The governments of Canada and Manitoba are investing $253,600 through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) to develop a new usage-based insurance (UBI) product, in collaboration with Dairy Farmers of Manitoba (DFM), to respond to needs expressed by forage crop growers and other stakeholders in a 2020 review of forage insurance programs.
“The forage and livestock sectors in Manitoba have been vulnerable in times of substantial forage shortages, as was the case during last summer’s drought conditions, and traditional risk management and insurance methods used for other crops do not always work well for their specific needs,” said Manitoba Agriculture Minister Derek Johnson. “We are pleased to work with industry to develop this ground-breaking insurance product that will help forage growers better meet operational challenges, especially under extraordinary circumstances.”
The province will enter a two-year contribution agreement (2021/22 to 2022/23) with DFM to provide up to $253,600 in CAP-Ag Action Manitoba Strategic Initiatives (industry-led) federal flow-through funding. The project will be led by DFM in partnership with Manitoba Beef Producers and four additional producer organizations.
“Dairy Farmers of Manitoba is pleased to work with the Canada and Manitoba governments and agriculture sector to support the development of this innovative UBI product that will benefit forage growers throughout the province,” said David Wiens, chair of Dairy Farmers of Manitoba. “Using leading-edge artificial intelligence, the product will measure and predict forage crop yields automatically and in near-real time based on satellite remote sensing, weather and geophysical data.”
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