As seeding progress stalled last week, Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp. extended the deadlines for farmers to get their crops in the ground and still have insurance.For some, however, the extension won’t help. They need up to 10 days of good drying weather to get on their fields and by then the new deadline of June 20 will have passed.“Mother Nature’s got to co-operate with us,” said agriculture minister Bob Bjornerud.At a meeting last week in Foam Lake, Sask., more than 30 rural municipalities declared themselves disaster areas so they qualify for assistance to repair flood-damaged roads, culverts and bridges.On the agricultural side, declaring a disaster means little.“I didn’t think it was that bad,” said Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities director Harvey Malanowich.“But when I drove up there, I had a real eye opener. At average, within the region, we’re at 28 percent seeded.”His Canora district includes 43 RMs in the east-central and northeastern part of the province.There are pockets where people were able to get on their land, but those who received heavy snowfall and rain earlier this spring are out of luck.Malanowich said declaring an agricultural disaster is a sign of the frustration farmers are feeling.“AgriRecovery, that’s our ace in the hole,” he said.Bjornerud said now that AgriRecovery is in place, it should be easier to trigger but said it’s too early to say whether it will be necessary.Near Fosston, Sask., Mervin Mary-niak had only seeded about 80 of the 2,000 acres he planned to seed as of May 31.“I’ll probably never get it all done,” he said. “There is water all over the place.”He said seeding progress was variable.“Some guys better get realistic here because I don’t think this crop is going to go in the ground,” Maryniak said. “You can’t put a 60-foot air seeder and a big four-wheel-drive tractor and tank full of product out there when the base can’t support it.”The date by which farmers can seed and still have insurance is June 15 in most areas. Barley, oats, mustard, peas and Polish canola have until June 20. Producers in west-central, Moose Jaw and Estevan areas have until June 20.Chickpeas are not included in the extended dates.Customers who can’t seed as of June 20 may claim the unseeded acreage benefit, which provides $50 per eligible claim acre on land that is too wet to seed.However, Malanowich noted that few farmers would actually get $50. A five percent deductible is taken off the top and a formula is used to calculate payments.
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