Overview
AgriInsurance can be tailored to fit different types of farming operations and budgets, with three coverage levels to choose from: 50, 70, or 80 per cent of probable yield, or the Crop Coverage Plus option, which provides coverage up to 90 per cent of probable yield.
Coverage is provided against natural perils including drought, excessive heat, flood, excess moisture, insect infestations, fire, hail, wind, plant disease, frost, winterkill, and wildlife damage.
- Over 80 crop types are eligible for insurance.
- Once granted an AgriInsurance policy, it remains in effect from year to year, unless cancelled by the coverage holder or MASC.
- Selected crops and coverage levels can be changed each year by the insured (if there are no changes, the previous year’s selections remain in effect).
- AgriInsurance offers a crop production guarantee, including a quality adjustment for most crops.
- AgriInsurance does not guarantee market price or compensate for management related losses such as weed infestations.
Apply for Insurance
If you do not currently have AgriInsurance, the deadline to apply is March 31 of that crop year. If you currently have AgriInsurance, your contract will automatically renew each year (until you provide notice to cancel).
If you’re just getting started, your first step is to apply for an AgriInsurance policy to insure your crops. Applications must be made in-person at an MASC Service Centre by March 31 of the growing year.
Once finalized, you’ll receive a confirmation letter from MASC that your AgriInsurance policy is active and will automatically renew each year (until you provide notice to cancel).
Use the AgriInsurance Premium and Coverage Calculator to estimate your premiums for the coverage you select for your fields.
Estimate Your Rates and Coverage
Get a sense of what you’ll pay for AgriInsurance at different coverage levels:
Premiums and Coverage
AgriInsurance premiums and coverage are determined by:
- The risk area where your crops are grown. MASC divides Manitoba into 15 Risk Areas of similar crop protection risk.
- Your probable yield for each insured crop, which is the amount of production expected to be harvested.
- Your preferred coverage level.
- You can choose 50, 70, or 80 per cent coverage of your probable yield.
If your harvested production (adjusted for quality losses) falls below your coverage, you will be paid an indemnity equal to the production difference multiplied by MASC’s dollar value for the crop.
AgriInsurance Features and Benefits
A Reseed Benefit is provided to compensate insured producers who suffer early crop losses and reseed to an eligible crop prior to the seeding deadline.
Excess Moisture Insurance, a basic component of AgriInsurance, compensates producers who cannot seed their crops on or before June 20 due to excessively wet conditions.
The Contract Price Option allows producers to blend the price from their contracted production with the base AgriInsurance dollar value to better reflect expected market prices.
The AgriInsurance program features an extended coverage seeding period, where some crops have an extended seeding period of up to five additional days. During this extended period, coverage is reduced by 20 per cent to reflect lower yield potential. The extended seeding period allows producers to seed or reseed and still have insurance. The extended seeding period is not available in insurance test areas.
Crops that have specific insurable seeding areas (dry edible beans, grain corn, lentils, open pollinated corn, and sunflowers), may include insurance test areas. These crops can be insured as normal outside these specific areas. The insurance test areas originally have a probable yield set 20 per cent lower than the lowest probable yield in the existing insurable areas. This is adjusted for each crop in an insurable test area as more actual yield history is established.
AgriInsurance Options
The AgriInsurance program has additional options that can help customize coverage for your selected crops.
The Crop Coverage Plus option insures all eligible crops as a group, not as individual crops, and provides producers more coverage and more compensation in disaster years.
Novel Crops Insurance provides coverage on crops not currently covered by the AgriInsurance program due to the relatively small number of acres grown and/or lack of data or information available.
Polycrop Establishment Insurance provides financial assistance to Manitoba farmers if an eligible polycrop fails to establish.
Crop-Specific AgriInsurance
Corn Insurance provides optional coverage for growing hybrid and open pollinated corn for grain, as well as provisions that directly relate to production, coverage and storage of silage corn.
Forage Seed Insurance provides financial assistance to forage seed producers when they experience a significant production shortfall.
AgriInsurance for Organic Crops reflects the additional value of organic production and recognizes the special management challenges associated with organic production.
Pedigreed Seed Insurance helps to offset the higher costs incurred by producing pedigreed seed, giving pedigreed seed growers the option to insure their eligible crops at higher dollar values.
