Late season storms wreak havoc on Prairie crops

Severe hailstorms wreaked havoc on crops across Western Canada, bringing an unexpected surge in claims, according to the latest update from the Canadian Crop Hail Association (CCHA).

“The claim count is much higher than typical [for this time of year] and the severity of losses at this stage is costly to producers and insurers,” said Rodney Schoettler of Saskatchewan Municipal Hail Insurance.

CCHA member companies were investigating 630 claims of crop damage from isolated storms that hit farms across Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan during the week of September 16-22.

“With the volume of claims that fell in a short period we could not keep up with the demand to adjust claims as quickly as we normally would,” said Schoettler, expressing gratitude for farmers’ patience as the damage is assessed.

Companies contributing to the report were Palliser Insurance, Agriculture Financial Services Corporation, Saskatchewan Municipal Hail Insurance, Co-operative Hail Insurance Company, and Rain and Hail Insurance.

More information and past reports at https://cropinsuranceincanada.org/