1988--A coordinator for sustainable agriculture (Harvey J. Schweitzer) is named within AES with the support of the CES and the Dean of the UIUC College of Agriculture. An Ad Hoc Committee on Sustainable Agriculture is formed, initially including 17 individuals from the UIUC College of Agriculture and faculty from several other units on campus.

1989--The Ad Hoc Committee grows to over 100 members within about 12 months. John M. Gerber is named coordinator of the agro-ecology program (for both AES and CES) following the retirement of Schweitzer. The quarterly publication, Agro-Ecology News and Perspectives starts in the fall of 1989. An agro-ecology seminar series begins during the 1989-90 academic year.

1990--The occasional publication series, Agro-Ecology Program Papers, begins. Occasional symposia regarding sustainable agriculture were also convened. A "brown bag" lunch discussion series for faulty starts. By late in 1990 the Ad Hoc Committee began to achieve notable successes in designing and acquiring funding for on-farm research and demonstration projects pertaining to sustainable agriculture. In January of 1990 the Sustainable Agriculture Act is signed in Illinois, putting in place an Illinois Sustainable Agriculture Committee (ISAC), with a primary charge to seek sources of funding for relevant projects.

1991--The Ad Hoc Committee on Sustainable Agriculture has developed into a network of over 275 individuals, 40% of which are on the UIUC campus, and 60% of which include farmers and other leaders of the sustainable agriculture movement throughout the state.

1992--The Illinois Sustainable Agriculture Committee (ISAC) submitted recommendations to the 88th Illinois General Assembly regarding the fostering of sustainable agriculture in the state. The committee actively pursued legislation to fund sustainable agriculture activities by modest fees on fertilizer sales and/or pesticide registrations (to date legislation has not been passed). In January of 1992 the Illinois Sustainable Agriculture Network (ISAN) is formed through a grant from the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SARE), the Illinois Department of Energy and Natural Resources, and the UIUC. The ISAN was primarily charged with fostering and linking farmer-managed and community-based sustainable agriculture groups in Illinois with the UIUC College of Agriculture, in a statewide participatory research and education network. In the spring of 1992 Dan Anderson was appointed to the position of on-farm research coordinator, a joint initiative of AES and CES. In the fall of 1993 Richard E. Warner was named coordinator of the agro-ecology program at UIUC within both AES and CES, following the departure of Gerber. At this time the leadership of the college indicates intentions to strengthen efforts relative to natural resources, and to integrate these efforts within the agro-ecology program.

1993--The UIUC College of Agriculture starts a new graduate program emphasis that includes a track in agro-ecology as well as research assistantships funded by AES to encourage faculty and student participation in systems research in sustainable agriculture. The quarterly publication, Agro-Ecology Technical Notes, emphasizing participatory on-farm research, starts in the spring. In a joint initiative of AES and CES, the college appoints Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant to a staff position in a unique effort to strengthen working relationships and communications between the UIUC College of Agriculture and farmer-based sustainable agriculture organizations.

1994--C-FAR, the Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research, held a conference at Allerton Park. The goals of this meeting included to refine the mission and vision, to discuss the structure of the organization and to develop a plan for impact assessment of C-FAR. "The mission of C-FAR is to secure additional resources to adequately fund relevant and high-quality research and related outreach programs that lead to profitable, consumer-sensitive, and environmentally sound food and agricultural systems in Illinois and the nation. C-FAR will foster public confidence in food and agricultural research through public participation in planning and evaluating the process and impact of research activities".

The Agricultural Experiment Station, Office of Research, holds the first Special Research Initiative (SRI) retreat in May at Starved Rock State Park. Collaborative research aimed at specific objectives is what the Station hopes to foster through the SRI program. This program is grounded in practical outcomes that meet the needs and desires of consumers of agriculturual products and services. In general, the purpose is to incres the value of products and services provided by agriculture while maintaining or increaasing the competitive advantage, profitability, and productivitiy of the Illinois agricultural industry. Other goals are to reduce or eliminate negative impacts of agriculture on the environment and conserve non-renewable resources used by the agricultural industry.

