Editing Alberta (section)

=== Primary sector ===
[[File:Cows in the Foothills - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Cows in [[Rocky View County|Rocky View]]. Nearly one-half of Canadian beef is produced here.]]
Agriculture employed 35,900 people in 2021, representing roughly 2% of provincial employment. Out of them, 19,500 were employed in animal production, 11,800 were employed in crop production, 2,000 were employed in mix farming and 2,600 in support activities or agriculture.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Canada |first=Employment and Social Development |title=Alberta Sector Profile: Agriculture - Job Bank |url=https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis/job-market-reports/alberta/sectoral-profile-agriculture |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=www.jobbank.gc.ca}}</ref>

The province has over three million head of cattle,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$Department/deptdocs.nsf/all/rsb13754 |title=Alberta Livestock Inspections – October 2011 |date=November 24, 2011 |publisher=Government of Alberta |access-date=December 13, 2011 |archive-date=January 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128130424/http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$Department/deptdocs.nsf/all/rsb13754 |url-status=live }}</ref> and Alberta beef has a healthy worldwide market. Forty percent of all Canadian beef is produced in Alberta.<ref>{{cite web |title=Why Alberta's grasslands are the perfect place to raise cattle |url=https://www.cbc.ca/2017/we-are-the-best/why-alberta-s-grasslands-are-the-perfect-place-to-raise-cattle-1.4156953 |website=CBC News |access-date=June 4, 2024 |archive-date=June 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604013920/https://www.cbc.ca/2017/we-are-the-best/why-alberta-s-grasslands-are-the-perfect-place-to-raise-cattle-1.4156953 |url-status=live }}</ref> The province also produces the most [[American bison|bison]] meat in Canada.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bison ranching in Alberta: a lifestyle, not a job |url=https://www.cbc.ca/2017/we-are-the-best/bison-ranching-in-alberta-a-lifestyle-not-a-job-1.4222112 |publisher=[[CBC News]] |access-date=June 4, 2024 |archive-date=June 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604013929/https://www.cbc.ca/2017/we-are-the-best/bison-ranching-in-alberta-a-lifestyle-not-a-job-1.4222112 |url-status=live }}</ref> Sheep for wool and mutton are also raised.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sheep and lamb |date=April 2021 |url=https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/sector/animal-industry/red-meat-and-livestock-market-information/sheep-and-lamb |publisher=[[Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada]] |access-date=June 4, 2024 |archive-date=June 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604013929/https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/sector/animal-industry/red-meat-and-livestock-market-information/sheep-and-lamb |url-status=live }}</ref>

