Twenty-five members of the Pro West Rally Group are in Ottawa this week pushing for help for Saskatchewan's cash-strapped farmers, but they won't be getting $80 per acre from the federal government.

The group met with Federal Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief Tuesday and were told the money, which would amount to $3 billion for Saskatchewan producers, simply isn't there.

"We showed him the numbers we used from Stats Canada and Sask. Ag. and Food (to arrive at $80 per acre) and asked if he would take responsibility for those numbers," said Pro West Rally Group President Alfred Wagner.

"He agreed yes, those numbers were real, but he told us they don't have that kind of money - that some farmers will have to go broke like they did in the 1980s."

Wagner said Vanclief avoided his demands by asking what groups like the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool and the provincial government were doing to help their farmers.

He'll get the answer next week when a coalition of politicians and farm groups comes knocking on the federal agriculture minister's door.

Premier Roy Romanow plans to lead the coalition - which includes members of SARM, the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, the National Farmers Union, agriculture minister Dwain Lingenfelter and Saskatchewan Party leader Elwin Hermanson, among others - to Parliament Hill.

They've agreed to present a united front in asking for a $1 billion cash injection for the province's farmers, suffering under the lowest commodity prices since the Great Depression.

Wagner said the $1 billion figure didn't come up during his meeting with Vanclief, but he was doubtful the coalition will get a better response.

"Vanclief told us there was no more money. He told us the same story he's always said, about AIDA and NISA and that's all he could do," said Wagner.

The minister has said that changes to the Agriculture Income Disaster Program are on the way. Those changes could include consideration of negative margains, which would free up more money for farmers.

He has vowed to fight for farmers at the cabinet table.

The Pro West group also had an "emotion-filled" meeting with five members of the Senate Agriculture Committee and spoke briefly with federal NDP leader Alexa McDonough.

"The senators were very responsive. They told us to keep slugging away," said Francis-area farmer Carol Borys. She brought her farm books with her to prove to federal politicians farmers like herself and husband Ron are in a desperate situation.

She was also disappointed with Vanclief's response to their $80 per acre request.

"We were left feeling empty-handed," she said.

They timed their visit to coincide with the Throne Speech which opened the current session of Parliament.

"It was very disappointing," Wagner said of the Throne Speech. "There was absolutely nothing in there about the crisis in agriculture."

The group met with Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy this morning and will talk to Finance Minister Paul Martin this afternoon.

Other meetings today and tomorrow will be held with International Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew, Agriculture Committee Chairman John Harvard, Industry Committee Chairwoman Susan Whelan, members of the Bloc Party and federal party leaders Alexa McDonough and Joe Clark.

The Pro West members will arrive home Friday. Wagner says despite the disappointing reaction to their aid request they will keep working to make the needs of farmers, put in a desperate situation by the farm crisis, understood.

"We're not going to quit. If we go down, we'll go down fighting," he said.