Farmers want insurance and assistance programs that work, according to delegates at the recent Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan annual meeting.
They passed resolutions calling for better programs, including two motions addressing crop damage by waterfowl and wildlife and another that called for crop insurance programs to be made more relevant to today’s operations and costs.
Garry Moroz of the Rural Municipality of St. Philips said damage from waterfowl is considerable.
“The way the compensation is being paid right now is not quite fair to the producers,” he said.
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APAS representatives want compensation to be paid at 100 percent with no deductible required.
Don Connick of Gull Lake noted that the resolution was identical to one passed at the midterm convention last summer. It was taken to the provincial government and the response was that removing the deductible would remove the landowners’ incentive to try to prevent damage.
Charlie Anderson of the RM of Ponass Lake said a deductible had to be in place to stop petty claims.
The representatives also passed a resolution calling for wildlife damage to be paid at 100 percent, with a $100 maximum deductible, and to include yards and shelterbelts. Several noted that deer and moose are starting to move into yards and cause damage not covered under the wildlife compensation program.
Crop insurance in general drew criticism from the representatives, even though agriculture minister Bob Bjornerud assured them the Saskatchewan Party government would follow through with its election promise to review the program.
Resolutions were not aimed solely at the province.
APAS wants the federal Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration to put more money into its water supply program and extend it to include multiple sites on quarter sections.
Representatives agreed a commodity-based farm support program with a cost-of-production mechanism and return on investment should be developed.
