Storms damage crops in Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan

Storms in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan produced hail that resulted in crop damage, with some areas sustaining heavy damage, according to the Canadian Crop Hail Association.

The storms occurred July 6-9 and July 11-12.

CCHA member companies are investigating 821 claims in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan made by farmers after the storms.

More than half of those claims were made by farmers across Saskatchewan after storms resulted in damage ranging from minimal to heavy. Storms in Lampman, Willow Bunch, Assiniboia, Mortlach, Chaplin, Moose Jaw, Rosthern, Wakaw, Foam Lake, Melfort and several other communities caused damage to a wide variety of crops, according to Darryl TIefenbach, of Additional Municipal Hail.

“Rain and strong winds resulted in substantial damage in some of the core areas of the storms,” said TIefenbach.

Murray Bantle, of Co-operative Hail Insurance Company, said near-daily storms in Saskatchewan produced pea to golf ball-sized hail and damaged cereals, pulse crops, and oilseeds. Co-operative Hail Insurance Company is processing 159 claims from these early July storms.

Co-operative Hail Insurance Company is processing an additional 26 claims resulting from storms in Manitoba.

Bantle said Co-operative Hail Insurance Company is progressing on adjusting June claims.

“While the costs of claims in June settled so far are below the 5-year average, the number of days with hail was slightly above the 5-year average,” he says.

Two storms in Manitoba resulted in claims in Roseisle, Brunkild and Russell, reported Brendan Blight of Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation. Toonie-sized stones resulted in minimum to moderate damage to cereals, canola, soybeans, edible beans and corn.

“Some areas received large amounts of moisture, which will factor into claims,” Blight said.

Farmers in the Alberta communities of Barons, Nanton, Provost, Mannsville, the Saskatchewan communities of Carrot River, Aylsham, Torquay, Avonlea and Val Marie, and Russell in Manitoba filed 13 claims resulting from storms occurring July 6-8, according to Tyson Ryhorchuk, of Rain and Hail Insurance Service.

For more: cropinsuranceincanada.org

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The Canadian Crop Hail Association (CCHA) has been serving the crop insurance industry since 1915. It is a member-driven organization that represents the interests of the Canadian Crop Hail managing general agencies and insurance companies. Our companies service agriculture producers in the western prairies. These private and government organizations together provide a risk management tool to the Western Canadian prairie farmer. Members are Additional Municipal Hail Ltd. (Saskatchewan), Ag Direct Hail Insurance Ltd, Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (Alberta), Canadian Hail Agencies Inc., Co-operative Hail Insurance Company, Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation, Palliser Insurance Company Ltd. and Rain and Hail Insurance Service Ltd.