Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

The CFFO Commentary: Competing Interests Arise in Land Use Planning Discussions

By Nathan Stevens
September 24, 2010

Good land use planning is critical for the success of agriculture. And with the current review of the Provincial Policy Statement underway, talks are heating up between farming organizations and those representing other interests in land use planning.

The CFFO is currently in dialogue with a collection of environmental groups, including Ontario Nature, Ducks Unlimited and Ecojustice, regarding long-term stability in the countryside. Our organization wants to ensure that agriculture fits within their picture of sustainability.

Environmental groups are pushing for sustainability as a key pillar of land use planning in Ontario. This means that land use needs to reflect the ecological carrying capacity of a region. By extension, regional plans need to reflect this priority as well, with reasonable population targets. From an urban perspective this means a focus on smart growth and the promotion of green infrastructure as key tenants of the Provincial Policy Statement.

Furthermore, there is a need to establish a hierarchy of priorities within the PPS so that when conflicts emerge between different land-use policies, there will be prevailing priorities in the decision-making process. The likely end result of this approach would be that economic interests would not trump ecological integrity when development and planning decisions are being made.

Specific to agriculture, these groups are talking about the promotion and protection of farms that make use of environmentally beneficial farm practices, preserve biodiversity and natural heritage systems, and encourage and facilitate local food production and distribution.

The CFFO is dialoguing with these groups, voicing our concern in a number of key areas, including the preservation of farmland from urban development and specialty crop areas from aggregate extraction. Furthermore, the CFFO wants the province to focus on brownfield redevelopment as a means to reduce the pressure on urban expansion into agricultural land.

As the Provincial Policy Statement discussions continue, it’s important for agricultural groups to be in dialogue with groups having different interests. To that end, the CFFO is engaging with these groups to develop a position that strengthens sustainable agriculture in the long run.
Nathan Stevens is the Research and Policy Advisor for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario. The CFFO Commentary represents the opinions of the writer and does not necessarily represent CFFO policy. It can be heard weekly on CKNX Wingham and CFCO Chatham, Ontario and is archived on the CFFO website: www.christianfarmers.org. The CFFO is supported by 4,300 farm families across Ontario

Views: 35

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Crop Undercount Raises Questions About Reliability of U.S.D.A. Data

The Agriculture Department projected last July that farmers would harvest 86.8 million acres of corn in autumn. The projection was repeatedly revised upward until, in January, the department found 1.3 million more acres of corn — an area larger than Delaware — and concluded that the final amount harvested was 91.3 million acres. “It was a miss. No other way to call it,” said Seth Meyer, who served as the department’s chief economist until leaving in December. The 5 percent undercount may seem small, but it was the department’s worst projection in recent memory. It came as the Trump administration was cutting staff at the Agriculture Department and as President Trump’s trade war raised prices for equipment and hurt exports. Some people in agriculture have become increasingly worried about the reliability of department data. That skepticism could lead to a breakdown of the historically close relationship between the department and farmers it serves, they said. “U.S.D.A. always had a

Weekly Crop Progress and Condition Report

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly April through November. Additionally, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship provides a weather summary each week during this time. “April will go down as one of the wettest on record, and that moisture has helped ease drought conditions for the majority of the state,” said Secretary Naig. “Looking ahead, the forecast trends a bit cooler and drier through the first few weeks of May, which should give farmers a longer window to keep the planters running.” Crop Report There were 4.2 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending May 3, 2026, which is 1.0 day more than last year. Topsoil moisture condition rated 1 percent very short, 9 percent short, 81 percent adequate and 9 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 2 percent very short, 13 percent short, 78 percent ade

Ten years of Canadian agricultural innovation through EMILI

This year marks the tenth anniversary of EMILI (Enterprise Machine Intelligence and Learning Initiative), the culmination of a group of community leaders working towards a common goal: to grow Canada’s economy, with a specific focus on advancing agtech in the Prairies. Jacqueline Keena, Managing Director, explained that EMILI “is an industry-led non-profit committed to driving agriculture innovation, partnership, and engagement. We provide innovators access to leading-edge equipment, technology, and production practices to increase productivity, sustainability, and profitability across the agriculture and agri-food sector.” At the heart of it all are the partnerships that EMILI cultivates between producers, industry leaders, investors and innovators. These stakeholders work together “to grow a sustainable, economically resilient digital agriculture industry.” This work is done in a number of ways. “We know that Canadian agriculture can lead the world through transformative innovati

This is Agriculture: Field Trial Modernization Scientist

As a field trial modernization scientist at Corteva Agriscience, Dr. Kevin Falk is dedicated to improving the way field scientists work. The lead on Corteva Agriscience’s spray drone trials taking place at EMILI’s Innovation Farms, Falk holds an M.Sc from the University of Manitoba, a Ph.D in Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Agronomy from Iowa State University, and an Advanced RPAS Pilot Certificate from Transport Canada. Here, Falk shares his path to becoming a field scientist, the importance of relationships in building his career, and some keen observations about the digital agriculture industry. Describe your job or product in one sentence. I build digital tools and workflows that help agricultural scientists work faster, smarter, and with better data, including AI models, drone systems, and automation platforms. Where did you grow up? Was it an agriculture or urban environment? I grew up in Carman, Manitoba, a town of about 3,000 people that punches way above its weight as an agric

Grain Bin Emergencies Turn Deadly in Seconds, but Training Can Save Lives

Grain entrapment kills within seconds, but a decade-long partnership between CASA and G3 is helping farmers and first responders prevent fatal accidents.

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service