If you want to see what’s wrong, just follow the money. The last Census of Agriculture figures, completed after disaster relief kicked in, shows that expenses are going up faster than income. Apple prices have been so dismal that acreage for blueberries has overtaken apple acreage. Crop prices are down, and while the chicken production is in high gear, the producer organization hasn’t been able to meet the needs of the marketplace, and other provinces are eyeing with envy the burgeoning Ontario market.

While Ontario farm organizations are chewing themselves up, the federal and provincial governments are beginning to wake up. The new minister in Ontario, Helen Johns, has been trying to get along with the federal government. Minister Lyle Vanclief for his part has recognized for the first time that there is a problem with the U.S. farm bill that won’t be solved by saying "We can’t compete with the U.S. treasury."

It’s getting late in the day if governments want to stave off the coming militancy. Already the talk around the Ontario Federation of Agriculture is that many of the directors are too conservative to make the changes to adapt to new realities. Lobbying has ended with dismal results and the ability to deal with urban media has not been there.

The crux of the problem is the inability or the lack of will in dealing with farm problems and formulating a vision.

Mrs. Johns and Mr. Vanclief, unless you can come up with a program, we’ll see a new breed of farm leader and the tractors will hit the roads. And so will both of you.