Food Production and Agricultural Practices Vocabulary

Vocabulary-style practice flashcards covering terms related to Canadian agriculture, farming methods, food quality factors, organic regulations, and genetic engineering.

Horticulture

The science and art of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, and ornamental plants.

Aquaculture

The farming of aquatic organisms in fresh or salt water, such as in tanks, ponds, lakes, and oceans.

Sustainability

Using resources at a rate at which the earth can keep replacing them, ensuring that resources do not deplete and pollution does not accumulate.

Hard Winter Wheat

A variety of wheat developed by plant breeders that grows well in Canadian summers and is high in protein, making it ideal for producing high-quality wheat bread.

Soft Wheat

A variety of wheat developed by plant breeders that is ideal for making cakes and pastries.

Climacteric Fruits

Fruits that can continue to ripen even after harvest through the release of ripening gas, such as tomatoes and bananas.

Ethylene

A natural ripening gas produced by climacteric fruits that triggers color change, sugar development, and softening.

Jersey Cows

An exceptionally high-yielding short breed of cow that produces milk rich in proteins and fat.

Angus

The most popular beef cow breed in Canada, widely considered the best due to its superior meat marbling.

Broiler Chickens

Chickens bred to grow exceptionally fast to a large slaughter size in $4\text{--}6\text{ weeks}$, compared to regular chickens taking $14\text{ weeks}$.

Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs)

Limits set by Health Canada to ensure drug residues in animal products fall below permitted safety limits before meat, milk, or eggs enter the food supply.

recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST)

A hormonal growth promoter that is not approved for use in dairy cows in Canada.

Biodiversity

The variety and variability of living organisms and their ecosystems, including diversity within species (genetic diversity), among species, and among ecosystems.

Climate-Smart Agriculture

An approach that helps guide actions needed to transform and reorient agricultural systems to effectively support development and ensure food security in a changing climate.

Organic Farming

A system of farming without the use of certain synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, antibiotics, growth hormones, and genetically modified organisms.

Organic Products Regulations

Mandatory regulations and standards for organic foods in Canada that came into effect in June, 2009, enforced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

Canada Organic Logo

A special logo permitted on certified organic foods and multi-ingredient food products containing at least $95BA$ organic ingredients.

Genetic Engineering (GE)

A technology that directly introduces specific genes—sometimes from different species—to establish targeted traits in crops or animals rapidly and precisely.

Flavr Savr™ Tomato

The first commercialized genetically engineered crop in the world, approved by the US FDA on May 18, 1994.

Bt Corn

Corn engineered with a gene from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis to produce a protein targeting specific pests like the European corn borer; represents approximately $95BA$ of corn planted in Canada.

HT Canola and Soybeans

Herbicide-Tolerant crops engineered to withstand specific weed-killers, enabling reduced-tillage farming ($90BA$ of canola and $95BA$ of soybeans planted in Canada are HT).

Golden Rice

A genetically engineered crop designed to produce beta-carotene (a Vitamin A precursor) to help combat global nutrient deficiencies.

Enviropig

A historical Canadian project involving genetically engineered pigs designed to digest phosphorus efficiently to reduce water pollution from manure.

Novel Foods Framework

Canada's product-based regulatory framework under Health Canada that conducts safety assessments evaluating toxicity, allergenicity, and nutritional equivalence of GE foods.