APAS Says It’s Not Fair To Blame Producers For A Provincial Deficit

Dec 01, 2021

The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan is raising concern over the Province's claim that Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation payments caused the provincial deficit in 2021.

According to APAS Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation reported a $2.4 billion surplus for 2020 which was accumulated over previous years, as well as a sizable surplus in the reinsurance fund.

APAS Vice President Ian Boxall says it’s not fair to blame producers for a provincial deficit in a drought year when that surplus gets used up.

Boxall says over the last several years, claims have been lower than premiums, which is why a surplus was built up over time.

He notes if the Crop Insurance surplus had been invested in a dedicated fund, like the SGI Auto Fund, then that money would have been readily available for paying Crop Insurance claims.

Federal and provincial governments are also protected by reinsurance policies that insulate them from the risk of high claim years.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.