Hail Report: Baseball-sized hail, wind and rain slow harvest progress

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Canadian Prairies (Rural Roots Canada) – Baseball-sized hail, heavy wind and rain have slowed down harvest progress across the Prairies, according to the Canadian Crop Hail Association (CCHA).

“Mother Nature has not been playing nice this harvest season,” said Brian Bernauer, with Rain and Hail Insurance Services. “Prairie producers have not had the opportunity to sustain a big harvest push. Rain and tough conditions have been pausing the harvest frequently, resulting in our harvest being behind the annual completion for this time.”

The wet and stormy conditions have flattened crops and left standing water in fields. Damage has varied widely across the prairies, with crop maturity contributing to significant differences in losses from field to field. While some have experienced total losses, others have seen only minimal impact.

Ongoing wet conditions are complicating claims work and harvest, leaving crops exposed longer than normal.

“The early September storm activity is particularly concerning,” said Scott McQueen with Palliser Insurance Company. “With a larger-than-normal percentage of crops still standing in all three provinces, storms impacting ripe crops are expected to generate significant losses. Mature cereals, pulses, and other harvest-ready crops have little ability to recover from hail damage, resulting in higher claim severity and larger indemnities than would typically be seen earlier in the growing season.”

Between August 30 and September 12, CCHA member companies received more than 3,800 crop damage claims.

Regional Breakdown of Storm Damage

Alberta

Crops damaged: Barley, Canola, Corn, Duram, Fababean, Lentils, Mustard, Oats, Peas, Soybeans, Triticale, and Wheat

Communities impacted: Armena, Benalto, Bentley, Blackfalds, Blackie, Cayley, Cheadle, Chestermere, Dalemead, Delacour, Delburne, Eckville, Edberg, Elnora, Hilda, High River, Huxley, Indus, Irricana, Joffre, Kathryn, Keoma, Leslieville, Lousana, Lyalta, Medicine Hat, Mossleigh, Nanton, Nevis, New Norway, Ohaton, Parkland, Red Deer, Rumsey, Schuler, Sylvan Lake, Trochu, Vermilion, Viking, Vulcan, and, Withrow

Saskatchewan

Crops damaged: Barley, Canola, Corn, Duram, Lentils, Oats, Soybeans, and Wheat

Communities impacted: Abbey, Aberdeen, Alameda, Antelope, Asquith, Assiniboia, Beechy, Bethune, Big River, Biggar, Broadview, Brownlee, Burstall, Carmichael, Central Butte, Coleville, Cudworth, Cut Knife, D’arcy Station, Davidson, Delisle, Duperow, Earl Grey, Eatonia, Esterhazy, Estevan, Eston, Evesham, Fiske, Foam Lake, Gravelbourg, Gull Lake, Hague, Harris, Herbert, Humboldt, Itua, Kerrobert, Kindersley, Kinley, Langham, Leader, Leoville, Lumsden, Macklin, Mankato, Mantario, Martensville, McGee, Melfort, Melville, Mendham, Meskanaw, Midale, Moosanih, Mosse Jaw, Neudorf, Ogema, Perdue, Plenty, Primate, Regina, Redvers, Rock Glen, Rockglen, Rosetown, Rush Lake, Saskatoon, Shaunavon, Smiley, Sovereign, Springwater, Stoughton, Stranraer, Swift Current, Tessier, Wakaw, Watrous, Webb, Weyburn, Wilcox, Wilkie, Willow Branch, Winter, Yellow Creek, and, Zealandia

Manitoba

Crops damaged: Barley, Canola, Corn, Duram, Lentils, Oats, Soybeans, and Wheat

Communities impacted: Benito, Boissevain, Clanwilliam, Deloraine, Elkhorn, La Riviere, Melita, St. Jean Baptiste, Swan River, Virden, and Waskada

The post Hail Report: Baseball-sized hail, wind and rain slow harvest progress first appeared on Rural Roots Canada.