If you farm in Manitoba, you can expect an average of three hail days per year. The province's severe thunderstorm season (mid-June to late-August) often includes serious hail storms that can devastate growing crops with golf ball-sized hailstones falling at speeds up to 130km/h.
Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation began offering hail insurance to Manitoba producers in 1970, and the program has since become a reliable mainstay of Manitoba's crop risk management.
Hail Insurance is entirely funded by producers.
Hail Insurance Fact Sheet
Hail Insurance Details
MASC Hail Insurance provides financial assistance to Manitoba producers for losses to crops due to hail, accidental fire, and in some cases, frost (if the insured crop's maturity was delayed by hail).
You first need to sign up for an AgriInsurance contract by March 31 at a . Once approved, you may sign up for Hail Insurance by mail, fax, phone, in person, or through myMASC.
You may sign up for Hail Insurance any time during the crop year before October 21, when coverage terminates (if crop has not already been harvested or destroyed). If you do not enroll in CHIO, you must apply for Hail Insurance annually.
Premiums for Hail Insurance are calculated by crop type, risk area, coverage options, and discounts for early payment.
The Continuous Hail Insurance Option (CHIO) does not require you to complete an annual Hail Insurance application. Coverage is provided automatically every year at the highest coverage level offered by MASC. As a CHIO participant, you qualify for a minimum 2% discount on your Hail Insurance premiums - and a further 5% discount if your premium is paid by July 31. CHIO applications must be received by March 31 of the crop year.
CHIO participants who maintain their CHIO coverage for more than two years will receive an additional 1% discount each year, to a maximum of an additional 5% in the 5th year of continuous participation.
An eligible producer with an MASC AgriInsurance contract may also sign up for Hail Insurance on eligible crops.
Coverage becomes effective at noon the day following:
the application's postmark date;
the receipt of a hand-delivered, faxed, or online application at a ; or
the date of your phoned-in application.
Applications for Hail Insurance are NOT accepted by voicemail or via the dropbox at a .
Eligible Producers
Hail Insurance is available to Manitoba producers and crop-share landlords who have an MASC AgriInsurance contract. Insureds may only insure their interest in the crop.
Example:
An operator with a 2/3 share selecting $ coverage may only purchase 2/3 x $ = $ of coverage per acre. The landlord may insure the remaining 1/3 share at their selected dollar value.
Eligible Acres
All acres that are insurable under AgriInsurance are eligible for Hail Insurance regardless of the variety or seeding date. Crops grown in bordering provinces or states or on uninsurable land are not eligible for Hail Insurance.
CHIO Eligibility
To be eligible for the Continuous Hail Insurance Option, you must insure all eligible crops under AgriInsurance at the 80% coverage level, or the highest coverage level available under Vegetable Acreage Loss Insurance.
All crops are included in the CHIO selection except the following Optional CHIO Crops, which must be selected individually, and will also be insured at the highest dollar coverage offered:
alfalfa seed
basic hay
broccoli
cabbage
carrots
cauliflower
cooking (and other) onions
greenfeed
leeks
all organic crops
parsnips
peppers
processing and table potatoes
pumpkins
annual and perennial ryegrass seed
rutabagas
select hay
silage corn
sweet corn
strawberries
timothy seed (including pedigreed)
tall fescue seed
Important Dates
Reporting for Hail Insurance is quite limited, though as an insured producer, you should be aware of each Hail Insurance and CHIO deadline.
March 31
An AgriInsurance contract is required to purchase MASC Hail Insurance. If you are not an AgriInsurance contract holder, you must apply by March 31.
Coverage for Hail insurance begins at noon of the day after the application is received.
March 31
CHIO applications must be received by March 31 of the crop year. If CHIO is selected, coverage begins when the crop emerges.
July 31
CHIO participants qualify for a 5% discount on their Hail Insurance premiums if paid by July 31.
October 21
Hail coverage remains in effect until the crop is harvested, destroyed or October 21, whichever comes first.
Short Date Cancellation
Producers with Hail Insurance may cancel their coverage and receive a refund of a portion or all of their hail premium. This provision allows producers to cancel Hail Insurance for acres that suffer an early season loss due to conditions such as frost or excess moisture that makes the crop non-viable.
Rutabagas, cooking onions, other onions, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, parsnips, peppers, pumpkins, leeks, cauliflower and winter squash are insurable at $, $, or $ per acre
Strawberries are insurable at $, $ or $ per acre, but only when the strawberry plants have established and are no longer eligible for Strawberry Establishment Insurance under the AgriInsurance Contract
Potatoes and sweet corn have coverage available of $, $, or $ per acre
All other eligible crops are insurable at $, $, or $ per acre
A producer must select one coverage level for a crop, but may choose to insure only a portion of their acres.
Early Payment Discounts
Insured producers who pay their Hail Insurance premium within 3 days of applying for Hail Insurance receive a 5% premium discount.
Making a Claim
If you have inspected your fields and believe your crop(s) have been damaged by hail or fire, contact your Insurance Specialist immediately.
(A nil claim fee may be charged if a claim is filed for an undamaged field)*
An MASC adjustor must inspect all damaged crops before the crops are destroyed or harvested. If a damaged crop is ready to harvest and MASC was contacted, you may then proceed to harvest the crop, provided that representative strips are left for an adjustor to inspect. Representative strips must be at least 10 feet wide, and comprise either:
the full length of the field for each 40 acres or less of damaged crop, or
1/3rd the distance in from the edge of the field and completely around the field.
Compensation
Hail Insurance provides coverage against damage caused by hail, fire, or frost, as follows:
Producers receive an indemnity payment if hail or fire damages 5% or more of the yield
Producers with an insured crop that experiences frost damage as a result of delayed maturity due to hail may receive an ex gratia payment from MASC for such damage, up to the maximum of their selected hail coverage.
Producers receive a harvesting bonus for crops severely damaged by hail (greater than a 70% loss) or fire to compensate for increased harvest costs. The maximum bonus is 10%.
Example: If a producer's appraised loss is 73%, their harvesting bonus is 73% - 70% = 3%. This amount is added to the appraised loss for a total loss of: 73% + 3% = 76%)
Claim Examples
Example 1
You purchase $ per acre coverage of hail insurance on 150 acres of canola. After a hailstorm, an adjustor inspects the damage and determines that there is a 38% loss in yield.
Hail coverage: $ / acre Percentage loss: 38% Your indemnity: $ x 38% x 150 acres = $
Example 2
You purchased $ per acre of hail insurance on 80 acres of flax. An adjustor inspects the field and determines that 40 acres has less than 5% damage and the other 40 acres has 11% damage.
Hail coverage: $ / acre Percentage loss: 40 acres (less than 5%) = no indemnity, 40 acres with 11% damage Your indemnity: $ x 11% x 40 acres = $
