• 1 – Sustainable Agriculture
  • 2 – Nutrients and Plant Health
  • 3 – Water
  • 4 – Economy
  • 5 – Land Use & Geography
  • 6 – Careers
  • 7 – Technology & Innovation
  • Antibiotics & Hormones
  • Chemicals
  • Food Waste
  • GMO
  • Health Standards
  • Pests & Diseases
  • Population Growth
  • Productive Land

Agricultural Resources

J2_Welcome_LogoBlue Hormones

No food is hormone free! Naturally occurring hormones are present in plants, meat, poultry and fish products.

cattle

What are hormones?

Hormones are chemical substances produced in the body to control the activity of certain cells or organs. They are essential for everyday activity of life; metabolism, growth, reproduction and mood control. All plants and animals have hormones naturally occurring in their systems. Hormones can also be produced synthetically in a laboratory.

Is my beef full of hormones?

Nope! The amount of estrogen in one serving of cabbage = the same amount of estrogen in over 1,000 servings of beef produced using hormone implant!

Hormones are sometimes given to beef cattle for a few months to help them grow more quickly. The hormones allow them to make more efficient use of their feed and producer leaner meat, which means fewer resources (e.g. grass and water) are needed to produce a pound of beef.

Don’t be misled

Growth hormones are only approved for use in beef – because there is no benefit to giving them to chickens, pigs or dairy cows. If you see a label on chicken that says “raised without the use of added hormones”, it is no different than any other chicken products that do not have that label!

See Our PDF to Learn More:DownloadPrint

SnapAg:
What are GMOs and are they okay to eat? What does organic farming look like? How are animals like chickens or cattle raised?

snapAG is a series of resources that invite students to explore the hot topics affecting the agriculture industry today. Topics range from organics, biotechnology, GMOs, livestock, and more.

Explore what’s trending in agriculture in Canada by browsing the topics here.

Sources available at: https://aitc-canada.ca/en-ca/learn-about-agriculture

snapAg is brought to you by Agriculture in the Classroom Canada and partners.