After flooding and rainfall over the weekend, many Minitonas and Swan Valley area farmers are left with fields either covered in water, or swept away by the currents. But all hope isn't lost yet for farmers with AgriInsurance or MASC policies.
David Van Deynze, MASC's Chief Product Officer, went over some of the options that farmers have for filing claims or finding solutions.
"So if the crop hasn't been seeded, and now is obviously very wet, we have what we call Excess Moisture Insurance, which is basically 'too wet to seed' insurance, so a farmer could be eligible for that...with any luck, there might still be something there to harvest, and they can certainly do that. If they feel that destroying the crop, what's left of the crop once it dries up, is in their best interest, they should certainly give us a call before they do that," said Van Deynze.
Van Deynze said he's been working with MASC for more than 20 years. In his time, he's seen a lot of times like last weekend, where lots of flooding and rainfall has led hundreds of farmers to contact MASC to submit their claims. This year's deadline to submit a Seeded Acreage Report is June 22nd, so if you plan on submitting a claim to MASC, make sure it's done before then.
And if you're a bit confused by the process, or you don't know what exactly to submit or file for, Van Deynze encourages you to reach out to your local MASC office. That's what they're there for.
"If you're not exactly sure of what you should do or what you're eligible for, that sort of thing, I would suggest contacting your local MASC service centre, for most of those folks in the Minitonas area that's likely the Swan River office, for some it potentially is the Dauphin office, depending on where exactly that they live...even if you've got insurance, hopefully there's a level of comfort there for those folks who've got some insurance, but the reality is it's a tough situation for any farmer, we're hoping for the best for them, and hoping they can navigate their way through this," said Van Deynze.
For more details about MASC's Excess Moisture Insurance, click here to view the factsheet on their website.
