The Government of Alberta and Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) are working hard to help producers this spring, and 92 per cent of pre-seeding claims are complete.
The 2019 growing season was challenging for producers, with poor harvest weather and early snowfall, resulting in more than one million insured acres remaining in the field over the winter.
“Farmers in Alberta have just gone through one of the toughest harvests in recent memory and now face the many repercussions of COVID-19. We are working with AFSC to simplify their operations to be more efficient at processing claims while also improving service standards and responsiveness for farmers and ranchers.” Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry
AFSC adjusters have committed to settling outstanding cases quickly so that farmers can move on with seeding. As of May 20, adjusters have completed nearly all of the outstanding inspections – only about 130 inspections remain and are currently in progress. New wildlife claims continue to come in, and AFSC is responding quickly.
AFSC made a number of operational changes, including increasing the number of claims verified remotely using yield volume and quality data compared with supporting weather data without on-site inspection.
“Our adjusters have been working hard, and we’ve geographically moved them to meet peak needs. We’ve assigned the majority of cases received to our adjusters and the bulk of outstanding inspections and wildlife claims were completed the first week of May.” Jerry Bouma, interim chief executive officer, AFSC
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted how AFSC approaches day-to-day operations, staff are available by phone or email to help producers arrange inspections, purchase insurance, enrol in AgriStability, request a loan or answer questions. Branch offices remain open but have restricted public access.
AFSC serves the Alberta agricultural community, and their programs and services are available to help clients get ready for the growing season.
Source : alberta.ca