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Poultry farming punches far above its weight. The industry produces meat and eggs from flocks of domesticated birds like chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese. As the most consumed protein in the US and Canada, chicken is hugely popular and an outsized contributor to the global economy. In 2023 alone, Canadian poultry exports, including specialty hatching eggs, accounted for over $100 million. Well-known for food safety and biosecurity standards, Canada has 1,000 egg farms coast to coast, aiding in risk management. The US poultry industry boasts two million jobs and contributes more than $600 billion to the economy. From farmers' markets to supermarket sales, organic or locally grown products boost an already thriving industry. Convenience products that make cooking easier, like pre-cut and pre-seasoned poultry, are also gaining popularity, especially with Millennials and Gen-Z, who already consume about 20% more poultry than older generations. https://agstockimages.com/galleries/en/poultry-farming

The buds and new blooms of sunflowers heliotropic: they follow the direction of the sun, while the more mature flower heads face east to attract pollinators. Domesticated for 5,000 years, the hardy and drought-resistant plants produce important crops like seeds and oil. The genome of the iconic sunflower was cracked in 2017, revealing the larger evolution of a group of flowering plants (asterid clad), which includes tomatoes, sweet potatoes, petunias, coffee, mint and olives. Did you know the brown centre of a sunflower is actually composed of thousands of tiny flowers? Once the flower has matured, the head of the sunflower will droop heavily with seeds. https://buff.ly/3pWgD5C

Image: Close up of Sunflower, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 18946575 © Garry Black / AgStock

Western Canada is full of canola, with fields of distinctive yellow flowers dancing in the breeze. Canola is both an edible oil and a type of Brassica, related to broccoli and cabbage. Developed from rapeseed during the 1970s using traditional plant breeding methods, canola seeds don’t contain erucic acid (a harmful fatty acid) or glucosinulates (which would make the oil taste bitter). Once harvested in the autumn, seeds are crushed and turned into cooking oil, canola meal or biodiesel fuel for cars and trucks.
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Image: Canola harvesting and transferring the seeds to a grain buggy pulled by a tractor 12555926 © LJM Photo / AgStock

Most farms in Canada are owned and operated by families and come in all shapes and sizes, from small operations suitable for supplying a the local area with niche produce to thousand-acre farms with grazing animals. From coast to coast, Canadian farmers feed Canadians and the world with bison, blueberries, flax, canola, mustard and more.
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Image: Three Kids Sitting On Hay Bale; Ontario, Canada 12290342 © Vast Photography / AgStock

Close-up crop images draw the viewer into your story of growing food. People are taking a greater interest in understanding how their food is grown. With rising consumer interest in farm-to-fork stories, farmer's markets and local food production, photos of colorful fruits, vegetables and grains can feed a strong reaction in the viewer, forging emotional ties to your brand. https://buff.ly/3rs3Msh

Image: Romaine lettuce growing in a field12546571 © Richard Desmarais / AgStock

Michael Interisano is a photographer based in Calgary, Canada with an extensive portfolio. His primary focus includes agricultural images, including aerial photography via drone and images of the energy industry. His love of nature and the outdoors shines through all his images. He has worked with Alberta Health Services, Travel Alberta, Tourism Calgary and Telus. https://buff.ly/46VczmM

Featured image: Swather cutting barley field, 12913999 © Michael Interisano / AgStock