Introduction to Agriculture/Agrifoods 11

Terms to Know

• Distributing: The commercial activity of transporting or selling goods.

• Packaging: The wrapping or material around a consumer item that serves to contain, identify, describe, protect, display, promote, and otherwise make the product marketable and keep it clean.

• Processing: The activity of making, labeling, and storing food for human consumption but not provide food directly to consumers.

• Commodities: A commodity is anything that can be sold and has a value.

Terms to Know

• Primary Industry: The primary sector of the economy involves changing natural resources into primary products. Most products from this sector are considered raw materials for other industries.

• Secondary Industry: This sector generally takes the output of the primary sector and manufactures finished goods or where they are suitable for use by other businesses, for export, or sale to domestic consumers.

Terms to Know

• Farm Cash Receipts: Represent the cash income received from the sale of agricultural commodities as well as direct program payments made to support the agricultural sector.

What is Agriculture?

• Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, and other living things in order to produce food and other products used to sustain human life.

What is the Agrifoods Industry?

• Industries which are involved in the mass production, processing and inspection of food products made from agricultural commodities.

Forms of Agriculture in Nova Scotia

• Beef Farming• Dairy Farming• Poultry Farming (Chicken, Turkey, etc..)• Egg Producers• Christmas Tree Production• Greenhouse Producers• Sheep Farming • Pig Farming• Specialty Agriculture (Alpaca, Lamas, Emu, etc…)• Apple Growing• Vinyards• Goat Farming• Vegetable and Fruit Producers• …And many more

Forms of Agrifood Industries in Nova Scotia

• Dairies (Scotsburn, Farmers Dairy)• Wineries (Lunenburg County Winery, Jost,

Grand Pre, etc..)• Meat and Poultry Production..or Meat Packers

(Maple Leaf, Larsons, Greeks, Eastern Protein Foods LTD, Meehans Meat Packers, etc…)

• Food Packaging and Processing (Armstrong, Aramark, McCains, Cavendish, etc…)

• Produce Industries (Scotian Gold, Stirlings, Harveys, Nova Agri, Kings Produce, etc…)

Why is Agriculture important to Nova Scotians?

• Agriculture creates jobs for many people.• People need food to eat.• Agriculture brings different cultures together

through trade.• It allows people to eat fresh, local products.• Agriculture in Nova Scotia cuts down on

shipping cost.• New age agriculture exposes Nova Scotians to

new products and technology.• Agriculture boosts the economy.• Agriculture promotes tourism.

Jobs and industry dependant on the Agriculture/Agrifoods Industry

• Farmers• Laborers or Farm Hands• Mechanics• Marketing Agents• Feed Salespeople• Food Packers• Truck Drivers• Engineers• Farm Markets• Grocery Stores• Restaurants• Meat Packing Plants• And the list goes on…………• Butchers

Primary and Secondary JobsPrimary Secondary

Picking/Harvesting Crops

Truck Drivers

Raising Livestock Processing Plants/Butchers/Meat Packers

Cultivating Crops Cooks/Restaurant Owners

Milking Cattle Grocery/Farm Market Workers

Fertilizing Crops Fertilizer/Feed Salespeople

Why Buy Nova Scotia Products?

• 1) You know where the product comes from.• 2) To support local farmers or markets.• 3) To ensure Nova Scotia is self sufficient and

can make their own food.• 4) You know how the food is grown (methods).• 5) Cost effective.• 6) Environmentally Friendly (avoid pollution from

transport).

Reasons for Buying a Specific Product

• Price• Packaging• Where it comes from.• Brand• Marketing• Loyality• Want to try something new.• Taste• Amount of Processing.

Problems facing Nova Scotia Agriculture

• 1) Unpredictable weather.• 2) Pests and Insect infestations.• 3) Unstable world markets.• 4) Fuel costs• 5) Electricity costs• 6) Trucking and Transportation costs.• 7) Lack of suitable employees.• 8) High cost of machinery and equipment.• 9) Competition from larger operations (both locally and

internationally).• 10) Unstable secondary markets and industries.

Farm Cash Receipts

• Farm Cash Receipts indicate the amount of money paid to farmers from government agencies for crop and livestock sales.

• These sales include: field crops, fruits, vegetables, floriculture and nursery products, maple and forestry products, livestock, milk, poultry, eggs, wool, fur, and honey.

• In Nova Scotia, livestock and livestock products average 64% of all farm cash receipts.

• Complete the Farm Cash Receipts readings and questions.

Farm Cash Receipts

• Within this leading livestock market there are 6 categories. They are:

1) Cattle and calves

2) Hogs

3) Sheep and lambs

4) Poultry

5) Eggs

6) Other livestock and products (Alpaca, Emu, Lama, etc…)

End of Section Questions

• 1) What is agriculture?• 2) Name at least five reasons agriculture is

important to Nova Scotians.• 3) Explain the differences between Primary and

Secondary Industries and give three example jobs for each.

• 4) Name at least eight jobs which are dependant on Nova Scotia agriculture.

• 5) Name at least 6 difficulties faced by the agricultural industry in Nova Scotia today.