Saskatchewan crop insurance premiums up; coverage levels bumped

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Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Minister has announced this year’s crop insurance program will see an increase to $230 per acre for coverage levels, up from last year’s total per acre of $216 in the province. The increase means premiums are also going up, but not by much. The premium per acre will increase to an average of $8.61 per acre, up from $8.41 in 2018.

Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation (SCIC) is adding additional coverage for forage and grain corn producers through the corn rainfall program (CRP). The CRP will provide coverage against lack of moisture for corn acres.  Claims are triggered when precipitation is below 80 per cent of the long-term average at any of the weather stations across the province.

Also new for 2019, both CRP and the corn heat unit program will provide an establishment benefit of $90 per acre on corn crops that fail to adequately establish or suffer damage before June 20. Insured values on tame and native grazing are significantly increasing to better reflect the losses producers experience during a shortfall in forage production,

“When the grass and hay doesn’t grow, when the weather doesn’t co-operate or when animals are lost to predators, farmers and ranchers need insurance programs to help them replace the feed and livestock they are expecting to have,” Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association district five director, Levi Hull says.  “These programs help producers address those uncontrollable risks and provides some management tools.  Combine these programs with the price assurance of WLPIP and we are confident there is a full suite of insurance options available.”

Insured values on tame and native grazing are significantly increasing to better reflect the losses producers experience during a shortfall in forage production, the government says.

Fifty-five new weather stations will be added throughout the province to increase SCIC’s weather data network and to ensure the weather information captured is more reflective of the farms it represents. Almost all agricultural land in Saskatchewan will be within 30 kilometres of an eligible weather station.

For 2018, insurance claims are expected to reach an estimated $300 million due to various reasons including but not limited to excess moisture delaying seeding, dry conditions, and localized flooding, and/or early frost and snowfall delaying harvest.

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