Farm & Food Care Ontario is, at the same time, both a new organization with a fresh and ambitious mandate and one with a 20-year proven track record. 

Farm & Food Care was launched in January, 2012.  It was created from the amalgamation of the Ontario Farm Animal Council (OFAC) and Agricultural Groups Concerned about Resources and the Environment (AGCare).  Both well-respected groups were formed in 1988 as non-profit, agricultural education coalitions representing Ontario’s livestock and crop farmers and associated organizations.

Farm & Food Care is the first coalition of its type in Canada, bringing together tens of thousands of livestock, crop and horticulture farmers and related businesses with a mandate to provide credible information on food and farming in Ontario. 

What’s in a name?

Why Farm & Food Care?  This new organization represents the people who are passionate about food and farming in Ontario – caring for the land, the animals, and growing our food.  It all starts at the farm, and ends up a critical staple – our food. 

We’re proud to represent Ontario’s farm families. While today’s farmers have to be experts in animal care, agronomy, environmental management, computer technology, mechanics and much, much more, they still share the same pride and passion for their land and animals that their ancestors showed generations ago. 98% of Ontario’s farms are still family owned and operated with most farmers coming from generations of proud, hardworking farm families.

Get to know them – to know farmers is to know your food.

Why do we need Farm & Food Care - Ontario?

A century ago, over half of Canada’s population was farmers. Today, it’s down to two per cent with most people more than three generations removed from their farming ancestors.

This shift has meant that most Canadians have lost touch with farming and food production. People often don’t understand how their food is grown or how agriculture has changed.  This leads to questions and the need to provide credible answers and  create meaningful dialogues between the people who grow the food and anyone who eats!

There are often too few opportunities for farmers and the rest of Canadians to meet. As a result, growing numbers of people have inaccurate notions of farming and food production. Whether these notions are nostalgic and romantic or negative and disconcerting, the realities of farming often come as a real surprise. There’s a lot of good news to be shared. For example, our productivity has jumped by 300 per cent since the 1950’s but at the same time we’re using fewer resources, less land and newer, better technologies to produce more food. This is great for all of us – especially as we strive to find ways to do better in feeding our country and a growing world population.

Farm & Food Care works to provide a coordinated effort, expertise, proactive strategy and a unified voice – one stop shopping for credible information on how our food is grown. 

What does Farm & Food Care - Ontario do?

Awareness.  Appreciation.  Information.

Farm & Food Care cultivates awareness and builds appreciation for farming and food in Ontario. 

As a coalition representing all types of farmers and associated businesses, Farm & Food Care provides a unified voice and coordinated effort on behalf of the whole agri-food sector.

Farm & Food Care is involved in a variety of education and awareness initiatives including:

• Public Outreach and consumer relations
• Media relations - traditional and social media
• Issues Management
• Public speaking and training – for both urban and rural audiences
• Resource development
• Industry relations and strategic partnerships
• Member relations

Farm & Food Care is active in promotion, education, program development and consumer research. Staff stay current on issues related to farming, including animal welfare, environmental and food safety issues, activities by interest groups, public attitudes, and government legislation. This helps to ensure that the agricultural community remains at the forefront of issues like animal care, environment, food safety and biotechnology. Farm & Food Care also works to find new and innovative ways to introduce farmers to their customers and provide the facts on farming to Canadians.

Our Structure

Farm & Food Care is governed by a 12-member elected Board of Directors consisting of four crop representatives, four livestock representatives and four representatives at-large. The Board is elected at Farm & Food Care’s annual meeting in the spring of each year.
Issue-specific work that both the Ontario Farm Animal Council and AGCare have managed for the last 20 years is now be directed by two advisory councils – one on animal care and the other on the environment.  The advisory councils serve a critical role, and provide an opportunity for participation and proactive involvement by those from across the sector with a passion for those specific issues. 

Farm & Food Care has a full time staff of three and some project staff.  All staff members were raised on farms in Ontario and share a collective passion for farming and food.

How does Farm & Food Care help you?

Whether you’re a farmer, a stakeholder in the agri-food sector, or an interested individual looking for credible information, Farm & Food Care is working for you.

Farming in Ontario makes important contributions to our society, our environment and our way of life. By furthering public understanding and appreciation of today’s agriculture and food system, together with on-going efforts to build on our past achievements in providing a secure, affordable and safe food supply, we all benefit.