STUDENT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: GRADES 5 AND 6

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1 STUDENT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: GRADES 5 AND 6 Saskatchewan Association of Agricultural Societies and Exhibitions: Potash 1. How far underground is a potash mine? Answer: 1 kilometer 2. What is Saskatchewan s Provincial mineral? Answer: Potash Electrical 1. What should you do when your toast gets stuck in the toaster? Answer: Unplug the toaster and use something wooden to remove your toast or get an adult to help you remove the toast. 2. You want to fly kites in your back yard but there are power lines. What should you do? Answer: Find another place to fly your kite - you should never fly a kite around power lines. 3. You see your little sister plug a blow dryer in next to the tub full of water, what should you do? The blow dryer could fall into the tub and shock her - unplug the blow dryer. Agriculture in the Classroom - SK 1. How are oilseeds and cereals different? Answer: Oilseeds contain oil. 2. What grains do Saskatchewan producers grow the most? Answer: Canola and/or wheat SK Beef Education 1. Why is beef important in a healthy diet? Answer: Beef supplies 12 essential nutrients. Beef is an excellent source of protein, Niacin, vitamins B6 and B12, phosphorus, iron and zinc. Zinc plays an important role in the proper functioning of the immune system in the body. It is required for the enzyme activities necessary for cell division, cell growth, and wound healing. It plays a role in the acuity of the senses of smell and taste. Zinc is also involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates. Beef is also rich in iron, riboflavin, magnesium and potassium. The iron in beef is in a form

2 called heme iron, which the body more readily uses than the iron found in plant foods (e.g. spinach, cereals, legumes) or eggs. The mineral iron is an essential nutrient for humans because it is part of blood cells, which carry oxygen to all body cells. Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency worldwide. Choline, an essential nutrient for humans, plays a vital role in cognition and long and short-term memory functions. Does that mean what you eat can help make you smarter? The answer is yes. Along with its many other nutrients, beef contains a significant amount of choline. Most people get enough protein, but meeting iron and zinc needs can be more of a challenge - especially for women, children and older adults. Choosing your protein choices wisely can help you get the iron and zinc you need. Iron and zinc are found in a wide variety of foods. However, the iron and zinc in meat, poultry and fish is absorbed more easily than the iron and zinc from plant foods. Plus, including meat with meals helps boost iron and zinc absorption from plant sources. 2. Explain how cattle contribute to the stability of the grassland ecosystem. Answer: To ensure the coexistence of species, total environment management is the focus of producers. Before cattle, bison grazed the Prairies and parts of the aspen parkland. Removal of grazing animals would lead to significant habitat changes and the loss or decrease of many prairie plant and animal species. Improved grazing management, more widely available watering sites and improved winter feed supplies has increased wildlife numbers in many areas. Grazing decreases soil erosion because it increases the root growth of plants. Cattle manure is a valuable source of soil organic matter and nutrients. When recycled, it improves soil structure and increases water retention. Species within an ecosystem live interdependently. The endangered burrowing owl lives happily with cattle because they line their nests with cow dung. The endangered Mountain Plover (a small shorebird) prefers to live on flat heavily grazed grasslands which is a suitable area for nesting. The threatened Western Blue-flag plant benefits from moderate grazing because cattle prefer eating other plants. Cattle are part of the carbon cycle. Carbon in the atmosphere is taken in by plants and converted to cellulose and starch during the photosynthesis process. This plant material is then digested by cattle who release some of the carbon contained by the plant back into the atmosphere in the form of methane.

3 Nature Conservancy of Canada 1. Is fire a natural part of our ecosystem? Answer: Yes. Fire is a natural disturbance, just like cattle grazing. Fire increases soil productivity, and opens habitat for new growth and diversity, which provides more food and shelter for wildlife. Turkey Farmers of Saskatchewan 1. Which two programs do our Turkey Farmers follow that requires detailed on-farm record-keeping and documentation, which is audited on a regular basis, and is meant to ensure wholesome and safe food for consumers and the humane care and treatment of their birds? Answer: On-Farm-Food-Safety and Flock Care Programs. Chicken Farmers of Saskatchewan 1. What is a Free Run chicken? Answer: All chicken commercially raised in Canada is Free Run which means the chickens are kept in spacious barns where they roam free and have access to clean water and feed at all times. The birds are never caged. 2. Why are chickens kept in barns? a. To protect them from predators b. To protect them from weather c. To protect them from disease Answer: To protect them from predators (A) Western College of Veterinary Medicine University of Saskatchewan 1. How does a veterinarian find out if a cow is pregnant? A. Examine her eyes B. Test her manure C. Palpate her rectum D. Check her teeth Answer: Palpate her rectum (C) A veterinarian inserts his or her arm into the cow s rectum and checks the animal s reproductive tract for signs of pregnancy. This procedure is called rectal palpation or pregnancy testing ( preg check for short).

