Agriculture & Agri-Food System

Work in this sector encompasses a large range of professions. Possible work areas include:

Typical Employers

Typical employers can be categorized into the following core areas:

• Agricultural Services. Organizations that establish and maintain agricultural producers and other agricultural-related entrepreneurs. Typical employers include but not limited to, government agencies, farm advisory services, consulting and appraisal firms, banking and financial organizations, grain elevator facilities, agricultural research centres, quality and testing laboratories.
• Agribusiness. Organizations that offer expertise to help agricultural enterprises make wise business decisions. Typical employers include but not limited to, commodity brokerage firms, agri-business management firms, transportation and logistics firms, banking and mortgage institution, product/market development organizations, feed and fertilizer companies, and food processing companies, and farm real estate firms.
• Farming. Farmers and farm laborers that produce all types of crops and livestock for commercial purposes. Typical employers include but not limited to, small and large crop farms, fruit and nut orchards, cattle ranches, dairy farms, chick farms, plant nurseries, flower farms, tree farms, and many other agricultural operations in rural, suburban, and urban settings.
• Leading companies in the Greater Montreal: Danone Canada, Lassonde Industries, Barry Gallebaut, Kraft Canada, Labatt, Molson, Nestlé, Parmalat, Saputo, Ultima Foods.

Industry Profiles

To learn more about this sector, visit the following web sites:

• Montreal - Agri-Food Industry (Montréal International)
  An overview of the agri-food transformation industry sector in the Greater Montreal.
• Quebec - Agri-Foods (Investissement Québec)
  An overview of the agri-food industry in Quebec.
• Quebec - Food and Nutrition (Québec international)
  An overview of food and nutrition industry in Quebec.
• Canada - Food & Beverage Industry (Food Processing HR Council)
  An overview of Canada's food processing industry.
• Canada - Food and Consumer Products Industry (Food & Consumer Products of Canada)
  An overview of Canadian food manufacturer industry.

Career Profiles

To learn more about different career options in this sector, visit the following web sites:

• AG Careers
  Explore opportunities in Agriculture and food.
• AG Explorer
  Explore career options by choosing a focus area: Agribusiness, animal, biotechnology, environmental, food products & processing, natural resources, plant, agricultural education, etc.
• AgriPathways (CAHRC)
  Explore key on-farm occupations in the primary agriculture: Cattle, poultry and egg, swine, aquaculture, other animal, greenhouse and nursery, tree fruit and vine, field fruit and vegetables, crops, and other agriculture.
• Agriculture Career Guide (TalentEgg)
  Everything you need to know about getting a job in Agriculture and hatching a career in Agriculture.
• A Career in Seeds (Canadian Seed Trade Association)
  Career profiles: Research and agronomy, production and supply chain logistics, business and marketing.
• Careers in Agriculture (BCAITC)
  Career profiles of today’s farmers – Agricultural equipment technician, research technician, sales agronomist and more.
• Careers in Horticulture (Chartered Institute of Horticulture)
  A list of careers in the horticulture.  Categories: arts, design, business, production, health, heritage, plant science, sports, etc.
• Science on the Farm (Science Careers)
  Career stories in: Agricultural biotechnology, agronomy, bio-systems engineering, crop research, entomology, high-tech farming, organic farming, policy and risk assessment, vaccine and disease research and more.

Career Books & Magazines

Recommended books (available at CaPS):

• Career opportunities in the food and beverage industry
• Career opportunities in agriculture, food and natural resources
• Career Books (Available in the McGill Library)

Job Resources

The following links provide a list of job boards, internships and volunteering opportunities.
Note: To find internships, you can also use keywords like "internship" in some of the job boards to find opportunities.

• Internship or Apprentice Opportunities
• Agriculture & Food Jobs
• Placement Agencies
• Government of Canada - Agriculture and food production job websites and employee resources

Associations & Groups

• Agricultural Institute of Canada (AIC)
• Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA)
• Conseil de la transformation alimentaire du Québec (CTAC)
• Fédération de la relève agricole du Québec (FRAQ)
• For more associations and groups: Canadian industry links

Find an Organization

Food Security

• Quebec - Food Security Organizations (RCCQ)
  A list of organizations whose focus is food security.
• Canada - Agri-Food Product Category (Agri-Food Export Group)
  Agri-food companies, searchable by product categories.
• Canada - Good Food Organization (Community Food Centres Canada)
  Organizations in community food security across Canada.

Agri-Food & Agri-Business, Animal Nutrition

• Quebec - Network of Experts (QI)
  List of research organizations.
• Quebec - Agri-Business Cooperatives (La Coop fédérèe)
  Listings of organizations in agri-business.
• Quebec - Agri-Food Export Group Directory
  Listings of Quebec agri-food export companies.
• Canadian Food and Grocery Directory (Contact Canada)
  Listings of companies in Canadian food and grocery, natural health products, seafood, and food processors.
• AgDirectory (AgroPages)
  Worldwide company listings, searchable by products/industry and world region.
• Agriculture and Ari-Business Programs and Service Finder (AgPal)
  Federal, provincial and territorial programs and services in Canada: Business management, farming & food production, innovation & agricultural research and personal and community support.
• Agriculture and Agri-Food Research Centres (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)
  Listings of research centres that work on projects to benefit Canada's agricultural and agri-food sector.
• Canadian Special Crops Association Directory (CSCA)
  Listings of crop production and service companies in Canada.

Food Packaging, Food Processing & Food Safety

• Food Packaging Companies (PAC)
  Food packaging companies in Canada.
• Food Processing Companies (CMC)
  A list of food processing companies across Canada.
• Frasers - Canadian Manufacturers
  Canada's industrial search engine.  Companies in food processing, food development centre, food safety, food tech consulting, food specialties and more.

Events

• Canada - Agriculture and Food Trade Shows and Events (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)
  This site list international and local agri-food trade events.
• For more agricultural events: Agricultural events