Alberta Farmers reviewing 2022 Crop Insurance Changes

Mar 14, 2022

Farmers are busy finalizing this year's cropping plans and reviewing their risk management plans.

Agriculture Financial Services Corporation manages the program.

Among the changes for 2022:

Silage Greenfeed Insurance - Lack of Moisture which includes a reduction in recorded precipitation by 1.0 mm when daily temperatures reach 30 C, and by another 2.0 mm for a total of 3.0 mm when temperatures reach 35 C. As well, the minimum moisture threshold has increased from 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm.

Straight Hail Insurance - The canola base rate has dropped from 1.75 per cent to 1.5 per cent. For yellow, green and other field peas base rates have increased from 1.5 per cent to 1.75 per cent. AFSC notes factors for these crops were adjusted to better reflect the expected losses for these crops based on analysis of the historical experience of the premiums collected and indemnities paid. Also note that fields that have had previous hail damage are not eligible for Straight Hail Insurance.

Weather Stations - One new weather station has been added at Wardlow, while the Violet Grove weather station has been decommissioned. Two weather stations, Dapp and Bow Island North, have been replaced with Pibroch and Winnifred respectively. Clients who had selected Violet Grove, Dapp or Bow Island North in the previous year can update their selected weather stations by completing a Change Request prior to April 30. Producers are encouraged to review the Weather Station Map at afsc.ca as weather stations can change.

Alberta Premium Reduction - for 2022 this has been discontinued due to extreme weather events of 2021. Last year, based on a healthy insurance crop fund reserve, AFSC was able to provide clients with a 20 per cent premium reduction on the majority of insurance premiums. The plan was to re-evaluate the premium reduction annually and adjust based on the events of the previous year. Due to the major weather events of 2021, claim payouts are predicted to be the highest in AFSC’s history. This will result in a significant decrease in the fund reserve, making the Alberta Premium Reduction unsustainable and the discontinuation of the initiative for 2022 and subsequent years.

April 30, is the last day to make changes to (including updating your Declared Acres), or cancel your crop insurance coverage.

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Video: Alberta Honey: A Day at Molenkamp Honey Farms

When was the last time you read the label on your honey?

We spent a day at Molenkamp Honey Farms with Michael Molenkamp, who has been keeping bees for 17 seasons and runs three to four thousand hives. In mid-September, he was finishing treatments and getting his bees ready for winter, and he walked us through how Alberta honey gets made.

Alberta has just 150 commercial beekeepers running 300,000 colonies, and together they produce 40% of Canada’s honey. Long summer days and golden canola fields give Alberta honey a light flavour that’s hard to match anywhere else.

Molenkamp calls Alberta beekeepers some of the most resilient farmers he knows. There’s plenty of Alberta honey to go around, but a lot on our shelves isn’t from here, so his ask is simple. Give the label a second look and choose honey made by Alberta beekeepers, or buy straight from a beekeeper near you.