OTTAWA — About 1,500 farmers rallied in front of the Department of Agriculture building Feb. 21 in hopes of hearing the minister of agriculture announce a market revenue program that will ensure a strong future for grains and oils seeds.

They were disappointed but are still living on hope of announcements from both the federal and provincial governments. A provincial announcement was to be made by March 1.

"I’ve been in this job for two weeks. I need a little more time," Minister of Agriculture Chuck Strahl told the crowd in his defence. He was interrupted twice by shouts from the crowd. Ontario Federation of Agriculture vice president Geri Kamenz (see his speech on page 5) pointed a finger when he got his chance to speak. "Are you our minister of agriculture or are you just another minister of agriculture?"

He later added: "Or are you going to come through with some more beads and trinkets and take us to the brink of failure?"

Strahl might be new at the job but he is aware that the current support program, known as CAIS, is not working. There’s no built-in protection against multiple years of crop failure. Strahl did say meetings are underway and decisions will be made in a few weeks. He met privately for 40 minutes with six Ontario farmers after the rally.

Grassroots organizer and North Gower crop farmer Dwight Foster was one of the farmers at that meeting. He is cautiously optimistic, noting it’s the first time he’s seen the federal minister of Agriculture show up at a demonstration in years.

The new minister "recognized that there was a $4 billion hole that needs to be filled," Foster said. But he added: "He wasn’t up to speed. He was really a rookie minister. He was broadsided. His deputy ministers really let him down."

Meantime, "farmers will not quit" until an acceptable offer is made, Foster said. "We’re looking at closing bridges to the United States and closing streets in Ottawa."

Grassroots farmers, commodity groups and Ontario Federation of Agriculture members have already endorsed stopping snowmobiles, hunters and fishermen from stepping onto farm property until the federal and provincial governments meet farmer demands.

Governments cannot use the excuse that they can’t level the playing field with the Americans by supporting agriculture with that kind of cash, Foster said. "Quebec seems to be doing it for their farmers. It’s all political will."

In meetings with government officials, commodity groups are hammering away at the point that a depressed agriculture industry would devastate rural economies across the country.

That should have an impact as Auctioneer Carson Hill told demonstrators: "Who elected this Conservative government? It wasn’t cities. It was you people."

Some farmers in the crowd were prepared to go farther to get what they want:

Said Harriston corn producer Bert Vonwesterholt: "We’ll probably have to get to the Toronto food terminals and stop them for a day or two."