Wheat and [[canola]]<ref name="Canola">
{{Unbulleted list citebundle
 |{{*}} {{cite journal |date=2014 |volume=36 |issue=sup1 |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] ([[Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada]]) |journal=[[Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology]] |issn=0706-0661 |last1=Peng |first1=Gary |last2=Lahlali |first2=Rachid |last3=Hwang |first3=Sheau-Fang |last4=Pageau |first4=Denis |last5=Hynes |first5=Russell K. |last6=McDonald |first6=Mary Ruth |last7=Gossen |first7=Bruce D. |last8=Strelkov |first8=Stephen E. |title=Crop rotation, cultivar resistance, and fungicides/biofungicides for managing clubroot (''Plasmodiophora brassicae'') on canola |doi=10.1080/07060661.2013.860398 |pages=99–112 |bibcode=2014CaJPP..36S..99P |s2cid=85013123}}
 |{{*}} {{cite journal |date=2014 |volume=36 |issue=sup1 |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] ([[Canadian Phytopathological Society]]) |journal=[[Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology]] |issn=0706-0661 |last1=Hwang |first1=S.-F. |last2=Howard |first2=R. J. |last3=Strelkov |first3=S. E. |last4=Gossen |first4=B. D. |last5=Peng |first5=G. |title=Management of clubroot (''Plasmodiophora brassicae'') on canola (''Brassica napus'') in western Canada |doi=10.1080/07060661.2013.863806 |pages=49–65 |bibcode=2014CaJPP..36S..49H |s2cid=85393051}}
 |{{*}} {{cite journal |year=2018 |volume=101 |publisher=[[Elsevier]] ([[European Society for Agronomy]]) |last1=Hegewald |journal=[[European Journal of Agronomy]] |issn=1161-0301 |first1=Hannes |last2=Wensch-Dorendorf |first2=Monika |last3=Sieling |first3=Klaus |last4=Christen |first4=Olaf |title=Impacts of break crops and crop rotations on oilseed rape productivity: A review |doi=10.1016/j.eja.2018.08.003 |pages=63–77 |bibcode=2018EuJAg.101...63H |s2cid=92683017}}
 |{{*}} {{cite journal |issue=1 |date=2018 |volume=9 |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |journal=[[Virulence (journal)|Virulence]] |issn=2150-5594 |last1=Pérez-López |first1=Edel |last2=Waldner |first2=Matthew |last3=Hossain |first3=Musharaf |last4=Kusalik |first4=Anthony J. |last5=Wei |first5=Yangdou |last6=Bonham-Smith |first6=Peta C. |last7=Todd |first7=Christopher D. |title=Identification of ''Plasmodiophora brassicae'' effectors — A challenging goal |doi=10.1080/21505594.2018.1504560 |pages=1344–1353 |pmid=30146948 |pmc=6177251 |s2cid=52090181}}
 |{{*}} {{cite journal |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] ([[Canadian Phytopathological Society]]) |journal=[[Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology]] |last1=Gossen |first1=Bruce D. |last2=Carisse |first2=Odile |last3=Kawchuk |first3=Lawrence M. |last4=Van Der Heyden |first4=Hervé |last5=McDonald |first5=Mary Ruth |title=Recent changes in fungicide use and the fungicide insensitivity of plant pathogens in Canada |volume=36 |issue=3 |date=July 3, 2014 |issn=0706-0661 |doi=10.1080/07060661.2014.925506 |pages=327–340 |bibcode=2014CaJPP..36..327G |s2cid=85040709}}
 }}
</ref> are primary farm crops, with Alberta leading the provinces in [[spring wheat]] production; other [[cereal|grains]] are also prominent. Much of the farming is dryland farming, often with fallow seasons interspersed with cultivation. Continuous cropping (in which there is no fallow season) is gradually becoming a more common mode of production because of increased profits and a reduction of [[soil erosion]]. Across the province, the once common [[grain elevator]] is slowly being lost as rail lines are decreasing; farmers typically truck the grain to central points.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gerson |first1=Jen |title=Preserving prairie cathedrals: Progress is leaving Alberta's historic grain elevators in its wake |url=http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/preserving-prairie-cathedrals-progress-is-leaving-albertas-historic-grain-elevators-in-its-wake |access-date=January 18, 2017 |work=National Post |date=April 7, 2013 |archive-date=June 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614011533/https://nationalpost.com/category/news/ |url-status=live }}</ref>[[File:Canola in Alberta Canada.jpg|thumb|[[Canola]] field, [[Edmonton]]]]
In 2016, forestry provided over 15,000 jobs and generated over $1.0 billion to employment income, $2.6 billion to the provincial GDP, and over $6.1 billion in revenue.<ref name="gov.ab.ca">{{cite web |url=http://www.agric.gov.ab.ca/app21/forestrypage?cat1=Forest+Business |title=Agriculture and Forestry – Forest Business |website=agric.gov.ab.ca |access-date=December 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004130726/http://www.agric.gov.ab.ca/app21/forestrypage?cat1=Forest+Business |archive-date=October 4, 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Uses for harvested timber include [[pulpwood]], [[hardwood]], [[engineered wood]] and [[bioproducts]] such as chemicals and [[biofuel]]s.

Alberta is the leading [[beekeeping]] province of Canada, representing approximately 40% of honey bees in the country, with some beekeepers wintering [[Beehive|hives]] indoors in specially designed barns in southern Alberta, then migrating north during the summer into the [[Peace River]] valley where the season is short but the working days are long for [[Western honey bee|honeybee]]s to produce honey from [[clover]] and [[Chamaenerion angustifolium|fireweed]]. [[Hybrid (biology)|Hybrid]] canola also requires bee pollination, and some beekeepers service this need.<ref>{{cite web |title=Beekeeping in Alberta |url=http://www.agric.gov.ab.ca/content/ag_in_alberta_beekeeping |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118171830/http://www.agric.gov.ab.ca/content/ag_in_alberta_beekeeping |archive-date=January 18, 2017 |access-date=January 18, 2017 |website=Government of Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development |publisher=Government of Alberta}}</ref>

The mining and quarrying sector, excluding oil and gas, employed approximately 4,300 Albertans in 2021 (around 0.2% of the population) and focused on the mining of coal and mineral resources, such as sand, gravel, salt, limestone, clay, shale and more.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |title=Alberta Oil and Gas and Mining Industry Profile |url=https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/f4f39b9e-48cb-4f6a-b491-25ee6f9c281e/resource/ebdc160e-9a8a-459b-94dc-b3b2fedf882e/download/jet-alberta-mining-and-oil-and-gas-extraction-industry-profile-2023.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Chapter 34 - Mineral Resources |url=https://ags.aer.ca/publications/atlas-western-canada-sedimentary-basin/chapter-34-mineral-resources |access-date=2025-05-11 |website=Alberta Geological Survey |language=en}}</ref>