Potato Insurance provides financial assistance to Manitoba potato growers when they experience significant production shortfalls of irrigated and non-irrigated table and processing potatoes.
Winter Wheat Insurance provides compensation to producers who experience a significant production shortfall or need to reseed due to winterkill or other designated perils.
AgriInsurance Reporting
If you have an active AgriInsurance policy, you will receive a Confirmation of Insurance package (either by mail or email) early in the crop year. If you don’t want to make any changes, the previous year’s selections will remain in effect.
Contract Changes, Cancellations, and Additions
March 31 is the first important reporting deadline for AgriInsurance in a typical growing year. On or before March 31, you must:
- Make any changes or cancellations to your policy;
- File claims on the previous year’s crop (subject to late fees);
- Add new land to your policy to be eligible for Excess Moisture Insurance; and
- Make changes to your AgriInsurance program selections.
Please confirm any changes in-person, by fax, or by phone with your nearest MASC Service Centre. Policy cancellations must be completed in writing. Alternate signing authorities can make changes, but cannot cancel a policy.
Seeding Deadlines and Reporting
Crops must be seeded by the dates specified in MASC’s list of seeding deadlines. If you require more time, most crops have an ‘extended seeding period’, though MASC will apply a 20 per cent coverage reduction for crops seeded in this period.
In May, you will receive a Seeded Acreage Report package (by mail or email). Submit your completed Seeded Acreage Report on or before June 30 online in myMASC. You can also submit your report by mail, or in-person at your local MASC Service Centre.
Post-Harvest Reporting
In fall, a Harvested Production Report package will be mailed or emailed to you. You must complete and submit your Harvested Production Report to MASC by November 30 online in myMASC or by mail, or in-person at your local MASC Service Centre.
AgriInsurance Claims
AgriInsurance protects against crop production (and quality losses for most crops) caused by drought, excess moisture (rainfall and flood), frost, hail, fire, excess heat, wind, wildlife, disease, and pests. If your crops are damaged by one or more of these perils, you will be paid an indemnity if your actual yield falls below your production coverage.
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Seedling Deadlines
Don’t miss a deadline! Crops must be seeded by the indicated seeding deadline to be eligible for full AgriInsurance coverage.
Program Calendar
Our insurance programs have various opt-in and reporting deadlines. Stay on track with key dates, deadlines, and reminders.
Reporting
AgriInsurance policy holders must report their cropping activities in the year:
- Seeded Acreage Report: due June 30 of that crop year.
- Harvested Production Report: due November 30 of that crop year.
Claims
If you believe your crop(s) have been fully or partially damaged by an insurable peril, learn how to file a claim.
Beginning the Process
Contact your local MASC Service Centre to set up an appointment to meet with one of our dedicated specialists, to begin the next steps of the process.
Additional Information
Eligibility Guidelines Relating to Independent Farm Units
These guidelines outline the specific criteria that determine the eligibility of a producer for an MASC AgriInsurance contract.
Individual Productivity Index
Your Individual Productivity Index establishes probable yields (yield expected for each crop) based on your individual yield history. The impact of year-to-year variability is stabilized by comparing the individual yields to the area yields of similar soil types and risk areas.
Individual Coverage
Individual coverage provides each producer with an individual probable yield that is based on their own yield history for grain corn, open pollinated corn, hemp grain, table and processing potatoes, fababeans, soybeans, tall fescue seed, meadow fescue seed, alfalfa seed, pedigreed timothy seed, annual ryegrass seed, rutabagas, cooking onions, carrots, parsnips, proso millet seed, Select Hay, and Basic Hay.
Eligibility of Broadcast and Aerial Seeding
MASC provides insurance for crops that are broadcast or aerial seeded, provided that steps are taken to minimize the risks associated with seeding by these methods, and that the crop achieves establishment.
AgriInsurance Costs
For most AgriInsurance programs, premiums are paid 40 per cent by insured producers, 24 per cent by the Government of Canada, and 36 per cent by the Manitoba Government.
Exceptions: the Reduced Deductible Option for Excess Moisture Insurance (participating producers pay entire premium), and the highest level of optional Excess Moisture Insurance coverage (67 per cent participating producers, 20 per cent Canada and 13 per cent Manitoba).
Administrative expenses for the AgriInsurance Program are shared 60 per cent by Canada and 40 per cent by Manitoba.
