The OFA, and its affiliated County Federations of Agriculture, have longstanding and long established interests in land use planning issues. The expansion of urban settlement areas, combined with past policies permitting non-farm development in prime agricultural areas, has constrained the growth and expansion plans of many Ontario farms.

Agricultural land is a finite, non-renewable resource. Planning policies must clearly and unequivocally protect the farms within our limited prime agricultural areas from incompatible non-farm development. The presence of incompatible non-farm development adjacent to viable farm operations, within our limited prime agricultural areas, limits the options for farmers to change the type of livestock they raise, increase the number of livestock they house, or change the type of crops they produce.