More than one million acres were either damaged or destroyed by the storms bringing hail and strong winds, leading to more than 2,800 claims of crop damage, according to the Canadian Crop Hail Association (CCHA).

“This was the biggest week for claims in August in the last decade,” said Rodney Schoettler of Saskatchewan Municipal Hail Insurance.

• RELATED: Late-season lodging flattens Manitoba cereals

Along with Saskatchewan Municipal Hail Insurance, claims were also filed through Palliser Insurance, Agriculture Financial Services Corporation, and Co-operative Hail Insurance Company.

“This was one of our busiest weeks, with multiple storms producing hail of all sizes, accompanied by big winds,” Scott McQueen of Palliser Insurance said.

CCHA members asked clients to wait patiently as companies processed claims and sent adjusters out to survey damage.

In Alberta, at least 23 communities were affected by the storms with damage to numerous crops: alfalfa, barley, dry beans, canola, chickpeas, corn, faba beans, lentils, mustard, oats, peas, timothy, triticale and wheat.

At least 24 communities in Saskatchewan saw damage to fields in surrounding areas, affecting all crops.

In Manitoba, 10 communities were affected, all in the western part of the province, with wheat, canola, corn, soybeans and peas affected.

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In Manitoba, storms that struck between Sept. 28 to 30, Oct. 14 and Oct. 19 caused damage to soybean, wheat and canola crops, according to the press release.

Parts of Saskatchewan received pea-sized hail during the same times and it was detrimental to canola, wheat, barley, flax and soybeans, said the release.

The CCHA noted that nearly all of the claims have been processed. Excessive moisture and the natural breakdown of the crops were factored in with the adjustments.

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The association’s hail report last Thursday said the ratio of claims to policies has soared due to storms on July 4, July 10 and July 16, which affected large areas in south-central and southwest Manitoba.

After the most recent cloudburst on July 20, David Koroscil of the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation said the number of claims they’ve received so far has already surpassed the annual average.

“We’ve received 2,200 claims so far this year to date. The average is 2,100 for the entire year,” Koroscil said.

Claims were still rolling in from the last couple of days and more were expected in the weeks ahead, Koroscil said July 21.

“Everyone’s seen the most severe, extensive storm this year because of the size of the hailstones — the one that went through Holland, Treherne, Notre Dame, Somerset and the Darlingford area a few days ago — but we still don’t know the size or the impact of that,” he said.

So far, storms have been considered moderate to minor because crops were at an early stage and able to recover, Koroscil said.

“We’re starting to run into situations now where the crops are all headed out and the damage becomes more severe because crops can’t recover at this stage,” Koroscil said. “We already know of reports where there has been significant damage to crops.”

Could top last year

With a month left in the growing season, Koroscil said this year looks like it will be a significant one.

Last year was one of the highest years on record, with 2,800 claims paid out for $31.1 million for the year ending Oct. 21, Koroscil said.

With hailstorms typically continuing throughout August and into September, Koroscil said this year is shaping up to be similar, if not higher than last year.

“It’s just a matter of what type of weather we receive and how many more storms we get along the way,” Koroscil said. “Another thing that plays a big role is how early harvest is — if it starts in mid-August and a lot of crops get taken off that reduces our liability as well.”

After September long weekend, the likelihood of hail drops off, but the next six weeks are critical for hail damage, Koroscil said.

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Sask. harvest ahead of normal:Saskatchewan farmers had harvested 60 per cent of the overall 2011 crop as of Sept. 12, moving ahead of the five-year average of 47 per cent after a week of favourable weather, the provincial government said last Thursday in a weekly report. Harvest progress was the most advanced for this time of year in four years. Crop yields were generally average to above average except areas in the south and southeast that had excessive spring moisture, and quality was good on crop that has been combined. Industrial oilseed assistance:Linnaeus Plant Sciences of Saskatoon has received $1.2 million from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) to advance production of green alternatives to petroleum oils. The grant will assist research into production of camelina and safflower-based oils as renewable feedstock that can substitute for petroleum in a variety of high-value, non-fuel applications including polymers, lubricants, surfactants and other valuable industrial materials. Linnaeus says the project will deliver two valuable new rotation crops to Canadian farmers.