4 2. What equipment do you need to palpate a cow? A. Protective plastic sleeve B. Lubricant C. A chute D. All of the above. Answer: All of the above (D). While the plastic sleeve protects both the cow and veterinarian, the lubricant helps the veterinarian s arm to slide in to the cow s rectum more easily. The chute ensures the safety of the veterinarian and helps to keep the cow still during the procedure. Saskatchewan Egg Producers 1. What is the scientific name for the egg white? Answer: The scientific name of the egg white is albumen. Albumen contains more than half of the egg s protein content. When a fresh egg is broken, the thick albumen stands up firmly around the yolk. Albumen tends to thin out as the egg ages because of changes in the protein character. 2. Which Housing system is better? Answer: Hens are housed in a variety of ways in Canada and all systems have advantages and disadvantages. For this reason, Egg Farmers of Canada funds scientific research to identify the best possible housing system, for both the life-quality of the hens and from a commercial standpoint. Each system provides a clean environment, fresh food, and water, and protection from predators. Indoor housing prevents contact with wild birds that may carry disease. 3. What are processed or pasteurized eggs? Answer: Processed eggs are shell eggs that are broken by special machines and pasteurized before being further processed or packaged as liquid, frozen or dried eggs. Pasteurized eggs are exposed to high temperature to eliminate any bacteria that maybe present. Pasteurized eggs are usually sold as liquid egg products or further processed as ingredients in the manufacturing of foods such as mayonnaise, noodles and baked goods. They are also used to make non-food items including pharmaceuticals, shampoo, pet foods, and adhesives.

5 Saskatchewan Sheep Development Board 1. How long in one day do sheep graze? If you could have a minimum of 10 cows in a pasture grazing, how many sheep could you have on that same parcel of land? Answer: Sheep will graze for an average of six or seven hours per day, mostly in the hours around dawn and in the late afternoon, near sunset. Using a ratio of six sheep to one cow, the number is 60. Regina & District Bee Club 1. Do honey bees hibernate? Answer: No. Honey bees store honey as a food source to eat during the winter. That is the reason honey bees store so much honey. They use heat from digestion and they shiver their wing muscles to generate heat, they cluster together to retain the heat, and bees on the outer edge of the cluster will work their way deeper into the cluster when they get too cold. On the other hand, wild bees like bumble bees do not winter as a colony. Only young queen bumble bees overwinter by hibernating in a sheltered spot. 2. How do honey bees communicate with each other? Answer: They communicate by dancing to direct other bees to locations of nectar and pollen. Most communication is by smell and taste: many specific chemicals manufactured in exocrine glands and secreted to the outside of their bodies are called pheromones. They are the social glue of the colony. When another individual detects a certain pheromone, it results in a specific behavior. Queens, workers, drones and even the brood (larvae and pupa) produce pheromones. 3. List at least two products from the hive. Answer: Honey, beeswax, pollen, propolis, royal jelly Saskatchewan Horse Federation 1. Name the 5 freedoms relating to horse care and welfare. Freedom from Hunger and Thirst Freedom from Discomfort Freedom from Pain, Injury and Disease Freedom to Express Normal Behavior Freedom from Fear and Distress 2. What is the history and purpose of a Western saddle? Answer: The western saddle we know today is an evolved version of the Spanish Vaquero s working saddle. The horn allowed the rider to control cattle using a rope around the animal and then tied or dallied.

6 Prairie Conservation Action Plan 1. How do natural prairie grasslands help prevent flooding? Answer: They allow the soil to absorb rainfall more slowly; they prevent soil from being washed away, they also house wetland areas that help contain rainfall and run-off. 2. How much of the natural prairie grasslands still exist in Saskatchewan today? What has caused the loss of the grasslands? Answer: Only 17 21% remains. Farmland, roads, towns, cities and industrial builds have taken up much of what used to be natural prairie grasslands.