Loved or loathed, the Lanark Landowners’ Association, a property rights grassroots lobby group, has farmers setting new standards on how to lobby governments. Their latest demonstrations include tractor convoys blocking traffic on Hwy 401 and burning effigies of politicians

The Hwy 401 blockades are too aggressive for the largest provincial farm lobby group, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). It fears lawsuits if anyone gets hurt because insurance doesn’t cover an illegal activity, says OFA representative Terry Otto. President Ron Bonnett says the OFA hasn’t embraced the LLA because some of the commodity groups don’t agree with them. He declined to say which ones.

Cory Martens was re-elected president of the Dundas Federation of Agriculture after arguing that farmers need "people with guts." But she declined to support the LLA, conceding only their ability to turn heads. "They’re new, sexy and flashy and getting media attention," she said.

At the same meeting, dairy farmer Susanna Cayer, of Dundas County, was not convinced. As a member of both lobby groups, she said it appears the OFA has been forced into action because the LLA has been doing all the protesting.

No doubt about it, the LLA has become a political force. But how important are they in the drive for "one voice" among farmers?

"For eastern Ontario, it’s critical," said Joe Hickson, the grassroots leader who managed to get all the major commodity groups, the OFA, Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario and the National Farmers Union, to sit at the same table last month and form a "one voice" steering committee. The plan is to get governments to react to the farm crisis.

After a flood of phone calls in efforts to create "one voice" among lobby groups and the grassroots, Hickson said eastern Ontario is sharply divided. "Twenty-five per cent support the LLA. Twenty-five per cent support the OFA and 50 per cent are on the fence," he said. "They don't know which side of the fence to jump off. And when they jump it's often a protest vote against the other side."

The LLA hasn't been heard much west of Toronto, he added, noting, however, that when tobacco farmers held a rally in Tillsonburg in January, the LLA was there to support them. That cost the OFA, which now has "minimal support" from tobacco farmers, he said.

Whether the LLA will join the grassroots "one voice" steering committee, led by the OFA, remains to be seen.

"I have no problem with (LLA) issues but we can't cover them all," Hickson said, explaining that all the commodity groups gave up a few demands to work together as "one voice". The LLA has to clarify some of its demands, including its stand on supply management, he said. "We asked the others to make some concessions in the name of the team. "There's a time and a place for everything."

The LLA expects its members will stand together with the renewed "one voice" movement in the future. "I can see working with all of them," said LLA president Randy Hillier. "I fully expect it will happen. I'm confident."

He's getting some flack for the LLA's 11-point solution but he argues, "Let's fix everything. This has taken a lot of people's time and effort and money. To spend a lot of money to fix a tractor and it still doesn't work is stupid."

But joining forces takes time, he noted. "You can't force two groups to come together," he cautioned. "You develop a message together and the two groups will work together."

Meantime, he's disappointed that some farm lobbies can't see past a few issues. "We've got a track record of two years," Hillier said. "They know what we're about. Do they support us or not?"