1. Canada’s Primary Industries:
Farming

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

3. 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%

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

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

6. Dairy - 12 % Milk and cheese

7. Horticulture – 9% Fruit and vegetables

8. Poultry and eggs - 8%

9. 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

10. 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

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

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

13. Grapes

14. Potatoes

15. Cranberries

16. Ginger

17. Onions

18. Christmas Trees

19. Fruit

20. What about the animal production?

21. 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%

22. 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

23. 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

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

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

26. 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