Which of these crop plants is a Canadian innovation?

innovating to produce more food

Innovation has always been part of agriculture. Canada’s population growth and the creation of railway towns and cities in the western prairie provinces was made possible, in part, because more food was able to be produced.

Why were farmers able to feed so many more people?

One of the most important changes was the invention and development of engines and machinery that were powered by fuels such as gas, kerosene and diesel. Farm mechanization meant that farmers could do more with fewer people and farms could grow larger. More food could be produced by fewer people.

Until the early 1800s, growing and harvesting methods did not change much from the methods used in ancient civilizations. Farmers harvested wheat by hand with a sickle. 

Horse powered ploughing machines were the technology used in the 1800s and into the 1900s. Ploughs were used to turn the soil over to get it ready for seeding.

How could you use the two photos on the right to talk about innovation in agriculture?

The photo below shows the first threshing machine in the Calgary area. The machine was powered by horses. Bags of grain are piled against one of the piles of hay.

Photo: (CU198832) Courtesy of Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary

The cover photo at the top of this slide is a coloured postcard from about 1910, showing farmers threshing wheat. What evidence can you see of both horse-power and machine-power?

Horse-drawn ploughs, like the one shown in the photo below, were common in the early 1900s.

Photo: (CU196871) Courtesy of Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary

The photo below shows the first threshing machine in Alberta that was powered by a steam tractor.

Photo: (CU181714) Courtesy of Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary

Before the invention of steam or gas-powered machines, grain stalks were tied by hand into bundles to get the grain ready for threshing.

Threshing was done by livestock that trampled the stalks or farmers who beat the stalks to loosen the grain.

Chaff was divided from the grain by throwing it in the wind to blow the lighter chaff away, while the heavier grain fell to the ground. This was called winnowing. These methods limited the size of fields that farmers could plant, monitor and harvest.

By the early 1900s, winnowing and threshing machines greatly increased the amount of grain produced during harvest. 

more innovation

The photo below shows a model of the the ‘Van Slyke’ plough designed by Frank and his son R.A. Van Slyke of the Red Deer area in Alberta, around 1910. The plough was a moldboard breaking plough and was built and produced for a number of years by Edmonton Iron Works.

Photo: (CU195727) Courtesy of Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary

Innovations like fuel-powered ploughs and threshing machines made farming more efficient. Mould board ploughs are one example of a farming implement that is actually very old, but has been improved through innovation.

These ploughs were first made of wood. Later, moldboards were made of cast iron and then steel. However, its use has been greatly reduced as using this type of plough compacted the soil that was turned and limited the room that plants had for root growth and oxygen collection.

Why do you think farmers are constantly looking at ways to increase the amount of food they produce with fewer resources?

innovation, change and the food system

As innovation and new technologies continued to look for ways to make farming practices more efficient, farms and rural communities continued to change.

Rural communities continue to provide food, water and energy for rapidly growing urban centres. They support farms and farm families.

What innovations and/or technologies do you think have impacted Alberta farmers the most?

Changing Technologies

Watch this original project AGRICULTURE video interview to learn about the impact that changing technologies have had on farming in Alberta over time. 

However, Canada’s rural and urban population, farm sizes and food production have gone through changes.

• In 1921, agriculture was the most common occupation. It employed over 1 million Canadians and made up over one-third of all jobs.
• In 2018, 268 000 Canadians were employed in agriculture. As of January 2021, it made up about 9 percent of all jobs in rural areas of Canada.
• In 1921, there were over 711 000 farms. These farms covered 57 million hectares of land. Of this land, just over 20 million hectares was cropland.
• In 2016, there were 193 492 farms. However, farm areas and total area of cropland has increased.
• Many crops, including wheat, barley, grain corn, field peas, flaxseed and dry beans, has increased over time. Many new crops, including canola, soybeans and fodder corn are now grown in Canada.
• In 2021, farmers reported planting more canola, barley, soybeans and lentils, but fewer acres of wheat, dry peas, corn for grain and oats.
• Scientific advancements in the use of fertilizers, pesticides, better seed varieties and improved agricultural practices and technology resulted in increases in the average yield per hectare. For example, over the past century, the average yield of wheat, oats, barley, and grain corn all more than doubled.

In what ways do you think Canadian’s identities are connected to agriculture? To Canadian innovations?

Sources: Statistics Canada (2021). Principle field crop areas, June 2021. www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/210629/dq210629b-eng.htm  and Statistics Canada (2021). Canada’s Agriculture Day: Celebrating the work of farmers with statistics. www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/210223/dq210223c-eng.htm

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Infographic from Statistics Canada: Thank you to Canadian farmers: Insights into their vital role in Canada’s food chain. www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/pub/11-627-m/11-627-m2020037-eng.pdf?st=B8corNpK