Introduction to Agriculture/Agrifoods 11

1
Introduction to Agriculture/Agrifoods 11
2
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.

3
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.

4
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.

5
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.

6
What is the Agrifoods Industry?

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

7
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

8
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)

9
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.

10
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

11
Primary and Secondary Jobs
Primary 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
12
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).

13
Reasons for Buying a Specific Product

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

14
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.

15
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.

16
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)

17
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.