This October, Dale Randall’s mailbox filled up with the usual collection of now-due bills.
He was expecting a cheque from the Agricultural Income Disaster Assistance office for the final 40 percent of his 1999 AIDA payment. It would make it easier to pay his accounts.
Instead, the Hanley, Sask., farmer received a $2,823 bill.
“I wasn’t too happy about that,” said Randall.
His problem arose because he applied – as all Saskatchewan producers could do – for an interim payment on his expected 1999 AIDA payment.
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He filled out the forms, submitted them, and in March received a cheque for $2,823.
That was supposed to be 60 percent of what he would eventually receive.
He hadn’t expected to receive anything, but was pleasantly surprised to see that he qualified for about $4,000.
But when the AIDA people ran his numbers through their program a second time, in mid-summer, it turned out he didn’t qualify for a payment.
AIDA officials said they could not discuss specific claims.
Randall said his first inkling of a problem came when he got a call in the summer from an AIDA official who questioned the values Randall used for his canola deferral, the price he paid for some feeder cattle and the estimated sale price of the grain he was growing.
But he didn’t hear anything else. Until he got the bill along with a warning that he would immediately be charged interest on the overpayment.
There was no explanation from the AIDA office regarding what he had done wrong.
Saskatchewan Party deputy agriculture critic Donna Harpauer, who drew attention to Randall’s case, said farmers can’t afford to face this kind of insecurity, especially with an aid payment.
“It’s ridiculous,” said Harpauer.
Saskatchewan agriculture minister Clay Serby said he has spoken to federal agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief about AIDA’s shortcomings many times, with little result.
“It’s been a nightmare for producers,” said Serby.
Ellen Funk, an AIDA administrator, said about 800 producers have applied for interim payments from the 1998 and 1999 AIDA programs. Of those, fewer than 100 have received overpayment notices.
About 15 percent of Saskatchewan’s 25,000 AIDA applications for 1999 have been processed.
Funk said many farmers did not apply for an interim payment because of the potential problems.
“A lot of farmers don’t use it because they are concerned about the possibility of there being an overpayment,” said Funk.
Randall, who doubts if he broke even on the farm this year, said he has no intention of paying the money back.
And he said sending out overpayment notices worsens farmers’ situations.
“There’s enough stress on the farm already, let alone this,” Randall said.
