Agriculture
Agriculture
Master the science of breeding, rearing, and caring for farm animals.
UFV's comprehensive one-year Livestock Production certificate prepares you to manage operations on dairy, beef, sheep, goats, poultry, equine, or hog farms or to launch a career off-farm in agribusiness management, sales, marketing, or research.
The program introduces you to the latest practices in animal breeding, nutrition, and health and teaches you the fundamental business and writing skills that are at a premium in the workplace.
With its 250 square meters demonstration barn, the UFV Agriculture Centre in Chilliwack provides you with a perfect environment to conduct field and lab exercises. In collaboration with expert faculty, you can also take advantage of research opportunities for seven types of animal husbandry. A practicum in your second semester gives you the opportunity to apply your learning in a supervised setting and prepares you to enter the workforce.
The UFV Livestock Production program emphasizes management practices compatible with agricultural sustainability and environmentally responsible agricultural production techniques and animal welfare.
Once you have successfully completed the one-year Livestock Production certificate, you can opt to earn a Milker Technician certificate by working in a milking parlour. You can also ladder directly into the Agriculture Technology diploma to expand your knowledge of farm operations and gain additional business and marketing skills.
Agriculture and Agri-food Canada reports that, in 2016, the agriculture and agri-food sector generated $111.9 billion, accounting for 6.7% of Canada's GDP. The sector provides one out of eight jobs in Canada, employing over 2.3 million people.
Livestock receipts represent approximately a quarter of this thriving industry. Canada’s meat industry alone comprises over 100,000 farms producing beef and veal, pork, lamb and mutton, goat, rabbit, horse, as well as venison and bison products. Add to this total 10,951 dairy farms and 4,794 commercial poultry and egg farms across the country.
A career on a farm is not the only option for a livestock production technician: opportunities also exist in government agencies, livestock supplies companies, artificial insemination services, agricultural consulting firms, and food processing research and development firms.