CCHA Reports Near-Record Hail Claims In 2021

Nov 17, 2021

The Canadian Crop Hail Association (CCHA) says extremely damaging storms resulted in near-record claims for farmers across Western Canada in 2021 despite a decrease in overall storm activity.

“What looked to be an average storm season at the start resulted in record-high claim payments,” said CCHA President Scott McQueen. “The industry’s claims payments were up 78 percent compared to the 5-year average.”

Insurance payments to Prairie producers will total more than $322 million – an amount not seen since 2008. Producer premiums totalled more than $309 million for an industry loss ratio of 104 percent.

CCHA insured more than $8 billion in crops in 2021.

Saskatchewan was the hardest hit with an industry loss ratio of 134 percent compared to 65 percent in 2020. Alberta followed with a 97 percent loss ratio, compared to 75 percent in 2020. Manitoba was the only province to record a positive year with a loss ratio of more than 26 percent.

“We are proud to have helped prairie farmers weather an extremely tough season and have the resources they will need to plant again next year to grow the food we rely on,” McQueen said. “We also thank our adjusters who worked tirelessly to stay ahead of the combines and ensure farmers received much-needed relief in a timely fashion.”

CCHA members have completed final hail damage claims.

McQueen said It’s never too early to start planning insurance coverage for next season.

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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.