In British Columbia, fruit orchards are being swapped for golf courses. In Alberta, there is pressure to sell the farm for residential housing. But here, where snow-capped peaks give way to rivers that wind their way through thin foothill soil, a dispute has erupted over what should become of farmland that cannot pay its way when compared to other uses. Ranchers on both sides of the issue argue over whether the land should have to remain in agriculture. Environmentalists call for the land to be protected.
Urban buyers look for opportunities to build dream houses.
Even in areas where development has been discouraged, the pressure of urban buyers searching for a mountainside home have pushed ranchland prices beyond the reach of many farmers. Pincher Creek, to the north, has in the past allowed acreages to co-exist amongst its ranches. While Cardston has not opposed non-farming homes within its boundaries, there has been less demand for them over the years. Pincher Creek's municipal councilors have decided in recent years to limit the development of residential properties in farmland areas and along its western and southern boundaries and forest reserve lands. Bob Jenkins is a councilor in the Municipal District of Pincher Creek and a rancher whose family has raised cattle in the area since the 1880s.