1995--Governor Jim Edgar signs Senate Bill 300, Public Act 89-0049 into law on June 29. Conservation 2000 provided funds for a "comprehensive program to protect Illinois' through cooperative partnerships between State government and public and private landowners." One of the purposes of these funds is "to foster sustainable agriculture practices and control soil erosion and sedimentation . . .."

Funding for the Illinois Department of Agriculture's (IDOA) Sustainable Agriculture program was made possible for the first time since the General Assembly created it in 1990. IDOA received $250,000 to establish a Sustainable Grant Program.

1996-- Several proposals were approved for funding FY96 in the Conservation 2000 Sustainable Agriculture Grant Program. The University of Illinois received funding for several projects. These include: Effects of Rye Cover Crops and Reduced Herbicide Rates on Weed Control in Soybeans (S. Ebelhar), CRP Demonstration Project (G. Bullen and D. Oswald), Illinois Soil Quality Initiative (M. Wander) and Expanding the Dialogue about Sustainable Agriculture (D. Cavanaugh-Grant). The funds for the program were increased to $500,000.

1997-- First year of Producer Grant Workshops. The six workshops provided farmers and educators with information and assistance with the development and writing of grant proposals to the NCR SARE Producer Grant Program to implement sustainable practices on their farms. The workshops were co-sponsored by the University of Illinois Agroecology/Sustainable Agriculture Program, Cooperative Extension Service and Office of Research, Illinois Sustainable Agriculture Society, Illinois Stewardship Alliance, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts. Workshops will explain the program and its requirements for producers to receive funding.

1998-- The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), Agroecology/Sustainable Agriculture Program (ASAP) carried out a one-day, statewide conference, Farming Profitably in a Changing Environment on December 10 that brought together farmers, educators and researchers to discuss current issues and trends in sustainable agriculture. A reception, Savory and Sweet Gifts from the Land, featured locally-grown food from Illinois and Indiana.

1999-- The Illinois Small Farm Task Force was formed to address the issues of small farms in Illinois and to determine a course of action for all those involved in small farm issues to "recognize, respect and respond to the needs of small farms. The task force will focus their efforts in three areas: (1) Develop coordinated programming opportunities with public and private sector agencies who play a role or have an interest in small farm issues; (2) Assess current activities (Investigate the nature and scope of current activities in Illinois relative to small farm issues) and develop appropriate educational programs; and (3) Seek funding for small farm educational and program development activities. ASAP coordinated the Winter 1999 symposium for the World Food and Sustainable Agriculture Program--Agriculture's Changing Role in the Global Ecosystem. Three speakers (Dr. Charles M. Benbrook, World Food System Challenges and Opportunities: GMOs, Biodiversity, and Lessons from America's Heartland; Sandra Postel, Global Water and World Food Security and Dr. William Lockeretz, Fostering Stewardship in Agriculture: Not Just How, But Who?) were brought in for the Wednesday and Thursday of each of the three weeks of the program. Each speaker gave a keynote address open to the public and spent "day-2" with College of ACES faculty and students in a variety of settings.

2000 -- ASAP developed a new display to use at two large events that were new regarding ASAP participation -- Agronomy Day 2000 and the 2000 Farm Progress Show. Agronomy Day 2000 is the annual "open house" at the UIUC South Farms sponsored by ACES Crop Science Department. ASAP's pressence at this year's Agronomy Day was a first. We felt our pressence added a dimension that was previously missing from the event, and we hope to be invited back in future years. Though ASAP has had a display at the Farm Progress Show in the past, the 2000 show was unique. For the first time, we were able to have a whole tent devoted solely to sustainable agriculture. Organizations and programs from Indiana, Iowa and Illinois filled the tent and offered an incredible assortment of published resourses to over 1500 visitors. By all indications, the sustainable agriculture tent at the 2000 Farm Progress Show was a success. ASAP was instrumental in making this happen.