Pedigreed Alfalfa Seed Insuring Agreement 2024
Pedigreed Alfalfa Seed Insuring Agreement
AFSC will indemnify the Insured against damage caused by Designated Perils to Alfalfa grown for the production of Pedigreed Seed pursuant to this Insuring Agreement. This Insuring Agreement incorporates by reference, and is subject to, the Terms and Conditions and Benefits. The definitions in the Terms and Conditions will apply unless the same term is otherwise defined in this Insuring Agreement.
“Insurable Crop” means Alfalfa grown for the production of Pedigreed Seed.
“Designated Perils” In addition to the Designated Perils in the Terms and Conditions, Article 1: Definitions, Pedigreed Alfalfa will also be covered for Winterkill Provision.
“Establishment Year” means the year in which the crop is seeded.
“Production Year” means the year in which the Insured intends to harvest pedigreed Alfalfa Seed.
Alfalfa can be insured as Pedigreed Seed on varieties that are eligible for certification as Pedigreed Seed in Canada. Pedigreed Coverage is available for Canadian Seed Growers Association (CSGA) members and provides a germination guarantee.
a. Individual Coverage: is based on a minimum of five years of records. Crops with fewer than five years of records will be considered to be in the start-up phase.
b. Start-up: Missing yields are filled in with the historical average yield for the townships in which the farm is located. If the Insured does not have any yield records available, Coverage will be based entirely on the historical average for the township(s) where the farm is located.
c. Average Yield: An Insured’s average yield for a crop type is based on the average of the yield records AFSC has recorded for the crop. Yield records are gathered in different ways, including:
i. Harvested Production Reports (HPR) provided by the Insured;
ii. Yield information gathered by AFSC adjusters who visit the farm, and
iii. Production reviews conducted by AFSC adjusters to confirm the accuracy of HPR information.
d. One-year lag: Actual yields are not available immediately for use as it takes time to gather and verify information. Yields produced and reported in the current year will not be available to calculate Coverage for the following year; it will first be used to set Coverage the second year.
Rules for yield records use:
i. A blend of available yield records and the historical yields for the Risk Area in which the Insured farms when there are four or fewer yield records available.
ii. The average of up to 15 of the most recent yield records for a crop when there are five or more yield records available.
iii. For Insured Crops that are less than 30 acres the Harvested Production for the Insured Crop will be excluded from the calculation of the Insured’s Coverage.
a. For most crops, due to improvements in varieties and management practices, yields generally increase over time. In order to ensure that individual coverage reflects this trend, individual yield records are adjusted by a trend factor. Older yield records will be increased more than recent yield records. Adjustments are made by multiplying individual actual or cushioned yields by a trend factor. The trend factor is an amount which reflects the average annual increase in yield in a specific Risk Area.
a. Cushioning has the effect of stabilizing Coverage by reducing year-to-year fluctuations. Unusually low yield records are adjusted upward for the purposes of calculating the Final Individual Normal Yield. When yields are less than 70 percent of the Final Individual Normal Yield, the actual yield is cushioned and replaced by 70 percent of the Final Individual Normal Yield for that Crop Year. The cushioned yield is used to set future Coverage whereas the actual yield is used to calculate an Indemnity.
a. Alfalfa Seed grown on irrigated land is eligible for separate Coverage if:
i. those crops are declared as irrigated;
ii. there is an adequate source of water;
iii. the Insured has reliable irrigation equipment;
iv. adequate irrigation water is applied on a timely basis; and
v. the Insured maintains an up-to-date log showing the dates and approximate amounts of rainfall and irrigation water applied to each Insured Crop.
b. AFSC may reclassify Alfalfa Seed as grown on dryland, or apply Uninsured Causes of Loss if:
i. the Insured fails to fulfill all or part of the conditions in subsection (a) above; or
ii. drought is considered by AFSC to be a contributing cause of loss.
c. Irrigated acres are insured separately from dryland acres of Alfalfa Seed:
i. acres must be identified as irrigated or dryland on the Land Report; and
ii. Harvested Production from irrigated and dryland acres must be stored and reported separately.
a. AFSC, in its discretion may limit, restrict, exclude or deny Coverage, in whole or in part, for the following:
i. in the event AFSC determines by the application deadline that an Insured has a high risk of Production Loss;
ii. where the land is subject to repeated flooding or where excess moisture is a recurring problem;
iii. major changes are made in management practices, acreage, land location, confirmed yields or experience;
iv. the Insured makes a change that increases AFSC’s risk without notifying AFSC thereof and AFSC accepting the same risk; or
v. any other practice or action taken by the Insured that would prove detrimental to or limit production of the Insured Crop.
