WINNIPEG — Farmers have seen more weather related hardships this year than normal, which is reflected in an above-average number of hail and reseed damage claims.
Summer hail and frost at the end of June and beginning of July took a toll on crops, leading to insurance claims higher than the five-year average.
The Manitoba Agricultural Service Corp. (MASC) received 3,380 hail damage insurance claims this year, compared with the five-year average of 2,000.
“It is slightly more than the highest we’ve had,” said David Van Deynze, manager of claims at MASC.
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Farmers also made an especially high amount of reseed-related claims.
Frost claims are lumped in with other losses, but registered reseed claims to MASC were 3,290 compared with the five-year average of 1,000 claims.
Van Deynze said it’s been one of the busiest reseed years that the corporation has ever had, and the vast majority of this year’s claims are frost related.
“I know even the most prosperous farmers face challenges dealing with everything from crop disease to risk management,” said provincial agriculture minister Ron Kostyshyn.
“This year was a prime example.”
He said most producers are pleased with how their crops turned out, despite a large amount of reseeding.
“They are going to be yielding average to above average, just because timely moisture accelerated the germination of it,” he said.
Manitoba’s harvest is 80 to 90 percent finished, according to the province’s most recent crop report.
