Producers have until April 14 to apply
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Farmers in Saskatchewan have more time to enroll in crop insurance.
On March 14, provincial Agriculture Minister David Marit and federal minister of agriculture Marie-Claude Bibeau announced a two-week extension.
This means producers have until April 14 to apply, reinstate, cancel or make changes to a crop insurance contract. The deadline also applies to all specialty programs including fruit trees, wild rice, bee mortality and honey production.
The previous deadline was March 31.
Individual coverage will remain the same if a producer doesn’t make any changes.
The ministers decided on an extension because of logistical challenges.
“Due to logistical challenges because of the ongoing supply-chain issues posed by the pandemic, there was a delay in the delivery of the 2022 Crop Insurance packages to producers’ addresses,” a March 14 release says. “These challenges occurred after the packages left the Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation (SCIC) on February 25, 2022.”
Sask. farmers should expect to pay more for crop insurance in 2022.
In February, Ministers Marit and Bibeau announced changes to the crop insurance program.
For 2022, farmers will pay an average of $405 per insured acre, compared to $273 per acre in 2021. These increases mean premiums will also be about $12.05 per acre higher.
These changes are “due to higher commodity prices and increased yield coverage,” a Feb. 22 statement says.
Farms.com has contacted ag groups in Saskatchewan for comment.