WHEREAS the current deadline of June 20th, annually for Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation’s eligible flooded acres seem to be an inadequate length of time due to the excessive moisture throughout each year;

BE IT RESOLVED that Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation extend its deadline to July 10th, annually giving producers an adequate period of time to apply for eligible flooded acres which would create a more accurate flooded acres claim.

Response from Lyle Stewart, Minister of Agriculture

The resolution requests an extension to the annual deadline for unseeded acreage claims from June 20 to July 10. As a note, the deadline for filing unseeded acreage claims under the program is actually June 25. This is also the date by which producers are required to submit their Seeded Acreage Reports (SAR), reporting the number of acres seeded and unseeded. Acres that are unable to be seeded due to excess moisture as of June 20, are potentially eligible for unseeded acreage indemnities. The current deadline provides producers with five days after this date to file an unseeded acreage claim without penalty. Producers may still file an unseeded acreage claim until July 2, each year, but after June 25, any resulting indemnities are reduced by 25 per cent up to a maximum $1,000 reduction. The current deadlines allow SCIC to adjust unseeded acreage claims on a timely basis. Extending the deadline further would make it difficult to determine the amount of claim acres with accuracy. There are no plans to change this deadline at the present time.

In 2013, SCIC implemented two separate Auto-Calls to remind producers of the SAR and unseeded acreage deadlines. One call was directed to all producers who had not returned their SAR reminding them of the deadline to report their acres and register their unseeded acreage claim, and one to producers who had reported their acres by mail or fax thanking them for reporting their information and reminding them the deadline to request a unseeded acreage claim was June 25. Staff completed courtesy calls when time allowed and additional messaging was sent through media bulletins, print and radio advertising.