| 1987 - AGCare founded as an ad hoc committee dealing with agricultural pesticide use issues |
| 1988 - Ontario Grower Pesticide Safety Course (GPSC) cooperatively offered, through Ridgetown College, by AGCare, Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Ontario Ministry of Agriculture. Farmers through AGCare, requested the GPSC and subsequent mandatory certification, to provide training for farmers in the safe use, handling, transportation and storage of agricultural pesticides. |
| 1990 - Federal Pesticide Registration Review Team received Ontario crop producers collective input via AGCare, emphasizing grower need for timely, competitive access to newer, more target-specific pest control products. |
| 1990 - AGCare Public Information Program launched, with funding assistance from OMAFRA |
| 1991 - Waste Agricultural Collection Program piloted. In 1992, this one-time opportunity was offered at 26 sites across the province. In total, 35,000 kg and 59,000 litres of unusable pesticides (outdated, damaged or contaminated) were safely collected and appropriately disposed of. |
| 1992 - Our Farm Environmental Agenda farmers' analysis of the key environmental issues facing Ontario agriculture released by the Ontario Farm Environmental Coalition (Ontario Federation of Agriculture, Christian Farmers' Federation of Ontario, AGCare and Ontario Farm Animal Council). This initiative provided the foundation for several other OFEC activities including Environmental Farm Planning, Water Quality, Nutrient Management Planning, Water Use/Management, and Environmental Management Systems (EMS) initiatives. |
| 1992 - Ontario Pesticide Container Recycling Program, launched at six sites, run cooperatively by AGCare, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, pesticide manufacturers and pesticide dealers. This program, which manages the collection of over 500,000 plastic or metal pesticide containers each year in Ontario, has run very smoothly, and is the envy of many other provinces. |
| 1993 - Ontario Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) launched. |
| 1996 - AGCare's mandate expanded to include representation of Ontario crop producers' collective views on crop biotechnology developments, with the help of CanAdapt funding. Highlights of the program included enhancement of AGCare's web site to include information regarding biotechnology, development of communications materials, and the establishment of media spokespeople on biotech related issues. |
| 1997 - AGCare and the Ontario Farm Animal Council, with funding assistance from CanAdapt, begin sponsorship of the University of Guelph Agri-Food Risk Management and Communications Program. This project, under the direction of Dr. Doug Powell, Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph, has been instrumental in providing AGCare and the Ontario farm community with background summary information on biotech and crop technology issues. |
| 1998 - AGCare and the Ontario Farm Animal Council, team up again to launch the 'Thank You' Campaign, funded by the National Soil and Water Conservation Program, and with creative assistance from Foodland Ontario. The campaign featured ads in 10 major daily newspapers across the province, and accompanying brochures, highlighting the many ways in which Ontario farmers are caring for the environment. |
| 1998 - AGCare was invited to take part in the federal government's round table process to renew its Biotechnology Strategy and to provide a biotechnology product user's perspective to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture. |
| 1999 - AGCare continues to provide significant input to the Grower Pesticide Safety Course, through the development of the 'Agricultural Assistant' level of training being implemented. |
| 2002 - AGCare is one of four steering committee members that developed IPM 2002, an international conference designed to highlight Ontario's successes achieved through Food Systems 2002, and position our agricultural sector as world leaders in Integrated Pest Management. |
| 2003 – The Canadian General Standards Board Committee on Voluntary Labelling of Foods Obtained or Not Obtained Through Genetic Modification reached consensus approval on a voluntary labelling standard. AGCare represented farmers on this committee. |
| 2003 – AGCare’s chair, Greg Hannam, was appointed to the Nutrient Management Advisory Committee represented the interests of the crop and horticulture sector who use livestock manure to fertilize their crops and to keep their soils healthy. |
| 2004 – AGCare releases the results of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ (OMAFRA) 20 year study on agricultural pesticide use. Ontario’s farmers reduced their pesticide use by 52% over this timespan, exceeding the goal of 50% |
| 2004 – AGCare partners with the Ontario Farm Animal Council on media tours and the development of www.farmissues.com. |
| 2004 – AGCare partners with Ontario Agri-Food Education (OAFE) and the Land Improvement Contractors of Ontario (LICO) to create a module for Grade 7 students on “Food Production and Soil Management”. |
| 2005 – AGCare creates a “Town and Country” episode on agricultural pesticide use in Ontario. |
| 2005 - AGCare partnered with CropLife, Ontario Agri-Business Association (OABA), Environment Canada, the Ontario Ministries of Environment and Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs, with funding provided in part by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the Agricultural Adaptation Council, to operate the Ontario Waste Agricultural Pesticide Collection Program. This program resulted in the collection and safe disposal of almost 117,000 kg of pesticide materials. |
| 2005 – AGCare is appointed to the Ontario Biodiversity Council. |
| 2005 – The Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA), who delivers the Ontario Environmental Farm Plan program on behalf of the Ontario Farm Environmental Coalition (OFEC), contracts AGCare to promote the Environmental Farm Plan program to farmers and the general public. |
| 2005 – AGCare leaves its cubbyhole with the Agricultural Adaptation Council and moves into its own professional office space with the Ontario Farm Animal Council (OFAC). AGCare’s productivity increases drastically with the ability to share staff and resources with OFAC. With so many shared goals and responsibilities, an era of excellent collaboration and efficiency between AGCare and OFAC begins! |
| 2006 – AGCare and the Ontario Farm Animal Council (OFAC) receive funding from the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation for “Agriculture Hits the Trails”, a 3-year project that will result in approximately 100 signs about agriculture and the environment along trails throughout the Greenbelt. |
| 2007 – AGCare partners with Ontario Agri-Food Education (OAFE) and CropLife Canada to create a module for Grade 10 students on “The Great Pesticide Debate”. |
| 2007 – AGCare helps organize the National Agricultural Awareness Conference (NAAC) in London, Ontario. |
| 2007 – OWL magazine’s June edition includes a poster and activity insert on farmers and the environment, created by AGCare. |
| 2007 – AGCare launches “Caring for the Land”, a report on the environmental achievements of Ontario’s farmers over the past twenty years, to celebrate Canadian Environment Week. The launch includes a website and a information brochure for the public. Media uptake is excellent, ranging from CBC radio to globeandmail.com and Harrowsmith magazine. |
| 2007 – AGCare helps train and provide support for farmers representing agriculture on Source Protection Committees throughout the province under the Clean Water Act. |