deal with one or more of these issues?

FARMING CHALLENGES: TERRAIN Farmers also have problems with the shape of the land, such as: Infertile soil Hilly or uneven terrain Low-lying or wet terrain What might a farmer do to prevent or deal with one or more of these issues?

FARMING CHALLENGES: PESTS Farmers also have to deal with a variety of insect and pest problems, such as: Shortage of beneficial insects (bees, ladybugs) Excess harmful insects (grubs, locusts, etc.) Invasive weeds What might a farmer do to prevent or deal with one or more of these issues?

DISAPPEARING FARMLAND “On a clear day, you can see most of the best farmland in Ontario from the top of the CN Tower. On a quiet day, you can almost hear that land being paved over.”

CLASSES OF FARMLAND Class 1 land: no significant limitations to crops Class 2 land: moderate limitations that require good conservation practices Class 3 land: severe limitations to crops Class 4+ land: no crops can be grown Need more about land classes for studying? Check out pages 107 in your text!

DISAPPEARING FARMLAND Facts about Canada’s farmland: 37% of Class 1 land in Canada is within view of the CN Tower. 20% of Class 2 land in Canada is within view of the CN Tower. 43% of agricultural production value in Canada lies within 80 km of 22 different cities. Great, but what does this tell us?

DISAPPEARING FARMLAND Canada’s Land Inventory The amount of Class 1 land in all of Canada is less than the size of New Brunswick! It is 0.5% of Canada’s land surface (4.2 million hectares in total). Only 11% of Canada’s land surface is capable of agriculture of any kind.

FARMING ONTARIO? 50% of the Class 1 land in Canada is located in Ontario. (Yay! Ontario!) But, Ontario also has the most urbanization in Canada. (Doh! Ontario!)

DISAPPEARING FARMLAND On the next slide is a typical limited access highway (like the 401), where concessions and sideroads (country roads) do not connect. The highway runs through a rich farming area of southern Ontario, 5km outside of a city of 150,000. Answer the questions as they arise.

DISAPPEARING FARMLAND How many farms in this rural concession are untouched by highway? If each farm is 100 hectares in size, what percentage of Farm “A” is used up for the highway approximately? How much of Farm “I” is used by the highway? A F B G C H D I E J

DISAPPEARING FARMLAND How does farmer “A” reach the part of the farm on the other side of the highway? What about farmer “B”? If you were farmers “C” or “H”, what would you try to do with the fragmented pieces of farmland you owned? What futures are in store for farms “I” and “J”? A F B G C H D I E J

REQUIRED READING Textbook: p. 106-109 Questions: p. 108 #1-5 V2 REQUIRED READING Textbook: p. 106-109 Questions: p. 108 #1-5 Questions: p. 109 #1-4