Record China grain output:

China is likely to reap another bumper grain harvest this year, and output may rise three per cent from a year ago to a record of more than 560 million tonnes, a senior government official said. The country s total grain output may hit a record again, the eighth year with a bumper harvest, Zhang Xiaoqiang of the National Development and Reform Commission said at the World Economic Forum in Dalian. The good grain harvest would help boost supplies and ease rising food prices, which have helped drive up the country s inflation to a three-year high. Biofuel mandares distort prices:Cargill sees limited future growth of the biofuel industry and does not support the use of government mandates on bioethanol or biodiesel because such requirements distort prices. Our view on biofuels is they are here to stay but we probably won t see the growth we have seen in the last decade, Paul Conway, vice-chairman of Cargill, told Reuters. Conway said Cargill is strongly against the use of government mandates, which have been the basis for much of the expansion of the biofuel industry, particularly in the United States and Europe.

Concern grows in

Argentina:Crops in much of Argentina s No. 1 wheat-growing province are suffering from dry weather and the need for rain is becoming urgent in some districts, a report from the Agriculture Ministry said last Friday. There s real concern in the area and pessimism about future yields even if rains arrive in the next few days, the report said, referring to the Bahia Blanca district. Further north in the districts of Pergamino and Pigue, wheat crops are still in reasonable shape despite weeks of scant or nonexistent rainfall. High temps to dry soils in U.S.:Spotty showers last week improved soil moisture in some key growing areas of the parched U.S. Plains, but high temperatures could dry areas out again in the coming days, a private forecaster said Monday. It was good in some areas and not good in others, said Drew Lerner, senior agricultural meteorologist of World Weather Inc. My concern is that we are going to be very warm and dry so the heat will take away a lot of this moisture. No more rain was in the forecast to help break the drought that has plagued the region through the summer.

Hail season winding down:

In its last regular report of the season, the Canadian Crop Hail Association says that storms on Sept. 2 created a significant number of crop claims in Saskatchewan communities of Fenwood, Dysart, Lipton, Cupar, Markinch, Southey and Earl Grey. There were a few new claims in Manitoba from the same date due to a storm near Somerset. Damage is relatively light. A few claims have also been filed in Alberta from storm activity Sept. 2. A final report summarizing claim numbers and payout levels for the season will be released in late October. PepsiCo demo farms in China:PepsiCo Inc. says it plans to work with the Chinese government to promote sustainable farming and speed the development of China s rural areas, its latest effort to raise its profile in a growing market. PepsiCo said its memorandum of understanding with China calls for the company and the Ministry of Agriculture to build and operate demonstration farms and promote the best practices to China s farmers. The maker of Frito-Lay snacks, Quaker food and Tropicana orange juice said in 2010 it would invest $2.5 billion in China over three years.

The post In Brief… – for Sep. 22, 2011 appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

As of mid-week, the member companies reported a total of roughly 2,650 claims in Saskatchewan, 930 claims in Alberta and 500 claims in Manitoba.

In the two weeks since the last report, there is no appreciable hail activity to report in Manitoba. However, claims have continued to be filed from storms on July 4. That storm date accounts for more than 85 per cent of the 500 claims filed.

Many of the claims have been cancelled as damage was less than five per cent. The hardest-hit areas are east of Altona, St. Jean Baptiste, and Lowe Farm. In many cases, claims have been deferred and will be adjusted over the next couple of weeks because the crop was at such an early stage of development.

At 930, hail claims in Alberta are running behind last year and below average for this time of year. This number represents straight hail claims only and does not include claims filed under crop insurance endorsements.

Over the last two weeks, there has been storm activity somewhere in Saskatchewan on almost every date. However, the total of roughly 1,650 claims is below average for this point in the growing season.

A storm on July 12 has been the largest to date in Saskatchewan accounting for nearly one-quarter of the 1,650 claims. That storm hit central Saskatchewan including Delisle, Perdue, Kindersley, Outlook,

Rosetown, Dinsmore, Elrose, Milden and Wiseton.

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The La Nińa weather anomaly blamed for one of the worst droughts in the southern United States could revive this autumn, the U.S. Climate Prediction Center forecast July 7. The CPC said wind circulation consistent with La Nińa was persisting in the central Pacific Ocean where the anomaly is usually born.

“Combined with the … lingering La Nińa state of the atmosphere, the possibility of a return to La Nińa during the Northern Hemisphere fall (of) 2011 has increased over the past month,” the CPC stated.

Canada Food Day:

July 30 is Canada Food Day, a day to celebrate this country’s food bounty by eating an all-Canadian meal. Restaurants across the country will be offering special menus but those who prefer to celebrate at home or the cottage can cook a scrumptious Canadian meal using time-tested family recipes or by trying something new from the www.FoodDayCanada.ca website. All celebrations will pay tribute to the Canadian farmers and food systems that deliver top-quality, safe foods to our tables.

