January 21, 2020
Manitoba Producers to Benefit from Yield Trending
Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development advises that ongoing technological, agronomic and genetic advances have resulted in an upward trend in yields for many crops grown in the province. To help reflect these changes, yield trending will be introduced in Manitoba’s AgriInsurance program for the 2020 growing season.
A positive trend has been identified in eight crops including red spring wheat, canola, soybeans, grain corn, oats, white pea beans, irrigated processing potatoes and hemp grain. Probable yields, used to determine insurance coverage, will increase for these crops as a result of implementing yield trending.
With regular updating, as well as the implementation of yield trending, total insurance coverage will increase to almost $3 billion in 2020 with producers paying premiums similar to 2019.
Additional program changes for the 2020 growing season include:
• MASC will offer the contract price option (CPO) on canola, including specialty oil canola, and field peas. Manitoba producers have been requesting greater coverage for higher value crops for several years. This option will allow producers to blend the price from their contracted production with the base AgriInsurance dollar value (weighted by production) to better reflect expected market prices.
• Fall rye will be introduced as an eligible crop for organic insurance.
• Producers will now be eligible for a reseed benefit on annual novel crops based on 25 per cent of the per acre dollar coverage selected for their novel crops. If the annual novel crop fails to establish by June 20, a reseed benefit will be available on those acres. Producers may select from three different coverage levels: $150, $200 or $250 per acre.
• Forages used for extended-season grazing are now eligible for wildlife damage compensation. This includes crops used for in-field bale and swath grazing, as well as standing annual crops intended for grazing (e.g. corn). Producers will receive 45 per cent of the value of the loss caused by big game and waterfowl during the extended grazing period.
• Strawberries are now an eligible crop under the Wildlife Damage Compensation Program. Compensation will be available for plant loss, as well as production loss.
Manitoba has the highest level of AgriInsurance participation in Canada with over 90 per cent of annual crop acres enrolled and more than 8,000 farms are registered in the program. The total governments’ share of AgriInsurance premium for 2020-21 is expected to be $125.01 million. AgriInsurance is provided for over 70 different annual crops and forages during establishment and production, as well as for the inability to seed land in the spring due to wet conditions.
Under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, AgriInsurance premiums for most programs are shared 40 per cent by participating producers, 36 per cent by the Government of Canada and 24 per cent by the Manitoba government. Administrative expenses are paid 60 per cent by Canada and 40 per cent by Manitoba.
AgriInsurance is a risk management program administered by MASC. For more information about it and other programs, visit a MASC office or www.masc.mb.ca.
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