Purpose

Pasture Days Insurance provides insurance coverage for livestock producers for losses due to weather-related grazing shortfalls during the summer pasture period.

Eligibility

Pasture Days Insurance is available to all producers in Manitoba that:

• have an active AgriInsurance policy, but do not have Pasture selected for insurance in combination with Forage Insurance; and
• have a minimum total of 30 ‘Animal Units’ of eligible livestock types on pasture; and
• apply for or renew Pasture Days Insurance by March 31.
• An ‘Animal Unit’ is the number of livestock equivalent to a mature cow.

Sheep, Goats, Bison, Horses, Donkeys, Mules, Elk, Deer, Llamas, and Alpacas are also considered eligible livestock. Please contact MASC for exact Animal Units values for each eligible animal type.

Coverage

• Coverage for Pasture Days Insurance is based on historic grazing period data obtained from Manitoba Community Pastures. New participants receive the historic grazing period (in 2026 it is 134 days) as their coverage, which is adjusted based on their actual experience for subsequent years.
• The grazing period includes the time livestock spent on actual pasture and does not include grazing hay fields or stubble fields. An individual 10-year average will be developed for future years coverage based on each producer’s individual annual grazing period and animal units on pasture.
• Coverage begins when your cattle are put on pasture, but in any event, no sooner than May 1.
• The coverage level for Pasture Days Insurance is set at 90 per cent of normal Animal Unit Days, meaning a claim is paid if the actual grazing period is less than 90 per cent of the insured’s calculated Animal Unit Days.
• Dollar coverage is set at $2.25 per Animal Unit for each Animal Unit Day.

Coverage Example

A producer intends to pasture livestock totalling 190 Animal Units on 800 acres of pasture. With no individual 10-year average, the 2026 provincial average of 134 days is used.

In this example, the producer has coverage for 121 days (90 per cent of 134 days). If the livestock are put on pasture May 15, coverage would last until September 14.

• The livestock numbers, pasture acres, and the date livestock were placed on pasture must be reported on a Pasture Days Spring Declaration by June 30.
• A producer must inform MASC immediately of any changes to pasture acres or livestock numbers that occur throughout the year, or if supplemental feed is provided to livestock on pasture. The livestock winter feeding date and date the livestock are removed from pasture must be reported on a Pasture Days Fall Declaration by November 30.

Note: Reports received and accepted by MASC after the deadlines provided will be assigned a $500 late fee. If MASC determines a Pasture Days Insurance indemnity is payable, the insured will be charged an additional late claim fee of 25 per cent of the indemnity (maximum $1000).