– Staff

Correction:

The cutline for the front page photo in the July 7 issue wrongly identified the flooded highway in the scene as being near Hartney. In fact, the photo was taken off Highway 3 near Melita. – Staff

The flood that never ends:

Thousands of Manitobans remain evacuated from their homes as the province continues to deal with record widespread flooding this spring. The province’s 93rd daily bulletin issued July 8 said there are 2,995 evacuees on record, but that does not include people who have self-evacuated. The flooding has also been hard on the provincial and municipal roads. There are 479 road closures still in place. Flood waters in western Manitoba damaged provincial highway bridges near Melita and Coulter, forcing local residents to travel long detours to reach livestock and property.

– Staff Hail claims lower:Insurance

claims jumped after last weekend’s hailstorms pummelled some crops across the Canadian Prairies, but claims for the year are just average to light, the Canadian Crop Hail Association said July 8. As of mid-week, the association, made up of insurance companies, reported year-to-date totals of nearly 1,000 claims in Saskatchewan, more than 300 claims in Manitoba and nearly 200 claims in Alberta.

Hail damage to crops would be greater but Saskatchewan and Manitoba farmers left millions of acres unplanted this spring due to floods.

Heat wave hits corn belt:

Hotter and drier weather was forecast to nose into the southwestern U.S. corn belt over the next two weeks as the bulk of the corn crop pollinates, raising worries about yields, forecasters said July 8. A high-pressure ridge, now centred in the southern Plains, was expected to nudge into southern Iowa, southern Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, southern Illinois and southwestern Indiana. That would raise daytime highs to near 100 F late this week through the end of the 11-to 15-day forecast period. That would affect about one-third of the U.S. corn crop. Big spenders:South Korea, the world’s fourth-largest grain importer, will invest some 10 trillion won ($9.5 billion) between 2012 and 2020 to boost grain supply, the Agriculture Ministry said in a statement July 11. South Korea, Asia’s fourth-largest economy, aims to increase the country’s grain self-sufficiency rate to 55 per cent in 2015 and 65 per cent in 2020 from 27.1 per cent last year, the statement added.

South Korea, struggling to recover from its worst outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, is battling to tame inflation like regional peers. Toothless rules:Canada is considering a request by the Canadian Wheat Board for regulated access to private grain handlers once the board loses its monopoly, federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said July 8, but he added that such access may not be enforceable.

“We’re looking at all avenues moving forward. Certainly that is on the table,” Ritz said. “But these are private-sector companies that offer services. I’m not sure that regulation could be enforceable but we’ll take a look at all ideas that come forward.”

The post In Brief… – for Jul. 14, 2011 appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Hail activity remained relatively low in Manitoba with fewer than 200 new claims in the past two weeks, the Canadian Crop Hail Association said Friday. The province’s claim total for the season is now near 2,600, the hail insurers’ group said. Most claims in the past two weeks followed storms Sept. 1, largely in a strip between Notre Dame de Lourdes and Crystal City. Claims also came from the Rosenfeld and St. Jean areas, mostly on canola crops. Crops still in the field remain vulnerable, the group said, citing “significant” hail claims well into September last year.

Que. agriculture minister dies at 41:Quebec’s agriculture, food and fisheries minister Claude Bechard died Sept. 7 of complications from pancreatic cancer, just hours after resigning his ministerial posts and his seat in the provincial assembly for health reasons. Premier Jean Charest on Sept. 8 named Municipal Affairs Minister Laurent Lessard, himself a former agriculture minister (2007-09), to replace Bechard in the agriculture ministry. Deputy Premier Nathalie Normandeau will take over Bechard’s duties as minister for Canadian intergovernmental affairs.

Pioneer plans new parent seed facility:DuPont’s Pioneer Hi-Bred seed business plans a new parent seed production facility to serve its markets across the country, processing parent seed for crops such as canola and soybeans. Construction is to begin this month on land the company bought near Wingham in southwestern Ontario. It expects the new plant to be up and operating in late 2011. The company also recently said it will expand its IMPACT research program across North America for a 50 per cent increase in the number of experimental products it can test for the 2011 season.

