Crop Insurance Deadlines

[skhadenuf]

Wondering what is the deadline signup date in Alberta and Manitoba. Sure didn't give us much time to decide on the program here in Sk. with the advance numbers just out for canola growers etc. What are the premium rates in those provinces also? With nothing for coverage bushel wise and high premiums more time should have been allowed to decide. Prices had better stay up because with these kind of premiums if we hit a slide in prices our insurances will be even more of a disaster than they are now.
In last year's flooded acres did crop insurance in Manitoba and Alberta make you farmers work your flooded areas in the seeded fields before you were elegible for the establishment payment and unseeded acreage payments and the 15 cover crop?

[stubblejumper]

Dates have always been the same. Would sept 1st be a better date? then you would know if you needed insurance or not.

[skhadenuf]

Stubblejumper, must be a good day for some to be a smartass, although probably is everyday!! Just asking a question but I guess if your not just a closed minded block head a person maybe isn't allowed to ask a question on this forum. Unless I was misinformed Albertans many times are half done seeding and still have option to take crop insurance or not, that's quite an advantage, if it's true, and therefore rates of insurance should be adjusted accordingly. What are the deadlines to sign-up in Manitoba and Alberta, simple question, must have hit a nerve!!! !

[just_wondering]

Any thoughts on opting out of crop insurance, and just using the Agristability as a backstop for cash advances?

[skhadenuf]

I truly wish that option was viable, however in our area we have next to nothing for margins because we lost 3,4,or 5 years of crop in the last 6 or 7 crops so not many of us have a margin worth anything. Same problem as the crop insurance calculation for yield coverage. And on top of that the CAIS or Agristability whatever it is called keeps sending different manrgins every time they recalculate different years so not even sure what they consider many of our margins to even be, I guess depends what day of the month you get a printout. There are alot of us in this situation and don't want to sound whiney although likely am, but there were alot of us that were told by certain politicians that they understood our situation and understood the shortcomings of the programs, things were going to be different, yet what has really changed. As mentioned before the CWB issue is very important but not the only problem out there. I know some others may think it amusing the situation we are in and unless a person lives it they don't have a clue until it hits their home area and looking at the drought map maybe in 2 or three years of consecutive droughts and a look at the coverages resulting etc maybe then the idea will hit home. Thanks for the suggestion anyhow!

[just_wondering]

thanks for the thoughts, I was thinking more for myself as that's what I've been hemming over all week and thanks for your input those are the types of things I've been going over
have you figured out any way to get Barley to pencil out.
Another problem with the crop insurance program is how far out they go to calculate average yields, ours go back 25 years when we used discers and not a lot of fertalizer, or other management practices so guaranteed yields are about 2/3 of or current average crop.

[just_wondering]

I found a worksheet that can be used to determine which is better crop insurance or agristability, on farms that DO qualify(sorry skhadenough)

http://www.accfarmersfinancial.ca/application_pdfs/APP%20Calculator.xls

[dfarms11]

To answer your question sk, I don't know for sure but, it has always been the end of April, I don't think that it has changed this year. I havent even received my coverages yet.

[skhadenuf]

I actually checked the web pages for Alberta and Manitoba crop insurances (should have thought about it initially) and Manitoba's deadline is same as here March 31, Alberta's appears to be April 30. That's quite an advantage, not only will some of the crop be in the ground before the deadline but it gives a lot more time to see where the market prices will be headed, therefore advantage to whether or not to select market price etc. or take crop insurance as apposed to agristability, with the moisture in our area if we knew we could get the crop in, most of us would dump crop insurance in a heartbeat. As I mentioned anyone that has had multiple uncontrolable disasters and low coverage or low coverage as "just-wondering" mentioned above, any kind of decent year and that big premium is a major drag in the end. We got our crop insurance info 10 days ago, that's not alot of time considering prices for advances etc. just out, no one expects to be able to select your coverage in the fall as was joked about above but why can one province give the advantage that the next does not have. The statement that coverages are up is a bit of a mis-statement because the dollar value is up, but the bushel coverages are not and that's what triggers any payment. There is a group of 8 or 9 of us that meet for coffee usually once a week and discuss these and other issues as you can expect, most are not interested in putting their concerns in public but as has been stated in other threads regarding CWB etc. if you want things changed do something about it. As another example, one of those young neighbors, father passed on about 5,6 years ago, there was no million dollar life insurance etc. and a tough time to be taking over the farm to begin with. So he and his wife only farmed for 5 years, only grew field peas 2 times and unfortunately even though a stand of about 40 to 50 bushels both lost, once to flooding which rotted the crop, and a hail storm. His coverage now through crop insurance is 10.2 bushels per acre at 80% coverage, is about 55 bucks an acre. Seed to buy is around 48 bucks itself. Cash advance is 10.2 X 2.99 is roughly 30 bucks an acre. It would take him several above bumper crops to get any kind of decent coverage built up under this method, it's not even laughable. Basically as he said can't afford to risk seeding it. When he called the minister's office he was told that the senior managers have made the reccommendations that create programs' direction, well if so I don't think there is much doubt as to what needs to be done there in a hurry. And as mentioned earlier this is not remote examples of just how inept this program is for some in sask. Our new ag minister vowed to change the program make it better, to give him the benefit of the doubt I encourage others to list their concerns or call his office etc.

[food4u]

When I first took out crop insurance the dead line was the end of April. Mr. Romanow came along in the nineties and decided that seeing some farmers in the southwest were able see what their winter wheat was doing before taking crop insurance, that this was not fair.They backed the deadline to March 31st but forgot to tell office staff to get the info out faster.

[vvalk]

In AB the deadline is April 30. We still have not received our rates yet but our insurance is changing to a differnet form of individual coverage. We also have a Spring price endorsement where we can lock in the price given and get paid if the prices go down 10% or more. this gets paid out regardless of yield.