New Delhi | Reuters — India will launch a new farm crop insurance scheme early next year and use drones and other technologies to assess crop damage, the agriculture minister said Wednesday, in what could be Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first major move to address rural hardship. The impact of unseasonal rains and two straight […] Read more

India to launch new crop insurance scheme

Crop insurance payouts soar after drought and hail
The final tally will top $700 million and may reach $900 million, with more than 6,400 hail claims processed already
Reading Time: 3 minutes While yields may be better than expected in many areas, this season’s drought and hail still hit producers hard. Agricultural Financial Services Corporation expects to pay out between $700 million and $900 million in crop insurance payments — a huge increase from the 2014 tally of $370 million. “The payouts are expected to be higher […] Read more

Manitoba hail, reseed damage claims above average
CNS Canada –– Farmers have seen more weather-related hardships this year than normal, made evident by an above-average amount of hail and reseed damage claims. Summer hail and frost at the end of June and the beginning of July took a toll on crops, leading to insurance claims above the five-year average. Manitoba Agricultural Service […] Read more

No word on farm aid until after harvest
Livestock producers have a tax deferral option, but government waiting to see if crop insurance is adequate
Reading Time: 3 minutes Crop producers will have to wait until after harvest to find out if there is any government drought assistance, says the president of the Grain Growers of Canada. The question of additional farm aid was put to Oneil Carlier, the new NDP agriculture minister, when he attended an Alberta Wheat Commission directors’ meeting in Red […] Read more

Disaster declarations raise awareness
Declaring an agricultural disaster can help speed crop insurance claims and might trigger additional government aid
Reading Time: < 1 minute Recent dry conditions and grasshopper infestations have led several counties to declare a state of agricultural disaster. Sturgeon, Parkland, Brazeau, Thorhild, Leduc, and Mackenzie counties have issued disaster declarations. They don’t trigger aid but raising awareness of the situation can be very helpful, said one county official. “Based on past experiences, making the provincial and […] Read more

Canola replanting may hinder winter wheat seeding
CNS Canada — With canola as the preferred stubble choice into which to seed winter wheat in Western Canada, it’s possible farmers will run into problems seeding this fall due to vast canola reseeding in early June. “The crop insurance said there was over a million acres reseeded (in Manitoba), and when you reseed, unless […] Read more

Sask. extends greenfeed seeding deadline
Livestock producers in parched areas of Saskatchewan now have until mid-month to seed insured acres to cereal greenfeed. The federal and provincial governments on Thursday announced an extension of Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp.’s deadline for seeding greenfeed to July 15, from June 30. Producers signed up for crop insurance will now be able to seed […] Read more

Pasturing cattle on insured hayfields
Reading Time: < 1 minute This spring has experienced low precipitation rates and windy conditions in many parts of the province that may be contributing to poor forage growth. Some Agriculture Financial Services Corporation clients may wish to pasture insured hayfields prior to haying being general in the area. Clients wishing to pasture their insured hay acres prior to haying being […] Read more

Things not going as hoped? That’s normal, says crop specialist
Whether it’s production conditions or markets, producers need to have a Plan B
Reading Time: 2 minutes Preparation is key when dealing with the unexpected, says provincial crop specialist Harry Brook. “There’s always a lot of talk about ‘normal’ when talking about cropping and agriculture,” said Brook. “Advanced planning and adjustments are needed to avoid possible devastating results when ‘normal’ doesn’t occur. Whether it applies to spring weather conditions or markets or […] Read more

Manitoba corn crops likely unscathed
CNS Canada — Manitoba’s corn crop was nearly fully seeded ahead of crop insurance deadlines in late May, but frost events in Manitoba during the same time frame didn’t likely cause any damage. Parts of southwestern Manitoba saw a significant frost event on May 29 and 30, which killed off many canola crops and sparked […] Read more