Jack Layton brought his NDP campaign to southwestern Ontario on Wednesday to focus on agricultural issues and to try and boost the party's chance of ousting a local Conservative incumbent.

Layton toured a David Tremblay's sixth generation farm in Stoney Point, Ont. Tremblay said he and his ancestors have had to maintain an "off-farm" job to keep the roughly 37-hectare farm afloat.

Stoney Point, Ont., farmer David Tremblay said he and his ancestors have had to maintain an "off-farm" job to keep the 92-acre farm afloat. Tom Taylor/CBC News"If you can't concentrate 100 per cent at what you're doing, it's hard to be very efficient," said Tremblay. "You need to farm five, six thousand acres just to make a living."

Layton pledged to protect the small family farm by replacing the current agri-stabilization program with one that's less complicated and less costly.

"I will work with the provinces to provide affordable risk management programs so farmers get the help you need when you need it," said Layton in front of a crowd inside Tremblay's barn.

The New Democrat leader said the current program forces farmers to take on debt while they wait for government to approve their applications. The paperwork and legal costs involved are out of control, he said.

Tim Stratichuk, a McGregor, Ont. cash crop farmer, said he owes $500,000 on his roughly 323-hectare farm and works full time in Windsor, Ont, to "subsidize" his farm.

'Convincing the banker to lend me the money to put my crop in the ground every spring... there's no guarantee that at the end of the day I can pay my bills, that's the issue.'—Tim Stratichuk, farmer

"Convincing the banker to lend me the money to put my crop in the ground every spring... there's no guarantee that at the end of the day I can pay my bills, that's the issue," said Stratichuk.

When asked if he was vulnerable in rural Canada because of his stance on the gun registry, Layton said that half of his 37 members of Parliament sitting in the most recent government were from rural ridings.

The NDP have a plan to fix the gun registry and ensure money isn't wasted "like we saw the Liberals waste," added local NDP candidate Taras Natyshak.

Strategic campaigning

Layton made no bones about the fact he was in the Essex riding to steal it out from under Conservative incumbent Jeff Watson, who has held the election since 2004.

'We're in a Conservative riding today — a riding we're hoping to take," said Layton. "We are riding a wave of momentum everywhere we go, and that's because Canadians are saying Ottawa is broken."

Natyshak, who has run in previous federal elections, said the NDP is seeing increased support in his home riding of Essex.

"We know that people are looking for an alternative and they're looking for new ideas," said Natyshak. "I've not given up on the riding. I'm continuing to champion those issues, whether it's agriculture or job creation or the environment. I'm here to stay and I'm here for the people of Essex County."

Natyshak is up against Essex Liberal candidate Nelson Santos, a well-known municipal politician. Many Liberal and NDP supporters fear that the race between Natyshak and Santos will split the vote, allowing Watson, who has staunch support from the local agricultural community, to win the riding for a fourth term.

NDP leader heads north

Layton later headed to Thunder Bay, where he was scheduled to participate in a town hall event.

New Democrats hold both ridings in the Thunder Bay area. NDP candidate John Rafferty won the Thunder Bay-Rainy River riding in 2008, beating out Liberal incumbent Ken Boshcoff.

Bruce Hyer, another NDP candidate, is hoping to hang on to the other local riding, Thunder Bay-Superior North. Hyer defeated Liberal Don McArthur in 2008. McArthur was attempting to hold the seat vacated by Liberal Joe Comuzzi.

Layton brushed off suggestions he is trying to shore up his existing support.

"It's . . . important to visit all regions of the country," he told reporters. "Of course, we have the happy circumstances that in some regions of the country, we hold all the seats, virtually, like northern Ontario."

With files from The Canadian Press