Saskatchewan鈥檚 Agriculture Minister David Marit announced on April 20, the AgriStability enrollment deadline for the 2020 program year had been extended without penalty to July 3.聽
鈥淭his extension will give producers additional time to consider their risk management needs during this period of uncertainty,鈥� Marit said as he explained the deadline鈥檚 alteration. 鈥淲e understand the challenges the Saskatchewan agriculture industry is facing. I encourage producers to consider the AgriStability Program,鈥� Marit added.聽
AgriStability is a low-cost risk management program offering financial assistance to producers undergoing large margin declines in response to a mixture of production losses, adverse market conditions or increased costs.聽Coverages for the program are tailored for each agricultural operation by employing historical data to estimate program year margins and reference margins.聽
The AgriStability program is designed to provide Canadian producers with whole-farm risk management tools. The AgriStability system can supply protections against sizeable declines which could jeopardize the sustainability of a producer鈥檚 operation.
Under the AgriStability program, allowable incomes have included the proceeds from agricultural commodity sales and production insurance. Permissible expenses within the program have incorporated commodity purchases, along with direct input costs.
To assist with cash flow and financial stability, participants in the AgriStability Program can apply for interim benefits. Through this interim benefit component, producers are enabled to obtain a portion of their AgriStability allowances early in the season to help support losses and cover costs before finalizing their fiscal years.聽
Saskatchewan鈥檚 producers can enroll into the AgriStability program by specifying all the required information over the phone.聽Producers can also finish the short contact form to begin the application process then request a return call from the AgriStability staff.聽
The contact form is available at聽. SCIC AgriStability staff are available to assist producers over the phone at 1-866-270-8450 or through email at聽[email protected], Monday to Friday, from 8-5 p.m.聽
Also, the Agriculture and Agri-Food News Bulletin can be accessed at聽.听听
