Agricorp, the province’s farm program delivery agency, announced in late December the feature first introduced in 2020 will be included again in 2022, at the same coverage level provided in the 2021 program year.

Agricorp said it will automatically add the coverage to customer policies for 2022 and farmers won’t need to sign up to get it. Insured farms will be covered for the COVID-19 labour disruption peril whether they chose multi-peril or a single peril of hail, frost, or hail and frost.

Specifically, the coverage is for production losses that are due to a producer’s illness or quarantine due to COVID-19; an inability to fulfill contracted on-farm labour due to COVID-19; and/or illness or quarantine of on-farm labour due to COVID-19.

In those cases, the policy will include production loss coverage for yield-based commodities; abandonment threshold coverage for fresh vegetables, on an acreage loss basis; mortality loss coverage for fruit trees and grape vines; and colony loss coverage for bee health.

Such losses will be covered for the “full duration” of a farm’s 2022 policy, from when the crop is planted until harvest or until the end of the farm’s policy term, Agricorp said.

That means it covers on-farm labour disruption losses through the growing season for the insured commodity — such as labour required to care for a crop after planting — as well as on-farm labour disruptions at harvest.

A farmer covered for such losses will need to contact Agricorp “without delay” if yield losses or mortalities in trees, vines or bees take place due to on-farm labour disruption.

The coverage applies to all commodities except forage, Agricorp said, and does not apply to coverages not listed above — that is, coverages such as unseeded acreage, replanting, salvage or bypassed acreage. It also doesn’t cover crops intended to be harvested in 2023 — for example, winter wheat seeded this fall.

The added coverage also doesn’t extend to “post-harvest” labour disruption losses such as in an on-farm or off-farm packing house or processing facility, nor to transportation of crops.

It also won’t cover loss of market for any reason, including COVID-19 — for example, a lack of customers at a U-pick farm. Losses that “cannot be verified” or aren’t directly related to the insured farm’s operations also won’t be covered.

Also, Agricorp noted, “it is important to understand that this added peril will not increase the existing limits of your coverage, but will be assessed within them.”

The coverage also requires farmers to make a “good faith effort to secure sufficient labour” for the 2022 program year, Agricorp said, meaning the agency may ask for information about steps taken to secure labour. — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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Agricorp, the provincial farm program delivery agency, announced the extension Thursday.

The extension gives farmers the “time and flexibility to make business decisions and to assess their program coverage needs, especially in the current challenging times,” Agricorp said in a release.

The change won’t affect farmers’ coverage options, the agency said, and program delays “will not cause gaps in coverage.”

That said, farmers are advised not to wait until the last day to file, so as to allow time for Agricorp to process applications and “do any necessary follow-up.”

Several other program deadlines have been extended for Ontario growers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including enrolment deadlines for RMP coverage, enrolment and payment deadlines for AgriStability and payment deadlines for fruit and forage production insurance. — Glacer FarmMedia Network

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The extended premium payment deadline applies only to production insurance plans for fruit, strawberries and asparagus — and to the forage rainfall insurance plan, which uses rainfall as an indicator of forage yield and/or quality.

Coverage options for 2020 won’t be affected, and program extensions won’t cause gaps in coverage, “ensuring farmers continue to have coverage in place,” the provincial ag program delivery agency, Agricorp, said in a release.

Other production insurance premium deadlines “are staying the same at this time” and other production insurance program plan deadlines, such as enrolment and renewal, “also remain unchanged,” Agricorp said.

The deadline extension announced Monday “gives farmers the flexibility to pay later if they need to” as they deal with “challenges and uncertainties brought on by the COVID‑19 outbreak.”

Agricorp on Monday advised farmers paying premiums to do so through their financial institutions, online or by phone, as it “takes only a few minutes and is easier than paying by cheque, especially with the challenges of the current outbreak.”

If they wish, farmers “can still mail a cheque, but they should allow extra time for processing.” — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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Agricorp, the province’s production insurance and farm program delivery agency, announced extensions Friday for several of its planting deadlines.

Corn growers in areas A, B, C and D on the map above get an extra two days to plant, as the deadline for corn in area D moves to Wednesday, June 12, from Monday, June 10. For corn in areas A, B and C, the deadline moves to June 17 from June 15.

Soybean growers in those four areas get an extra five days, as the deadline in area D moves to June 25 from June 20, and the deadline in areas A, B and C moves to July 5 from June 30.

Growers of coloured and white beans also get five more days, as the deadline in areas D and E moves to June 25 from June 20 and the deadline in areas A, B and C moves to July 5 from June 30.

The agency’s full list of deadlines, extended or otherwise, is available online.

Decisions to grant extensions are made based on risk assessments and “consulting with industry” as well as approval from both the provincial ag ministry and federal agriculture department.

Growers calling to report planted acres will have a smaller window of time to do so, Agricorp said. Thus, the agency expects an “influx” of high call volumes during the rest of June as “many producers may call to report at the same time.”

