Agriculture in the MD of Ranchland

The Municipal District of Ranchland encompasses approximately 631 999 acres (255 770 ha) of land adjacent to the Alberta-British Columbia border. It is unique in that there are no urban municipalities, hamlets or urban service areas within the boundaries of the Municipal District and almost all land within the municipality is used for agricultural purposes. The Council has endorsed the concept that the complex watershed, ecoregion and habitat are protected to interact with grazing, ranching and other land uses. Land uses that conflict, fracture or destroy the long-term vision of the MD are discouraged.

The Municipal District is one of many municipalities along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains in which much of the land is Provincial owned. Public land in Alberta is managed by the provincial government. The Council for the Municipal District endorses the concept that land is an extremely valuable resource. All lands should be used wisely to encourage both a prosperous regional economy and a stable rural environment where residents, especially farmers and ranchers, can plan their livelihoods, confident that potential conflicting non-agricultural uses will be minimized.