Recent storm and hail activity over Western Canada has led to ‘moderate’ levels of crop damage, the Canadian Crop Hail Association (CCHA) has reported.

CCHA revealed in a release that its member companies are investigating a total of more than 1,450 claims of crop damage related to the storms which occurred between June 25 and July 02.

Scott McQueen, CCHA president and chief operating officer at Palliser Insurance, stated that insurance adjusters are working across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.

“Damage continues to be light to medium in most areas,” the president said. “Crops seem more advanced in Alberta compared to Saskatchewan and Manitoba.”

Companies that contributed to the CCHA’s report include Ag Direct Hail, Additional Municipal Hail, Rain and Hail Insurance Service, Palliser Insurance Company, Agriculture Financial Services Corporation and Co-operative Hail Insurance Company.

For at least one adjuster, crop damage claims from storms prior to the late-June weather event are still being sorted out. In another statement, Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) claims adjusting coordinator Yves Dooper said that adjusters from AFSC are currently focused on claims made on storms which occurred from June 01 to July 02.

“The stage of the crop and the severity of some damage will result in our adjusters deferring settlement in some cases to assess the loss more accurately, but many claims will be settled on the first visit,” Dooper said.

In Alberta, CCHA noted that the crops most damaged by the storm were cereals, oilseeds, pulses, and several other “specialty crops.” In Saskatchewan, cereals, oilseeds, and pulses were also damaged, as well as canola, barley, wheat, peas, and lentils. And in Manitoba, not only did the province report damaged cereals, oilseeds, pulses, and wheat, but it also recorded damage from oats, soybeans, canola, buckwheat, grain corn, barley, field peas, beans and silage corn.

Source - https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com