hail

U.S. hail insurer looks northward

Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Co. of Iowa has made its first venture outside the U.S., buying the 80 per cent of Prairie crop hail insurance firm Palliser Insurance it didn’t already own, for an undisclosed amount. FMH CEO Shannon Rutledge said in a release in February that Palliser’s “regional expertise, knowledge and accomplishments…will contribute to […] Read more

heavy rain in manitoba 2024

Moving from dry to wet

Improved moisture conditions can mean different strategies

Farmers in Western Canada can breathe easy. Rains across most of the Prairies this spring have gone a long way toward recharging groundwater levels and lowering the risk of drought across the region. “We had an extremely warm winter with lower-than-normal precipitation in most areas,” says Trevor Hadwen, agroclimate specialist for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. […] Read more


File photo of stormy conditions over Alberta fields. (Larry Stickney/iStock/Getty Images)

Alberta’s AFSC to refund hail premiums on drowned crops

Agency taking applications until Sept. 11

Grain growers in Alberta’s Peace, northeastern and northwestern farming regions whose waterlogged crops are deemed “non-viable” can now file for full refunds on AFSC hail insurance premiums. AFSC, the province’s Agriculture Financial Services Corporation, announced Wednesday it will accept such applications from eligible growers from now until Sept. 11. Applications will be available online through […] Read more



Managing your hail damage

Managing your hail damage

Hail rescue products show little impact in new trials; hail timing is the key damage driver

[Updated: March 28, 2017] The Prairies suffered a record number of hail events in 2016, which means hail insurance claims are also at record levels, with more than $528.6 million paid out to western Canadian farmers. Manitoba has set records for hail insurance claims two years running. The Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) received 3,747 […] Read more

Canola field in bloom near Mervin, Sask on July 7, 2016. Crops are looking very good in northwest Sask.

Crops looking good, but fusarium risk is high

Weather conditions see many Saskatchewan farmers spraying fungicides

As crops in north-western Saskatchewan edge closer to maturity, Ian Weber is knocking on wood. “I’m at the point I don’t want to see bugs and hail would be really bad. Because I think we’ve got a monster coming in. Things look good,” said Weber, sales manager with Warrington AgroDynamic of Mervin. The Mervin-Turtleford area […] Read more


What level of risk are you prepared to take on, and what price will you pay to reduce your overall risk?

Production, profitability and protection

The paper side of farming: A successful farm needs to turn a profit every year

Over the past few months we have seen a number of events unfold around the world that have sent grain markets tumbling, some to four-year lows. Devaluation of the Chinese Yuan, and subsequent sell off in the Chinese stock markets, 10-year lows in oil prices and a six-year low for the Canadian dollar. Overall, across […] Read more