Hundreds of frustrated Interlake cattle producers, determined to have their voices heard, packed a small hall in Eriksdale Saturday morning.
They say they need help now, or they'll be forced to sell off their herds and quit farming.
Unprecedented amounts of rain destroyed their hay crops last month, leaving them nothing to feed their animals.
Farmers and town officials want the province to declare their region a disaster zone, freeing up emergency funding from both the provincial and federal governments.
The federal government recently added $6.1 million to the province's forage assistance program.
The money will help offset the cost of transporting hay to flooded farms.
But at Saturday's meeting the message was clear that it would not be enough.
"I don't need someone to help me transport hay," producer Jo Brian said. "I need somebody to help me buy it."
"Cash advances and loans aren't going to work. That's just like throwing rocks at a drowning man," Joe Bouchard, another producer, added. "Right now we need some help on production costs."
The comments received a heated round of applause.
Interlake MLA Tom Nevakshonoff was expecting a smaller meeting with municipal officials.
He told the farmers additional funding was not likely, because it could be considered a subsidy, which would violate international trade agreements.
Arne Lindell has farmed for the last 55 years say without more funding Manitoba will lose its family farms.
"Cheap food will be long gone," he told CTV News. "We'll be buying it from different countries, and I guess the rest of us [farmers] will go on welfare."
With a report from CTV's Stacey Ashley.