Agricorp said its customers could also receive short automated email and phone messages on such matters from the agency in the next few weeks, and added that “each message is different, so customers are encouraged to listen to and/or read each message.”

Growers still unable to plant their intended crop or an alternative crop by deadline, if wet weather continues, may be eligible for Agricorp’s unseeded acreage benefit, if they insured all grain and oilseed acres.

Unseeded acreage claims are processed after an eligible grower reports his or her final acres and premiums are paid. The benefit is subject to a premium of $1 per unseeded acre; growers would pay that premium and receive their unseeded acreage benefit payments at the same time. — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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The province’s Agriculture Financial Services Corp. (AFSC) last week said it will now provide insurance coverage for a malting end-use for growers with malt barley contracts.

The coverage is subject to a contract from a licensed buyer, with a minimum of 40 tonnes contracted, AFSC said.

However, clients won’t be able to insure both malt barley and commercial barley for the same crop year. If both malt and feed barley varieties are grown on the same farm, coverage will be restricted to commercial on all barley acres a producer grows.

Among other changes for 2016, organic producers will now be eligible for production insurance, through a new option that will work “similarly” to AFSC’s standard production insurance programs.

AFSC’s annual insurance program has been changed to include winterkill as a designated peril for pedigreed alfalfa seed production loss insurance.

Individual coverage will now be available through the bee overwintering insurance program.

More changes will also be made to field pea insurance “as the crop shifts to an edible end-use,” AFSC said, and a new distinct category will be set up for yellow dry beans.

AFSC clients will also see a 14 per cent increase in dollar coverage per acre in 2016, the province said, due to “a combination of increasing spring insurance prices and yields.” — AGCanada.com Network

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“We have had a great turnout this year and also had over 40 students from Assiniboine Community College’s agribusiness program attend the second day of the conference,” said Danielle Cabernel, rural leadership specialist with MAFRD.

The two-day event gave young producers an opportunity to network and gain knowledge about farm and business management tools, including production risk management, strategic planning, understanding margin, production insurance, the value of cash advances and using insurance as a risk management tool.

Keynote speaker John Fast, a communication and family business specialist, tackled the topic of succession planning.

“Only 10 per cent of issues in family businesses are legal and financial. What really sinks family businesses are conflicts, grudges and unspoken assumptions. Communication is key to successful succession planning,” Fast told a room full of fourth-, fifth- and sixth-generation farmers.

He discussed the advantages of a family-run business and ran a breakout session to determine interpersonal communication styles and how these can affect a family-run operation.

“Avoiding conflict can be the death of a business. The fear of conflict and the fear of having difficult conversations is often a primary reason why succession planning doesn’t happen or fails.”

A panel of three young area farmers discussed farm transfer plans, including issues such as retaining capital through tax savings, security of investment, separation of the ownership of the land from the farming operation, methods of transferring farm assets to children and the challenges of splitting farm assets between farming and non-farming siblings.

Chris Sumner, morning talk show host and news director for Country88, gave a presentation about why today’s producers should make an effort to connect with consumers and how they can utilize conventional and social media to better communicate with end-users.

“Connecting with the consumer has never been easier and I believe will lead to a better bottom line for your operations, so why aren’t we doing it?”

Sumner said much of the disapproval and concern about industry issues emanates from lack of knowledge around who producers are, what they do and how they do it.

“The level of knowledge about farming in today’s urban dweller is very low,” said Sumner. “It means that we need to make an effort to connect with these consumers to ensure they are receiving accurate, truthful information, day in and day out. If we don’t tell our story, who will?”

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Agricorp, which manages Ontario’s provincial farm programs and production insurance, said Thursday its move will allow forage growers enrolled in the forage rainfall plan to choose stations closer to the spots where their crops are grown.

The forage rainfall plan covers eligible growers for insufficient rainfall during May, June, July and August, and/or for excess rainfall during first cut.

Agricorp gets its rainfall data from a weather service using a network of 350 rainfall collection stations. Until this year, a forage grower would have to choose one of those stations and base 100 per cent of his or her production insurance coverage on that station’s data.

This year, however, the same producer can pick up to three stations in the geographical township where he or she grows forage, or in an adjacent geographical township. If neither township has a station, the grower can pick the stations closest to the forage stand being insured, Agricorp said.

For example, a grower can choose to allocate 70 per cent of coverage to one station and 30 per cent to another, making the coverage more reflective of the rainfall where the forage is grown.

Agricorp said its renewal packages, which were mailed late last month, will include a list of rainfall stations.

Producers interested in the forage rainfall plan have until May 1 to contact Agricorp, the agency said. — AGCanada.com Network

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Soybeans are expected to be the largest pedigreed seed crop in Manitoba this year, the province said in a release, and the increased coverage is expected to reflect the “additional cost” of producing the seed.

Among other changes, announced Tuesday during Manitoba Ag Days in Brandon, the guaranteed grade for oil sunflowers will be boosted to No. 1 Canada, up from No. 2 Canada, “which better reflects the average grade” in the province.

Manitoba’s AgriInsurance will also see the escalating deductible for coarse hay go to a flat 20 per cent for the Harvest Flood option — a program feature introduced last year for forage producers.

