Agricultural Land Assessments / MDS

Agricultural land is a scarce resource. The ability to produce food and fibre for local and regional markets is important to the health of residents and the sustainability of the local and regional economy. An agricultural land assessment identifies land with agricultural potential worthy of protection. An assessment can be prepared for a single parcel or an entire municipality. It can provide a detailed assessment of the soil capability or it can be part of a larger review of agriculture in the local economy. Clark Consulting Services and in particular Bob Clark maintain accreditation for agricultural land evaluation. We have developed a unique graphic approach to the LEAD assessment technique developed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. This technique has been used in a number of studies including the Kingston Agricultural Study and individual land evaluations forming the basis for justifying the designation of lands as agricultural or as non-agricultural within the meaning of the Provincial Policy Statement.

MDS

In Ontario's rural and prime agricultural areas, provincial land use plans require that new land uses, including the creation of lots and new or expanding livestock facilities, comply with the Minimum Distance Separation (MDS) formulae and guidelines.

It is a review of the livestock facilities on adjacent lots and the calculation of a separation distance between each livestock facility and the proposed use based on the livestock facility characteristics that would allow the livestock facility to continue to operate compatibility with the proposed use.