The federal and Saskatchewan governments say they will continue funding the 2026 Crop Insurance Program, with coverage decisions due by the end of March.

Federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald and Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit announced the support on Feb. 20. The program is administered by the Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation (SCIC).

MacDonald said governments remain committed to providing business risk management programs that meet producers’ needs and reflect local conditions.

Marit said the programs are designed to help producers manage uncertainty and make forward-looking decisions, adding reliable coverage strengthens both individual operations and the province’s agriculture sector.

In 2025, more than 85 per cent of seeded acres in Saskatchewan were insured through the crop insurance program. Despite variable growing conditions, many producers saw improved production compared with recent years, which officials say helped maintain the program’s financial strength.

The corporation is marking 65 years of delivering risk management programs to Saskatchewan farmers and ranchers in 2026. SCIC recently introduced Satellite Forage Insurance, which uses technology to provide a more localized approach to forage risk management.

Bill Huber, president of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, said crop insurance remains an important tool to help producers manage production risk and plan for the future.

Bill Prybylski, president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, said the program has long been a cornerstone of farm risk management and welcomed efforts to improve accuracy for livestock producers through initiatives such as Satellite Forage Insurance.

The deadline for producers to apply, reinstate, cancel or make changes to their 2026 crop insurance contracts is March 31. Producers must select their insured crops and coverage levels by that date. If no changes are made, last year’s coverage will continue.

In addition to crop insurance, SCIC administers programs including AgriStability, Livestock Price Insurance, and Wildlife Damage Compensation and Prevention.

Crop insurance is a federal-provincial-producer cost-shared program supported by the governments of Canada and Saskatchewan under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

Source - https://meridiansource.ca