Oil and gas extraction itself however is Alberta’s largest and most economically dominant primary industry. In 2021, the industry employed roughly 84,500 people in extraction, with another 50,500 in support activities—totaling approximately 135,000 jobs or about 5.6% of Alberta’s total employment.<ref name=":8" /> In terms of economic output, the sector accounted for approximately 27% of Alberta’s GDP in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Mining Story 2024 |url=https://mining.ca/wp-content/uploads/dlm_uploads/2024/06/Facts-and-Figures-2023-FINAL-DIGITAL.pdf}}</ref> Alberta also produced about {{convert|4.3|e6oilbbl}} of crude oil per day in 2023, making up 84% of Canada’s total oil production.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Energy and the Canadian Economy |url=https://www.capp.ca/en/our-priorities/energy-and-the-canadian-economy/ |access-date=2025-05-11 |website=CAPP {{!}} A Unified Voice for Canada's Upstream Oil and Gas Industry |language=en-CA}}</ref>

==== Oil extraction ====
[[File:Petroleum resources in Alberta, according to the Argonne National Labs.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Petroleum resources in Alberta]]
Alberta is the largest producer of [[petroleum|conventional crude oil]], [[synthetic crude]], [[natural gas]] and gas products in Canada. Alberta is the world's second-largest exporter of natural gas and the fourth-largest producer.<ref name="Alaska and Alberta - An Overview">{{cite web |url=http://economic.alberta.ca/documents/Alaska-AB.pdf |title=Alaska – Alberta Relations |publisher=Government of Alberta |access-date=May 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611125209/http://economic.alberta.ca/documents/Alaska-AB.pdf |archive-date=June 11, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Two of the largest producers of [[petrochemical]]s in North America are in central and north-central Alberta. In both Red Deer and Edmonton, [[polyethylene]] and [[Polyvinyl chloride|vinyl]] manufacturers produce products that are shipped all over the world. Edmonton's [[oil refinery|oil refineries]] provide the raw materials for a large [[petrochemical industry]] to the east of Edmonton.

The [[Athabasca oil sands]] surrounding [[Fort McMurray]] have estimated [[unconventional oil]] reserves approximately equal to the conventional oil reserves of the rest of the world, estimated to be {{convert|1.6|e12oilbbl|km3}}.<ref name="a496">{{cite web |title=How Much CO2 Comes from Alberta Crude Oil? Much More Than You Think |website=Alberta Beyond Fossil Fuels |date=February 6, 2023 |url=https://albertabeyondfossilfuels.ca/greenhouse-gas-emissions-from-alberta-crude-oil/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon |access-date=July 8, 2024 |archive-date=July 8, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240708183916/https://albertabeyondfossilfuels.ca/greenhouse-gas-emissions-from-alberta-crude-oil/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon |url-status=live }}</ref> Many companies employ both conventional [[surface mining|strip mining]] and non-conventional [[in situ]] methods to extract the [[bitumen]] from the [[oil sands]].

Another factor determining the viability of oil extraction from the oil sands is the [[price of oil]]. The [[World oil market chronology from 2003|oil price increases since 2003]] have made it profitable to extract this oil, which in the past would give little profit or even a loss. By mid-2014, rising costs and stabilizing oil prices threatened the economic viability of some projects. An example of this was the shelving of the Joslyn North project<ref name="z848">{{cite web |title=Total E&P Canada Ltd. Joslyn North Mine Project |website=Open Government |date=January 22, 2008 |url=https://open.alberta.ca/publications/environmental-assessment-total-e-p-canada-ltd-joslyn-north-mine-project |access-date=July 8, 2024 }}</ref> in the Athabasca region in May 2014.<ref name="TotalJoslyn">{{cite news |title=Cost escalation leads Total to put Joslyn oil sands project on hold |url=https://edmontonjournal.com/business/layoff+talk+swirls+Total+update+Joslyn+oilsands+status/9888984/story.html |access-date=June 14, 2014 |newspaper=Edmonton Journal |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140605062522/http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/layoff+talk+swirls+Total+update+Joslyn+oilsands+status/9888984/story.html |archive-date=June 5, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

With concerted effort and support from the provincial government, several high-tech industries have found their birth in Alberta, notably patents related to interactive [[liquid-crystal display]] systems.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130809034342/http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/5448263.html Interactive display system]—US Patent U.S. Patent No. 5,448,263; {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215131340/http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/5448263.html |date=February 15, 2009}}—SMART Technologies</ref>