The city of Melville, Sask. has laid out the welcome mat for the Saskatchewan administration of the federal/provincial AgriStability program, which will start processing paperwork on Jan. 1, 2010.
Provincial staff will begin processing the final benefits for the 2009 AgriStability program on that date, the province said in a release Friday. Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp. will then take over all program processes for the 2010 program year.
The Saskatchewan government began making plans in late 2008 to take over handling of the ag income stabilization program for the province’s farmers, through an expansion of SCIC, headquartered in Melville, about 140 km northeast of Regina.
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Construction is expected to begin in February 2010 on a two-storey addition at SCIC’s offices, which are to remain open during the construction.
Temporary offices have been set up at two sites in the community to accommodate staff during the expansion, the province said.
Saskatchewan farmers with concerns or questions about AgriStability from 2008 and previous program years, as well as 2009 fee payments, interim payments, and targeted advance payments (TAPs) should continue to contact Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at 1-866-367-8506, the province said.
“Administering AgriStability at this expanded Crop Insurance office will help us deliver a more timely and reliable program for producers,” provincial Agriculture Minister Bob Bjornerud, said at the official launch of the expansion Friday. Bjornerud is also the MLA for Melville.
“By locating delivery of farm programs closer to the farm gate we are improving service, streamlining delivery and tailoring the administration to the needs of Saskatchewan’s farmers,” Yorkton-Melville MP Garry Breitkreuz said at the launch.
Transferring administration of AgriStability to any interested province is part of the federal Economic Action Plan, Breitkreuz noted.
Alberta, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Quebec already deliver the program provincially, while other provinces’ farmers deal with the federal government’s AgriStability staff.
The administration of AgriStability will result in 110 new jobs at SCIC’s head office and 30 new jobs throughout rural Saskatchewan, the province said, noting the hiring process is “already underway.”
Saskatchewan armers with questions about the move or their 2009 or 2010 AgriStability can contact the SCIC AgriStability call centre toll-free at 1-866-270-8450.
