Understanding the Impacts of Aggregate Production on Agriculture and Identifying Mitigating Strategies

Across Ontario, aggregate extraction provides economic stimulus for many rural locales, but these operations significantly alter the landscapes upon which they occur and are often considered a nuisance to adjacent land owners. Especially in Southern Ontario, these operations frequently occur on agricultural land or within close proximity to productive farmland. Given the potentially disruptive nature of aggregate extraction, it is important to understand their impacts on nearby farms so that measures to mitigate these impacts can be developed and implemented. Thus, research is needed that understands the social, economic, environmental and land use impacts of aggregate operations to help ensure that adjacent agricultural operations prosper. This research therefore seeks to identify the farm operator’s perspective on impacts on crop and livestock production, along with corresponding best practices that can be utilized to mitigate these impacts. Additionally, this project will involve a jurisdictional scan to identify social, economic, environmental and land use impacts, as well as quantitative and qualitative research intended to identify impacts on agriculture (such as dust, noise and water) and promising practices that aggregate operators and municipal planners could use to limit these impacts. The goal is to see these best practices implemented early in the planning process to avoid conflict and negative impacts on agricultural production from future aggregate operations. The project is supported by a three-year research grant from OMAFRA.