If someone asks you to name a job in agriculture, chances are the first thing to come to mind is farming. When you are interested in agriculture, but working on a traditional animal or crop farm is not the type of work you wish to do, it can be difficult to learn what other options are available. Luckily, these days there are many different jobs in the agricultural industry besides farming.

Food Scientists ensure that food production is safe and healthy, and help to develop new foods and other agricultural products. They often go to university and study subjects including chemistry, biology, and genetics. These scientists study things like food allergies, reasons why food goes bad and how to prevent this, or how to make processed foods healthier, more nutritious, and better tasting.

Agricultural Officers work to ensure research laboratories and outdoor field production follow municipal, provincial, and national regulatory standards. They will also conduct investigations when a company disobeys the regulations, act as consultants, and give advice to companies and government agencies.

Plant or Animal Biologists work in research labs studying ways to use, grow, and protect our food crops and animals, or in civilian and government positions working to affect legislature and laws. Research can include how to fight plant or animal pests and diseases that can affect food production, and ways to help food crops grow faster or in poor conditions.

Inspectors with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency inspect and certify industrial food production and processes, to ensure they comply with sanitary production, and other health and safety regulations.

Veterinarians are important members of the agricultural field, specializing in produce animals such as cattle, chickens and other birds, and pigs, to ensure that they are healthy and well-treated. They will also advise on matters of public safety, such as disease control.

Hydroponic and Aeroponic Farmers are related to traditional farmers, but use special techniques to grow plants with little or no soil, and often indoors. Hydroponic farming works by having the plants grow in pots or containers with their roots in a water mixture containing minerals and nutrients. Aeroponic techniques are similar, but have the plants’ roots hanging into an empty space or container, where they are surrounded by a fine mist of nutrient-rich water. This type of farming is becoming very popular, because they can produce a large volume of food crops with very little land requirements, as since these are typically indoors, a hydroponic farm can operate inside a building with several floors, each dedicated to different crops if desired.

Horticulture and Landscaping Technicians grow primarily non-crop plants, usually for ornamental indoor and outdoor use, and are responsible for breeding, growing, planting, and maintaining them. They can work at greenhouses, landscaping companies, golf courses, or municipal and regional parks and other outdoor recreation spaces.

Sources:

Government of Canada Job Bank – Explore Careers by Occupation

http://www.jobbank.gc.ca/occupation_search