Goodale named Grits’ deputy leader:Former federal agriculture minister and Regina MP Ralph Goodale has been named deputy leader of the federal Liberals in advance of the party’s return to Parliament. Party leader Michael Ignatieff last week also added a new critic portfolio for rural affairs in his shadow cabinet, to be handled by Nova Scotia MP Mark Eyking, a former parliamentary secretary for agri-food. Prince Edward Island MP Wayne Easter remains the party’s agriculture critic. Goodale will be expected to take an active role in Ottawa while Ignatieff continues his current touring schedule.

Dauphin still in running

As of Sept. 10, Dauphin sits at No. 2 in the online voting for Canada’s Ultimate Fishing Town, a contest operated by Toronto-based cable TV channel WFN. Its rivals in the vote, which runs until Sept. 28, include Port Alberni and Chilliwack, B. C., Nestor Falls, Thunder Bay, Port Rowan and Seeley’s Bay, Ont., Miramichi, N. B., O’Leary, P. E. I. and Nipawin, Sask. The winning community gets a $25,000 donation toward fishing-related causes and will be featured in a 30-minute show about the town on WFN. The online contest is posted at www.wfn.tv/fishingtown.

Big Aussie wheat crop

Australia is on track for a wheat cop of 23.4 million tonnes, the largest since 2005/06, Australian Crop Forecasters (ACF) said on Monday. Rain in August and into this month boosted crops in eastern and southern Australia but dry weather saw crops wither in Western Australia, usually Australia’s top grain-exporting state. Harvesting of winter crops including wheat, canola and barley usually starts next month or November in most regions and can run into January.

Suspects eyed in bale fires

Carman RCMP say three men from the Morden/Winkler area will appear in court in Morden next month to face charges of mischief relating to allegations of a fence post thrown at a parked pickup truck south of Morden on the evening of Sept. 11. However, RCMP said, the same three people, ages 19 and 20, are also suspected of setting fire to a bale and storage shed and damaging several rural mailboxes. Plus, RCMP said, two of the three are believed to be responsible for a large fire on Aug. 21 south of Morden involving 50 hay bales and damages estimated at $2,500. Study downplays forests as carbon sink:Policymakers hoping we can use forests to suck up increasing amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide may be overestimating the role of trees as carbon sinks, a University of Guelph study suggests. The Kyoto Protocol encourages nations to use forests to sequester carbon and help meet targets for emissions of greenhouse gases, believing the carbon will “fertilize” forests. Under warming-related stress, though, some trees use water more efficiently, grow more slowly and thus store less carbon dioxide than expected, Guelph professor Madhur Anand said. Soy studied for pain prevention:Researchers at McGill University plan to follow up on suggestions raised in past studies that a soy-rich diet can help people manage post-traumatic pain. Yoram Shir’s study, launched earlier this month, will look at the potential benefits of soy in preventing chronic pain after breast cancer surgery. Pain-relieving drugs are “largely ineffective in preventing acute post-surgical pain from becoming chronic,” Shir said, but “if shown to be efficacious, (soy) would be a natural and safe preventive treatment that is easily incorporated into the everyday diet.”

The post In Brief… – for Sep. 16, 2010 appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Sharp jump in CWB PROs:

The CWB last week released its August 2010 Pool Return Outlook (PRO) for the 2010-11 crop year. Wheat values are up between $33 and $53 per tonne from last month’s PRO, depending on class, grade and protein level. Durum is up $33 to $41 per tonne. Malting barley has increased by $46 and feed barley values are up $66. A full list of payments is available at www.cwb.ca or by calling 1-800-275- 4292

– Staff

Flood fighting funded:

The federal and Manitoba governments on Friday promised a combined $29.7 million for flood protection work, including hydrometric network infrastructure, meant to improve forecasting and emergency response; “enhancements” to flood control works; gates for the Shellmouth Dam spillway; flood protection projects at Melita; and dikes for “various flood-prone communities” north of Winnipeg. The federal government also said Friday it’s identifying 75 homes on Peguis First Nation for “protection or relocation,” as well as “more permanent protection” at Peguis generally. Hail claims up about 33 per cent:Hail insurance claims in Manitoba rose by nearly 600 over the two weeks ending Aug. 27 to over 2,400 so far this season, according to the Canadian Crop Hail Association, a Prairie insurers’ group. Activity was “relatively light” during those two weeks but many storms affected “portions” of the province, particularly on a very hot, humid Aug. 12, the group said. Areas affected in Manitoba over that time included Roblin, Swan River, Birtle, Benito, Austin, Westbourne, Portage la Prairie, Notre Dame de Lourdes, Lowe Farm and Sperling.

