by SUSAN MANN
A provincial survey has found a large proportion of forage growers in Ontario have experienced significant yield variances over the last decade.
But despite the variability, Agricorp numbers indicate that fewer farms are obtaining forage insurance.
More than 300 forage producers answered Agricorp’s online survey in April and May. The survey is part of a review of the forage rainfall plan by Agricorp and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
Of those respondents, more than 40 per cent said their yield varied more than 30 per cent over the last decade.
Yet the number of Ontario farms enrolling in the forage rainfall plan declined 18 per cent this year compared to 2012. This year, 1,174 farm businesses and a total of 294,554 acres were enrolled in the forge rainfall plan; last year 1,432 farm businesses and 344,428 acres were enrolled.
John Clement, Agricorp senior program and policy adviser, says participation in forage insurance is low across jurisdictions in Canada and that’s mainly because farmers have many self-insurance options, such as doing extra production, controlling inventory and substituting feedstuffs.
Agricorp and the ministry are working with an industry advisory committee and industry experts to review the existing plan and develop options for improvements. The advisory committee is made up of representatives from Dairy Farmers of Ontario, Ontario Federation of Agriculture, Ontario Cattlemen’s Association, Ontario Forage Council and the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association.
The plan uses rainfall as an indicator of forage quality and quantity and the survey also found that farmers rated rains during the growing season and at harvest as the biggest risks to forage production. (The plan currently offers farmers coverage for insufficient rain during May, June and July and excess rain during first cut.)
Clement says for the review they’ve consulted with a number of people and groups and “we move into a phase now where we’ve taken some broad general directions and we start accompanying it with some technical analysis and development.”
Agricorp, the provincial Crown corporation that administers agricultural risk management programs and the farm business registration process, will have recommendations by the end of the summer and they’ll start talking to people about them at that time.
Clement says they’ve met with the advisory committee four or five times now to talk about how the plan works. “We’ve used them as a sounding board” and they’ve talked to their members about the review’s progress. “They’re also providing critiques as we go along.” BF
Comments
The reason farmers have dropped out of forage insurance is simple and Agricorp absolutely knows it. It does not work in its present form. Every other major crop in Ontario is insured by yield. Can you imagine if Agricorp tried to sell corn producers rainfall insurance? At some point OMAF has to get serious about insuring forage if Ontario's livestock industry is to thrive.
There are many more ways to grow & feed livestock that don't require or are not covered by crop insurance . Many more farmers are growing cover crops as a self insurance program to ensure that they have feed if needed . You do not have to rely on hay only any more . Also you can and grains and other things to the mix to bring up protien .
I think the biggest thing happening at OMAF right now is the fact that we have a minister who is now doing triple duty along with being the premier . That just shows how serious she is about Ag . When are the farm groups going to wake up to the fact that they are being played ? Not long ago they were falling all over themselves about how great it was , how important Ag was because we had the premier as the minister . Letters of concern should be flooding the premiers office . All in all it is just a ploy to try get rural votes and to say look how important we are making you feel . Time to take off the blinders & open your eyes and forget about the photo opps !
The main reason that livestock farmers have opted out of forage insurance is "When You need it, most it doesn't pay out" We were in a class 3 drought last year, no insurance pay out. I can take you to three neighbours farms were that was the last straw, cattle are gone , never to come back, fence lines are now gone and crops are growing in place of cattle. Can you imagine if your house insurance worked the way forage insurance does (doesn't). When your house burns down the insurance company tells you , to bad your house fire started before midnight on July 31, we are not going to cover you, if your house had burned at 12:01 Aug.1 we would send you a cheque. Why pay insurance premiums?
As mentioned in other comments, forage production insurance does NOT work in Ontario, and from my experience it never has since it was introduced long ago. Unfortunately, the powers that be seemed to have no interest in making it functional, notwithstanding the occasional promise or review. That said, I would not want to count on adding grains as suggested in another comment -- except possibly soybeans, beans or peas -- to increase the protein of my good forage (i.e. hay) as a means to increase the protein since corn, oats and probably barley and wheat are not likely as high in protein as is the hay!
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