Hail Claims Jump in Saskatchewan

SASKATOON - Aug 24/06 - SNS -- Insurance companies are being swamped by hail claims in Saskatchewan this month, reports the Canadian Crop Hail Association.

Up until the beginning of August, hail activity had been well below normal. However, there have been a flood of claims this month and adjusters are running about two weeks behind.

With harvest much earlier than normal, producers need to leave ample check strips of hailed crop for adjusters to work with. For most crops, producers can swath, without leaving any standing samples. The hail damage can be adjusted in the swath. The exceptions are lentils and peas where some standing samples are required.

For crops being straight combined, standing samples are needed. Producers should check with their hail insurance company for information on appropriate check strips if they are going to combine prior to the crop being adjusted.

Approximately 10,000 claims have been received to date from Saskatchewan producers. This is a four fold increase in the past month. Claims are now running well ahead of last year's pace and there are likely to be more claims resulting from storm activity on the evening of August 23.

"Although the total number of claims is only about 10% higher than the five-year average, such a large number of claims in a short time span has made it impossible for adjusters to keep up," says Rob Goeres, chair of the Canadian Crop Hail Association.

Goeres notes that with the early harvest, many crops are now safely in the bin and that should help limit damage from any subsequent storms.