Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) has paid more than $27.5 million in excess moisture insurance claims under the AgriInsurance program as a result of the extreme wet weather this spring, Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Minister Stan Struthers announced today.
“This payment is the second highest in the history of the Excess Moisture Insurance (EMI) program. Almost 2,400 claims have been filed on approximately 634,000 acres of unseeded land and 98 per cent of claims had been paid by July 31. Our farmers are experiencing challenging times and I am very pleased that we are ensuring money gets into the hands of producers,” said Struthers.
EMI statistics show that 2010 was the second-wettest spring since the start of the program 10 years ago. (see website for the table)
Starting with the 2000 crop year, farmers enrolled in AgriInsurance have been automatically insured for the basic EMI coverage of $50 per acre.
Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) offers flexible and affordable insurance to producers throughout Manitoba, Struthers said. Over 60 different crops are insurable through MASC, with producers able to select crop coverage at 50 per cent, 70 per cent and 80 per cent of their probable yields.
This year, Manitoba farmers are also eligible to receive an additional $30 per acre for unseeded and flooded acres from the 2010 Canada-Manitoba Excess Moisture Assistance Program, which is an AgriRecovery program, to rehabilitate affected annual cropland. This cash infusion works in concert with other insurance programs offered by Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC). It is expected this emergency assistance program will provide an additional $60 million, made up of $36 million (60 per cent) from the government of Canada and $24 million (40 per cent) from the Manitoba government.
As of the Aug. 3 deadline, more than 4,500 applications for the AgriRecovery program have been received. Under the program, producers receive up to $30 per acre in assistance to adopt measures to protect, rehabilitate and manage affected cropland.
“Farming is a high cost business. When hit with the level of losses incurred this year, it is important that we help farmers with their cash flow pressures,” said Struthers.
