Farmers need the federal government to get to work on agricultural problems, say the leaders of prairie farm organizations.
But farm leaders from Manitoba and Alberta are split on whether they believe the new Conservative minority government will be able to get the work done. 
“It would be nice if we’d had a majority, one way or the other,” said Humphrey Banack, president of Alberta’s Wild Rose Agricultural Producers.
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“A lot of issues will be hard to push ahead. With a minority government, you have times when it’s hard to get things through.”
But Ian Wishart, president of Manitoba’s Keystone Agricultural Producers, thinks the opposite.
“I always like minority governments in that they have to listen and work hard,” said Wishart.
“A Conservative minority should be friendly to agriculture,” said Wishart.
But Wishart and Banack both said they hope that scrapping the Canadian Wheat Board’s monopoly powers on export barley and wheat will not be a government priority.
Both want the future of the marketing agency to be decided by farmers, not politicians or bureaucrats.
Wishart said he hopes the government uses its new powers to develop workable farm safety net programs. And he hopes the Conservative government works with organizations like his to develop farm-friendly environmental policies so that approaches like the Liberals’ Green Shift aren’t attempted.
Banack said he’d like to see farm issues dealt with quickly, but doubts a minority situation will allow the Conservative government to accomplish much.
“A minority government is like a two-wheel drive truck stuck in the mud. It has a hard time getting anywhere,” said Banack.
