Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan provide additional support for producers; low yield appraisal change encourages poor crops be used as feed

Today, the federal and provincial governments announced Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation (SCIC) is implementing extraordinary measures to offer support to Saskatchewan livestock producers facing challenges resulting from dry conditions this year, allowing additional acres of low yielding cereal and pulse crops to be diverted to feed. This incentive allows crop producers to make timely decisions to make additional feed available to graze, bale or silage.

When crops are severely damaged and the appraised yield falls below an established threshold level, the yield is reduced to zero for the Crop Insurance claim. In response to the feed shortage this year, SCIC is doubling the low yield appraisal threshold values allowing customers to salvage their cereal or pulse crops as feed, without negatively impacting future individual coverage. For example, the 2023 threshold level for oats is 10 bushels per acre. With a doubled low yield appraisal, the threshold increases to 20 bushels per acre for a producer intending to utilize the oats for feed. The claim is determined using a zero-bushel yield and the original 20 bushels appraised yield is used to update future Crop Insurance coverage.