Manitoba’s Crown crop insurance agency plans to shift more staff and resources to areas of the province hardest hit by overland flooding on farmers’ fields.
The move by Manitoba Agricultural Services Corp. (MASC) is meant to make sure farmers who’ve lost crops as a result get access to excess-moisture insurance as quickly as possible, Premier Greg Selinger said Friday, when he met with producers in the province’s Interlake, the region between Lakes Manitoba and Winnipeg.
“Farmers can’t wait when they face the kinds of conditions that have swept across so much of the province,” he said. “We have made excess-moisture insurance claims our highest priority to ensure producers will receive their payments before the end of July.”
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The provincial government, he said is “also committed to working with the federal government to examine additional programs to address the current situation and will ensure producers who have been hit for the last two or three years in a row are being dealt with in those discussions.”
MASC paid out $20.6 million on excess moisture insurance claims in 2009, and “it is anticipated the program will likely exceed this amount” in 2010, the province said in a release.
Precaution
The province will also extend its coverage of the cost of water testing in flood-affected areas, Selinger said Friday.
“We are urging residents to test their well water as soon as possible as a precaution, due to record rains,” he said.
The province said it will pay all the costs of the precautionary tests, which should start after flooding has subsided. Manitoba normally subsidizes well-water testing but, “under the current circumstances,” will waive the well owner’s share until July 31 for all flooded areas.
Water samples should be marked 2010 Flood and sent to Maxxam Analytics, Unit D, 675 Berry St., Winnipeg, Man., R3H 1A7. More information is also available by calling 204-772-7276 or toll-free 800-665-8566, the province said.