The province said its new suite of forage insurance programs will continue in 2015, “to provide producers with enhanced benefits and options at a reduced premium cost.”

The Pasture Days Insurance Pilot program continues to be offered in 2015 to 90 producers to test the concept of providing coverage for situations where cattle have to be removed from pasture earlier than normal due to weather conditions.

Work also continues on developing a hog mortality insurance program, the province said.

AgriInsurance premium rates in Manitoba will fall by an average of 11 per cent in 2015 compared to last year.

“With probable 10-year average yields increasing, participating producers will, on average, be paying lower premium for higher coverage this year,” the province said.

With over 8,600 farm operations enrolled in AgriInsurance in Manitoba, the program’s total insured coverage is expected to be over $2.3 billion.

Soy research

The province on Tuesday also announced over $443,000 in federal/provincial funding for seven soybean production research projects, with industry and grower groups putting up $796,000.

The research projects are to be funded through the Manitoba Pulse Growers Association and other “industry partners” such as the Western Grains Research Foundation. The public funding comes from Growing Innovation – Agri-Food Research and Development Initiative (GI-ARDI), funded through the federal/provincial Growing Forward 2 farm policy funding framework.

Among other topics, the projects will focus on how phosphorus fertilizer application, soil temperature and crop residue affect soybean emergence; control methods for pests such as soybean cyst nematode and root rot; and organic soybean production strategies.

Behind canola and wheat, soybeans were Manitoba’s third most commonly grown crop in 2014, with an estimated annual farm gate value of more than $435 million. — AGCanada.com Network

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The province said Wednesday it’s proposing to amend its Crop Insurance Act and grant itself authority to expand production insurance beyond just crops. That authority already is available to every other provincial government in Canada, the province noted.

“Giving more producers the opportunity to access production insurance will help them better manage risk and encourage greater innovation, profitability and job creation in the agri-food sector,” provincial Agriculture Minister Jeff Leal said in a release.

The new legislation, dubbed the Agriculture Insurance Act, would authorize the provincial government to broaden the scope of its production insurance plan “in the event of unexpected loss of production for agriculture products.”

Ontario as of 2013 offered production insurance on almost 90 commercially grown crops, among them grains, oilseeds, certain fruits and vegetables, forages and honey. Over five million acres, held by over 14,000 producers, were covered, the province said.

Allowing more types of products to be covered, the province said, would fulfill a pledge made to farmers under the federal/provincial Growing Forward 2 (GF2) ag policy funding framework agreement in 2013.

The province on Wednesday didn’t name any specific sectors to which it may expand production insurance. Industry representatives or groups interested in such a plan would be urged to work with the province.

GF2, which took effect in April last year, laid out guidelines by which provinces could develop and implement livestock production insurance plans through the AgriInsurance program.

AgriInsurance-backed programming is delivered in Ontario through Agricorp. — AGCanada.com Network

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The federal government doesn’t expect to announce any ad hoc aid programs for Ontario farmers suffering from drought, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz told reporters in Saskatoon July 31.

“I think we have fullness in our programming that allows us the latitude to address this,” Ritz said.

Earlier in the day Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty asked Ottawa to join his government is assessing support options for livestock producers affected by dry weather under the AgriRecovery program, designed to provide farmers with disaster relief.

The request triggered a 45-day assessment period, Ritz said. In the meantime drought-affected farmers can expect support through AgriInsurance and possibly AgriStability, he said.

“We will work as judiciously and as quickly as we can in getting those assessments done so farmers have access to the cash they need to continue moving,” Ritz said. “We’re more concerned at this point about the livestock sector, which is going to need access to feed because pastures just aren’t there.”

Ritz said he hopes in the future Ontario livestock producers will protect themselves by purchasing forage insurance. Only about 10 per cent of Ontario’s forage acres are insured, compared to 75 to 80 per cent of annual crop acres.

Farmers should get cash for lost crops through AgriInsurance relatively quickly and eligible farmers can also apply for advances against pending AgriStability payments, Ritz said.

Recently two inches of rain in some parts of agri-Ontario brought some relief, Ritz said. It should help the soybean crop, but it’s too late for the corn, he added.

While touring farms in eastern Ontario, Ted McMeekin, minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs, also called on the federal government to accelerate tax relief for livestock producers in affected regions through the identification of Prescribed Drought Regions.

Ontario is committing that farmers in Prescribed Drought Regions will be protected from reductions in their AgriStability coverage if they are:

• Experiencing challenges from the lack of rain and dry conditions

• Forced to sell breeding stock due to hay and pasture shortages

Once an area has been identified as a Prescribed Drought Region farmers are allowed to defer a portion of the sale proceeds to a future tax year, according to an Ontario government news release.

Primary agriculture contributes $4.7 billion to Ontario’s economy.

About 15,000 Ontario farmers are enrolled in production insurance, 10,000 in the risk management programs and 18,000 in AgriStability.

Ontario has 74,840 farmers in total.

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