The month-end deadline for Saskatchewan farmers to finalize contracts with the provincial Crown crop insurance agency for 2020 has been moved to April 13.
Provincial Agriculture Minister David Marit and federal Ag Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Monday announced the extension on farmers’ deadline to “apply, reinstate, cancel or make changes” to crop insurance contracts.
“We understand the challenges producers faced over the last year, including evolving situations like the COVID-19 pandemic that continue to add to these uncertainties,” Marit said in a release.
The original deadline was midnight, March 31 for farmers to set their contracts — including all crops to be insured, and coverage levels — and to report any land they have added to or removed from their farming operations.
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Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp. staff weren’t available Monday evening to confirm whether the extension applies also to the deadline for payment of outstanding balances, which was also originally set at March 31 for any farmer wanting crop insurance for the 2020 crop year.
Current SCIC customers can enter contract information online using the corporation’s CropConnect tool. For more information, SCIC staff can be reached during regular business hours at 1-888-935-0000 or via email “despite new guidelines concerning service delivery,” the province said.
“By offering Saskatchewan producers this extension, we are giving them the flexibility they need to get their job done in challenging times like these,” Bibeau said in Monday’s release. — Glacier FarmMedia Network