a. Spring Insurance Price: In the spring, AFSC forecasts expected pedigreed Alfalfa Seed prices for the coming Crop Year.
a. Minimum Premium: There is a minimum $25 of total Premium required per insurance Policy.
b. Rates: Premium rates are set annually based on historical losses and reflect AFSC’s risk of future production losses. Premium rates may vary by Risk Area, practice and Coverage Level. The Insured’s Premium is calculated by multiplying the Dollar Coverage by the Insured’s share of the premium rate and applying any applicable premium adjustments.
c. Cost Share: Federal and provincial governments support AgriInsurance programs by paying all administration expenses and sharing premium costs with the Insured.
d. Adjustments & Discounts:
a. Application: New clients must apply for insurance on or before April 30 and AFSC will evaluate eligibility for insurance. Producers are required to demonstrate their legal, financial and operational independence, and can contact AFSC for application documents.
b. Renewal Process: Insurance remains in effect from year to year therefore an Insured who elected insurance in the previous year will be automatically renewed based upon the previous year’s information. Personalized renewal notices are available in March. The Insured is responsible to review the information and if changes are required, complete a change request form online or return the form to an AFSC insurance representative by mail, fax, email, in person, or request changes by phone, no later than April 30.
c. Coverage Level: Coverage Levels of 50, 60, 70 or 80 percent can be elected.
d. Hail Endorsement: offers spot-loss coverage and may be elected on a crop by crop basis at 60, 70 or 80 percent Coverage Levels by April 30. Refer to the Hail Endorsement Insuring Agreement for additional information.
e. Auto-Elect Straight Hail Insurance: may be elected on a crop by crop basis by April 30. When elected, a two percent premium discount will be applied on the Straight Hail Statement of Coverage and Premium.
| Straight Hail Insurance can be purchased on a field by field basis until July 31. Refer to the Straight Hail Contract of Insurance for additional information. |
a. Pedigreed Alfalfa is not eligible for Coverage in the Establishment Year.
a. The variety of the Insurable Crop shall be eligible for certification as Pedigreed Seed in Canada.
a. The minimum number of leaf cutter bees as recommended by AFSC shall be maintained and the information made available to AFSC on request.
a. An acceptance inspection is required each year to determine eligibility for Coverage
a. The Variable Price Benefit, Reseeding Benefit, Unseeded Acreage Benefit, and Unharvested Acreage Benefit are not available under this Insuring Agreement.
If a reporting deadline date falls on a weekend, the deadline will be extended to the next Business Day.
Other Important Deadlines
a. All eligible acreage and seeded acreage of Alfalfa Seed (dryland and irrigated), whether owned, rented or crop-shared, must be insured. Acres insured under this Insuring Agreement are not insurable under any other crop insurance program, except for applicable Endorsements or where AFSC has consented in writing.
| Cash rent and crop share landlords are not eligible for insurance as they are not responsible for the agronomic decisions and do not receive the majority of the proceeds from the sale of the crop. |
b. If AFSC determines acres of an Insured Crop and the crop type and/or acres differ from those reported by the Insured, the following will apply:
i. When completing acceptance inspections or acreage verification, AFSC will issue a revised Statement of Coverage and Premium based on the crop type and actual number of seeded acres calculated by AFSC and any Indemnity calculation shall be based on the crop type and actual acres determined.
ii. When completing all other inspections:
1) If the measured or established acreage is within Acreage Tolerance, there is no revision to the Statement of Coverage and Premium and the reported insured acres are used in the calculation of the Indemnity.
2) If the measured acres are outside the Acreage Tolerance compared to acreage shown on the Land Report, AFSC may issue a revised Statement of Coverage and Premium and the Indemnity calculation shall be based on the actual number of Annual Crop seeded acres.
3) AFSC is not obligated to pay an Indemnity on the additional acres if a loss has previously occurred.
