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October 29, 2009 @ 7:16 pm
Working to protect a unique soil
OFA Commentary #4209 Click here for audio version
By Bette Jean Crews, President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture
Soil is as important to a farmer as a voice is to a singer or a speaker. The OFA has taken the position, unpopular at times, to preserve our good agricultural land and its soil for farming now and in the future.
There’s an area in Dufferin County that has a special soil suited to potato production known as Honeywood soils. It is unique. Combined with the soils are infrastructure investments by farmers in specialized
equipment, storage, packaging and processing facilities.
However, that area of the province is also home to another specialized product – aggregates, more commonly known as stones, sand and gravel.
In an effort to provide some protection to the Honeywood soils of Dufferin County, OFA has asked the county to classify that area of Ontario under the ‘specialty crop area.’ Such a designation would afford the area
the highest priority to protect these lands for ongoing horticultural crop production.
Aggregate extraction takes top priority in Ontario. Stone is needed for every construction project - from homes to highways. The legislation governing aggregate extraction requires the aggregate industry to restore lands where gravel
extraction has occurred to rehabilitate or restore the site. But OFA fears that no level of rehabilitation could return Honeywood soils to potato production again, once quarrying operations end.
In a letter to a Dufferin County official earlier this year, OFA pointed out “once aggregate extraction begins, the farmers who farm them (special soils) will be permanently lost. Moreover, the special soils, and their unique qualities, will
be permanently lost.”
A new report issued by the Canadian Urban Institute points out that the area of Dufferin County in question has sufficient aggregate resources to meet the construction and development requirements of most of Ontario for many years.
The Canadian Urban Institute’s report makes mention of the importance of infrastructure building projects to getting Canada out of the shadow of the recent recession – putting Canadians back to work. This implies the use of massive
amounts of aggregate materials for building projects.
However, the project in development is rumoured to be for the purposes of exporting the aggregates extracted. If so our Honeywood soils will be lost, not for domestic infrastructure but for pure profit in the hands of a few. Is the cost
worth it?
And what of the potential impact on our water table. This area of Dufferin is the headwater for the Grand River and the Pine River, a tributary of the Nottawasaga River. What will become of this heritage waterway and all dependent
on it if the extraction process impacts the water table? There are many important questions that need to trump even the Aggregates Act.
With all levels of government focussed on growth and development to restore a healthy economy, OFA knows it won’t be easy to convince government to side with agriculture and do what’s necessary to maintain the Honeywood soils of
Dufferin County.
We remain committed to protecting the interests and needs of farmers in Dufferin County’s Honeywood soils area. We appreciate the unique nature of these soils and how essential they are.
To be successful, OFA must rely on the provincial government to take action to protect the integrity of the Honeywood soils. The decision must be made between the value of food and the value of gravel and sand.
OFA - Ontario Federation of Agriculture. Ontario's farming voice. http://www.ofa.on.ca/print.php?a=2082
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