Southern Saskatchewan has been battered by severe storms so far this summer, much to the chagrin of local farmers. 

Areas such as Gravelbourg and Estevan recently got golf ball-sized hail, which more than likely caused damage to crops. 

However, Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation (SCIC) no longer has a spot insurance program, so the full extent of the damage won’t be known for a while. 

“Hail damage is covered under your multi-peril insurance. For the most part, that loss wouldn’t be known until that crop is harvested. At that point, then we would take a look and see what all the loss was during the year and if you’re in a claim position then you would receive an indemnity for that,” said SCIC Executive Director Darby Warner. 

Warner added that it is still early enough that the small plants could still bounce back. He said right now producers just need to keep an eye on their crops. 

“So, the key is to monitor those fields. The fields would be too wet to get in there to do anything with them for the most part anyway after a significant hail event like that. So, people need to be diligent and monitor those fields and watch for any time of new growth that comes on those plants. If they get some growth on those plants, they have an amazing ability to recover,” Warner said. 

He added that this year contrasts the past couple of years. Warner said many of the past claims have been due to dry conditions and lack of rain. 

Any damaged crops that farmers intend to use for alternative uses such as green feed or plowed down can call SCIC at 1-888-935-0000 to arrange the next steps on the claim. 

Warner pointed to two weekly publications that are helpful for producers. The provincial insect and pest report shows areas susceptible to certain species of insects or pests. The other is the weekly crop report that summarizes crop progress provincially as well as in specific regions.