Blahey joins CASA:

Glen Blahey has joined Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) as a health and safety specialist. He recently retired as provincial farm safety co-ordinator for the Manitoba government and has more than 28 years of experience in agricultural and occupational health and safety. “We are pleased Glen Blahey is joining the CASA team,” said Marcel Hacault, executive director of CASA, which is based in Winnipeg. “His technical experience and expertise will allow CASA to develop safety initiatives that will benefit farmers across Canada.”

Former dean passes:

Jim Elliot, dean of the University of Manitoba’s agriculture faculty from 1989 to 2000, passed away August 21 at his home in Ottawa. After obtaining a PhD in animal nutrition, Elliot worked as an assistant professor at Macdonald College and then at the Research Branch of Agriculture Canada before his appointment to the U of M as dean as well as professor of animal science. Elliot was instrumental in physical and academic renewal of the faculty, attracting some $20 million in external support. Funeral was scheduled for Thursday in Ottawa. Grandin film scores honours:Stock handling took on Hollywood chic Sunday night as the made-for-HBO movie “Temple Grandin” won seven Emmys at the U. S.TV industry awards show. On top of two earned the previous Saturday for music and film editing, the film won five more for outstanding made-for- TV movie, director (Mick Jackson), lead actress (Claire Danes, who played Grandin) and supporting actress and actor (Julia Ormond, David Strathairn). The U. S. animal science professor and livestock-handling expert, whose early life and career are the subject of the film, also attended the awards show. CN conductors plan strike vote:The union for about 2,700 conductors, yardmen and traffic co-ordinators at Canadian National Railway reports talks have broken down with CN. The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference said Sunday it sent a strike vote by mail to members and expects results by the end of September. The union argued CN wants to use the federal Labour Code “to impose a settlement on the parties rather than bargain by mutual agreement” and see the matter sent instead to arbitration. The TCRC separately represents CN engineers who the government legislated off the picket line in late 2009.

The post In Brief… – for Sep. 2, 2010 appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

The Canadian Crop Hail Association, a Prairie hail insurers’ group, last week pegged Manitoba’s total hail insurance payouts for the 2009 season at just $12.2 million, spread over 2,650 claims.

“Producer premiums in Mani toba total led $42.6 million, for a loss ratio of less than 29 per cent,” the group said in its final report of the season Friday. The province’s insurers recorded a 35 per cent loss ratio, also considered “favourable,” in 2008.

Prairie-wide, payouts to farmers for 2009 crop hail claims totalled just over $76 million, well down from a record $341 million paid out in 2008.

Nearly $264 million was collected from farmers in premiums for the 2009 season, the association said, for an industry-wide loss ratio of about 29 per cent. Prairie-wide payouts had exceeded premiums collected in 2008, for a loss ratio of 118 per cent.

Saskatchewan in 2009 recorded a “modern-times record low” in hail insurance payouts, just $23.4 million, down from the record high of $228 million in 2008. Where the 2008 loss ratio came in at 129 per cent, the 2009 ratio is “an incredibly low” 13.6 per cent, the group said.

In all, Saskatchewan farmers filed 4,075 hail claims in 2009, down from about 21,000 in 2008.

Alberta had seen “historically low” hail claims in 2009 up until a severe storm on the August long weekend, responsible for most of that province’s 2009 payouts, the association said. Farmers filed 2,032 claims, with payouts totalling $40.6 million – both numbers below half of what was seen in 2008.

The post Hail Damage Seen Below Average appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Park reservations jump:

Despite persistent cooler weather, Manitoba’s provincial parks are reporting an 8.6 per cent uptick in reservations so far this summer compared to the same time period last year. The parks reservation system counted 58,111 reservations. Conservation Minister Stan Struthers also noted the number of occupied campsites in provincial parks is up 2.6 per cent over the same period last year. “Our goal was to increase attendance by waiving park entry fees and I believe that action has had a positive effect” on numbers, he said Friday.

WTO to hear beef dispute:

The World Trade Organization has officially agreed to Canada’s July 20 request to set up a dispute settlement panel over South Korea’s ban on Canadian beef. The panel is expected to rule within the next nine months as to whether the ban, which dates back to Canada’s first domestic case of BSE in 2003, is consistent with South Korea’s WTO obligations. Canada in May had taken South Korea to WTO consultations to try and avoid this next step, but those talks “did not lead to a resolution of the issue,” according to a release from Ottawa Monday.

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