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  • Career Profile: Dairy Herder

    Career Profile: Dairy Herder

    Imagine a job that may require you to feed cattle or goats, help sick animals and repair machinery. The hours vary widely and include both day and night work. Some people in this job even live and work at the same place; these people are dairy herders. Being a dairy herder can involve many different tasks, but the basic job is taking care of animals and making sure that they have the food and water that they need. Herders might also assist veterinarians, do basic maintenance of buildings and machines, and supervise other farm workers. They help to keep our dairy, meat and fur industries running.

    With experience, dairy herders can increase their level of responsibility in able to earn more money. A dairy herder’s salary is usually between $13 and $20, and the work can be physically tiring, especially in bad weather. However, the chance to work outside the city is a benefit for anyone who loves nature and has skills working with animals.

    Many of the skills that dairy herders need come with experience and natural ability, but a university degree in a field like agriculture or animal behaviour can be helpful. Information on some of the specific requirements is available at the Canadian Dairy Information Centre or from a local farmer.

    Learning to understand animals and to deal with their problems is an important part of being a dairy herder. Volunteering to work on a farm on the weekends might be a place to start. Dairy herders have to learn to be comfortable around all kinds of animals and to be able to understand their moods and know how to handle them.

    Cattle are the most common source of milk in North America, although sheep and goats are also part of the dairy industry. If you work as a dairy herder, you will have to learn to work with large animals that will not always do what you want. You will have to learn how to understand animals and to find out how to make them happy and cooperative. Learning about animal behaviour in an educational institution would be an asset. Formal education in an area such as animal care is useful, although employers might be willing to hire someone with more hands-on experience.

    Besides the daily tasks of feeding and milking the animals, herders might also need to clean barns and care for newborns. Dairy herders might need to solve difficult problems when they help sick animals or recapture ones that have escaped from where they are kept. On large farms, some dairy herders might have to supervise other workers and learn how to keep everything running.

    Becoming a dairy herder might be difficult for people who have grown up in the city, but it can be a good job for anyone who loves the outdoors and can work with animals.

    Bibliography:

    The Canadian Dairy Information Centre. “About Us.”

    http://www.dairyinfo.gc.ca/index_e.php?s1=cdi-ilc.

    Careers.org. “Occupation Profile for Farmworkers, Farm and Ranch Animals.”

    http://www.careers.org/occupations/45-2093.00/farmworkers-farm-and-ranch-animals.

    Dairy Farmers of Canada. “Animal Health and Welfare.”

    http://www.dairyfarmers.ca/what-we-do/animal-health-and-welfare.

    Ferrier, Donna. “Herdsman Job Description.”

    http://www.ehow.com/about_6468360_herdsman-job-description.html.

    Indeed.com. “Dairy Herdsperson.”

    http://ca.indeed.com/cmp/Shelter-Valley-Land-and-Cattle/jobs/Dairy-Herdsperson-d7033f438a0c92cc.

  • What Kinds of Jobs are in Agriculture?

    What Kinds of Jobs are in Agriculture?

    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

     

  • Career Profile: Farmer

    Career Profile: Farmer

    Every day, people cook and eat food that has come from farms. Bread comes from grain that grows on farms, and fruits and vegetables also often come from there. Milk, cheese and eggs come from animals that live on farms, and also much of the meat that people eat. Farmers grow the food and take care of the animals so that people in the cities and around the country can eat. Working as a farmer can be a difficult and dangerous job, but it is an essential part of every society.

    Farming is a very old occupation which is found in almost every part of the world. People living in North America have grown crops like corn and beans for hundreds of years. However, when settlers came from Europe they brought many other crops with them. Farmers found that British Columbia, with its warm winters and wet climate, is good for growing many types of fruit like peaches and apricots. They discovered that they could grow grains like wheat and barley in places like Manitoba and Saskatchewan, with long, cold winters and short, hot summers.

    Flexibility is an important part of being a farmer. In the past and even now in many countries, farms were small and farmers would be involved in many different types of work. Besides growing grain, vegetables and fruit, they might raise chickens for eggs and for meat, keep bees for honey and possibly even raise fish or other animals. However, in countries like Canada, many farmers concentrate on growing one type of food, such as grain or fruit. They learn how to prepare the soil, fertilize the plants and care for everything the plants need to grow and thrive. Farmers who work mainly with animals learn how to deal with medications, diseases and injuries and to help the animals with finding food and other needs.

    Farming can be a tough job. Grain, fruit and vegetable farming tend to be very busy in spring, when farmers plant their fields, and in fall when they harvest the crops. Animals require a lot of care throughout the year, and many farmers wake up early every morning to milk the cows or to take the animals from the barn to the fields. When diseases hit the crops or animals, farmers can lose a lot of their earnings. Their income depends on the weather, the soil, the health of their animals and many other factors. Farming can also be a very dangerous occupation with all of the accidents that can happen.

    Despite the difficulties of farm life, many people enjoy it. Sometimes, people who grow up on farms decide to take over when their parents retire, but others start out on their own. A degree in agriculture is helpful but is not necessary, since farmers learn a lot from other people and from experience. Farming can be a very good life for people who love to work with their hands and to be outdoors. You might want to consider this ancient occupation.

  • A Career as an Agricultural Engineer

    A Career as an Agricultural Engineer

    Agricultural engineering might sound like complicated work, but the nature of the job is really quite straightforward. It’s a collision of two worlds – bringing engineering solutions to agricultural projects, particularly concerning crop production and raising livestock.

    What is an Agricultural Engineer?
    An agricultural engineer designs the machines and tools used in farming including tractors, planters, animal housing facilities, harvesting machinery, drainage and soil conservation systems, water and flooding systems and much more. They are responsible for maintaining the efficiency of these machines and systems, making improvements to those that fail in order to meet the appropriate standards.

    Who do They Work for?
    Many work as consultants for large production companies or engineering firms that manufacture agricultural machinery and storage facilities. There are also teaching and research opportunities at colleges and universities and with branches of the federal government that deal with the farming industry. In some instances, they also work as sales representatives by selling products and engineering solutions to farmers and breeders in need.

    What Education Do I Need?
    If agricultural engineering is a field that piques your interest, it’s a good idea to focus on developing problem solving and critical thinking skills that enable you to think outside the box, so to speak. Typically, engineers will face problems with malfunctioning equipment and out-of-date practices that create time sensitive issues. Engineers must be able to think on their feet and discover solutions within the parameters given to them in the most efficient way possible.

    In high school, it is recommended that students take advantage of all available courses in mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology. In university, these courses are further explored with the addition of computer science, crop science, leadership, design and engineering courses.