This study identifies environmental issues and natural resources in certain landscapes in Alberta, which have the potential for expansion. The factors to investigate are 1) soil zone, most hog production is concentrated in the Black soil zone; 2) water supply, the expansions of the hog industry was not found to be limited by it; 3) feed supply ,Alberta has more than enough to support the hog industry there; 4) population density, critical when considering the development permit process because of the neighbor complaints about odour and; 5) minimum distance separation (MDS), there must be the appropriate distance for the manure spreading process as well as the facility itself as there needs to be enough land in the area for the amount of manure that is to be spread or else leaching and run-off will be the results.
Alberta’s livestock associations have taken the lead in developing voluntary guidelines to assist municipalities and producers in siting, design and management of new and expanding livestock facilities in order to deal with the environmental issues relating to livestock production. The development of new livestock operations is controlled at the municipal level in Alberta. New operations will have some form of public review and permit process. Well-defined planning approval processes have greatly reduced risks and uncertainties faced by livestock operators and neighboring residents. With all these different factors being taken into consideration, Alberta is attempting to identify where opportunities lie for expansion of the industry. The most important factors were population density and feed supply. Areas of Alberta have now been chosen for further investigation.