Increased coverage for pedigreed soybeans is among the changes planned for Manitoba’s provincial crop insurance program for the 2015 growing season.
Soybeans are expected to be the largest pedigreed seed crop in Manitoba this year, the province said in a release, and the increased coverage is expected to reflect the “additional cost” of producing the seed.
Among other changes, announced Tuesday during Manitoba Ag Days in Brandon, the guaranteed grade for oil sunflowers will be boosted to No. 1 Canada, up from No. 2 Canada, “which better reflects the average grade” in the province.
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Manitoba’s AgriInsurance will also see the escalating deductible for coarse hay go to a flat 20 per cent for the Harvest Flood option — a program feature introduced last year for forage producers.
The province said its new suite of forage insurance programs will continue in 2015, “to provide producers with enhanced benefits and options at a reduced premium cost.”
The Pasture Days Insurance Pilot program continues to be offered in 2015 to 90 producers to test the concept of providing coverage for situations where cattle have to be removed from pasture earlier than normal due to weather conditions.
Work also continues on developing a hog mortality insurance program, the province said.
AgriInsurance premium rates in Manitoba will fall by an average of 11 per cent in 2015 compared to last year.
“With probable 10-year average yields increasing, participating producers will, on average, be paying lower premium for higher coverage this year,” the province said.
With over 8,600 farm operations enrolled in AgriInsurance in Manitoba, the program’s total insured coverage is expected to be over $2.3 billion.
Soy research
The province on Tuesday also announced over $443,000 in federal/provincial funding for seven soybean production research projects, with industry and grower groups putting up $796,000.
The research projects are to be funded through the Manitoba Pulse Growers Association and other “industry partners” such as the Western Grains Research Foundation. The public funding comes from Growing Innovation – Agri-Food Research and Development Initiative (GI-ARDI), funded through the federal/provincial Growing Forward 2 farm policy funding framework.
Among other topics, the projects will focus on how phosphorus fertilizer application, soil temperature and crop residue affect soybean emergence; control methods for pests such as soybean cyst nematode and root rot; and organic soybean production strategies.
Behind canola and wheat, soybeans were Manitoba’s third most commonly grown crop in 2014, with an estimated annual farm gate value of more than $435 million. — AGCanada.com Network
