By rdnewsNOW staff

Almost There!

Province says inspections of unharvested acres almost complete

May 22, 2020 | 4:32 PM

The Government of Alberta and Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) are working together to help producers this spring, with 92 per cent of pre-seeding claims now said to be complete.

Government officials acknowledge the 2019 growing season was challenging for producers, with poor harvest weather and early snowfall, resulting in more than one million insured acres remaining in the field over the winter.

“Farmers in Alberta have just gone through one of the toughest harvests in recent memory and now face the many repercussions of COVID-19,” says Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, in a release. “We are working with AFSC to simplify their operations to be more efficient at processing claims while also improving service standards and responsiveness for farmers and ranchers.”

AFSC adjusters are said to have committed to settling outstanding cases quickly so that farmers can move on with seeding.

As of May 20, adjusters are reporting that nearly all outstanding inspections have been completed, with only about 130 inspections remaining and currently in progress. New wildlife claims continue to come in as well.

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Officials say AFSC has made a number of operational changes, including increasing the number of claims verified remotely using yield volume and quality data compared with supporting weather data without on-site inspection.

“Our adjusters have been working hard, and we’ve geographically moved them to meet peak needs,” adds Jerry Bouma, interim chief executive officer, AFSC. “We’ve assigned the majority of cases received to our adjusters and the bulk of outstanding inspections and wildlife claims were completed the first week of May.”

Although the COVID-19 pandemic is said to have shifted how AFSC approaches day-to-day operations, staff are being made available by phone or email to help producers arrange inspections, purchase insurance, enroll in AgriStability, request a loan or answer questions. Branch offices remain open but have restricted public access.

Provincial officials point out that AFSC serves the Alberta agricultural community, and their programs and services are available to help clients get ready for the growing season.

For more information on Alberta’s Relaunch Strategy to safely begin removing public health restrictions and reopen the economy, visit alberta.ca/RelaunchStrategy.

Financial supports are also in place to help Alberta families and businesses.

Quick facts

• Producers with unharvested acres should contact their local AFSC branch office.
• AFSC extended the period of insurance to offer producers continued coverage on their insured, unharvested crops until harvest can be completed this spring.
• Snowed-under crops that are harvested in the spring can usually still be sold or fed at a discounted price, and this is taken into account when crop insurance claims are settled.
• AFSC claims adjusters contact clients who will be baling their unharvested crop, have filed a pre-harvest inspection request or wildlife inspection request. Depending on the situation, AFSC may be able to finalize the claim without a physical inspection.