Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development is launching a review to better understand the purchasing decisions of Manitoba producers when it comes to forage insurance products available through Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC).
Agriculture and Resource Development Minister Blaine Pedersen made the announcement Tuesday at Keystone Agricultural Producers' (KAP) Annual General Meeting in Winnipeg.
“Manitoba forage producers have had back-to-back challenging production years,” said Pedersen. “We also know that a relatively small proportion of forage acres are insured, compared to annual crops. To bridge that gap, we need to better understand their risks, challenges and how the current program does or does not meet their needs.”
More than 1,200 producers currently have forage insurance, representing more than 272,000 acres. This represents about 18 per cent of the more than 1.5 million eligible acres in Manitoba. For comparison, about 90 per cent of annual crop acreage is insured through MASC.
Mike Lesiuk, a former provincial director of agricultural policy, will lead the review. It will ask forage producers for their perceptions about insurance products, how they currently manage risks and how the program can evolve to support growth in Manitoba’s livestock sector.
The review will also include an environmental scan of other programs available in Canada and related research.
Recommendations will be provided to MASC and the minister later this spring.
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