August Was A Busy Month For Hail Adjusters

Harvest activities are underway again across much of the prairies after recent rain caused some delays for producers. 

The Canadian Crop Hail Association (CCHA) says some producers have reported minor storm damage and insurance adjusters are moving quickly to finalize claims.

According to the CCHA, member companies are investigating more than 53 claims of crop damage from mid August storms.

President Scott McQueen, of Palliser Insurance, said storms caused mostly minor damage to crops in Alberta and Manitoba with hail ranging from pea to marble size.

"We had a light week of claims in Western Canada as harvest continues," he said. "Rainfall has slowed harvest in many areas as adjusters move quickly to wrap up claims. Claims are finishing quickly as many of the fields have been opened up for easy access."

Murray Bantle, with Co-operative Hail Insurance in Saskatchewan says storms damaged canola but the damage was light.

He notes the July claims are 97 percent complete in Saskatchewan.

The number of claims is below average with hail event days slightly below average, however, the claim severity is above average.

Bantle says for August, 91 percent of the claims are complete, adding that so far, the year has seen below average activity in Saskatchewan but the severity is well above average.