4) AFSC may remove the All Crops Insured Discount if additional acres are outside of Acreage Tolerance.
c. AFSC is not required or in any way obligated to revise or adjust its calculation of insured acres for any preceding year.
a. The Insured is required to file a Land Report for acres of pedigreed Alfalfa Seed by April 30. Fields not reported by April 30 are not eligible for Coverage.
b. The Insured must report all Insurable Crops on land that is owned, rented, or crop-shared and include the following information for each field:
i. legal land description for the location including the part;
ii. number of seeded acres, or the number of acres intended for Summerfallow in the current year;
iii. whether the field is to be insured or uninsured;
iv. crop type and variety seeded;
v. insured end use;
vi. whether the acres are seeded on dryland or irrigated land;
vii. seeding date; and
viii. summary of insured acres and whether or not there is any Carryover Inventory.
| AFSC requires both insured and uninsured land information. Coverage is based on the land base farmed, not just the land insured, therefore the information is required to ensure Coverage and discounts are correct. |
c. AFSC reserves the right to reject requests for changes to the Land Report for Alfalfa Seed after the April 30 filing deadline.
a. Information provided by the Insured is used to generate a Statement of Coverage and Premium, which explains Coverage and Premium and states AFSC’s Coverage limit.
b. The Insured should review their Statement of Coverage and Premium carefully to ensure it is complete and accurate. Errors and omissions must be reported to AFSC within 15 calendar days of receipt.
c. AFSC reserves the right to deny additional Coverage when information contained on the Statement of Coverage and Premium reflects what is reported on the Land Report or determined during the acceptance inspection.
a. The Insured is required to submit a Notice of Loss to initiate a claim. The required timeframes for the Notice of Loss and the deadline to initiate a claim are as follows:
i. Harvested Production Report (HPR): on a form acceptable to AFSC once harvest is complete and not later than November 15.
ii. Post harvest claim: via the HPR, losses must be reported before December 31 in the calendar year in which the loss is claimed to have occurred.
b. If the Insured is late in filing a Notice of Loss AFSC may reject the claim.
a. Upon receipt of a claim for loss:
i. where AFSC processes a claim, AFSC will serve the Insured with a Statement of Loss.
ii. where AFSC’s process is to conduct an inspection, following the inspection, AFSC will serve the Insured with a copy of the Inspection Report.
b. If the Inspection Report results in no payment, or if as a result of the Inspection Report the claim for loss is withdrawn by the Insured, the Inspection Report will be considered to be the final Statement of Loss for the claim by the Insured and no further Statement of Loss will be issued by AFSC.
c. If the Insured does not, within seven days of service of the Inspection Report, advise AFSC of the Insured’s disagreement with the report or does not request a re-inspection, AFSC will issue the Statement of Loss according to the Inspection Report.
d. When AFSC has conducted an inspection and issued an Inspection Report and a Statement of Loss, and the Insured has a dispute relating to the Statement of Loss and requests a re-inspection, AFSC will only review the Statement of Loss if the Insured notifies AFSC of the request for a re-inspection within seven days from the day that the Insured is served with the Inspection Report.
a. After an inspection, pursuant to Section 8.02 (c) if the Insured, within seven days of service of the Inspection Report:
i. advises AFSC of the Insured’s disagreement with the report; and
ii. requests a re-inspection:
AFSC will conduct a re-inspection, and no Statement of Loss will be issued until after the re-inspection has been conducted. AFSC reserves the right to charge a fee for Insured requested re-inspection of crops.
a. Acreage of Insured Crop(s) Put to Another Use must first be released by AFSC.
b. The Insured is required to contact AFSC five days in advance of putting an Insured Crop to a use other than combining to request an appraisal and release of acres. The Insured will provide the following information:
i. The number of acres intended to be put to an alternate use,
ii. The reason for the alternate use,
iii. An estimate of the yield.
c. Depending on the estimate of yield, the acres may be released from an AFSC branch office, or an adjuster may complete a field inspection to determine the yield appraisal before acres are released.
d. AFSC may defer the appraisal on a damaged Insured Crop that the Insured intends to Put to Another Use.
e. When the Insured has accepted the Appraised Potential Production on any portion of an Insured Crop, no further appraisal will be made on that portion unless, and at the sole discretion of AFSC, substantial damage occurs before the Insured Crop can be Put to Another Use within a reasonable period of time.
i. An additional inspection may be subject to a re-inspection administrative fee.
f. Where an Insured Crop is Put to Another Use without first being assessed and/or released by AFSC, AFSC will deem the Appraised Potential Production to be zero, and the Uninsured Causes of Loss to be equal to Coverage on acres Put to Another Use.
g. The Insured must not dispose of an Insured Crop or Put to Another Use without AFSC releasing acres, as it may negatively impact their insurance. Once authorized by AFSC, the Insured may leave Inspection Strips or exclosures.
h. Where Inspection Strips or exclosures are authorized by AFSC for all inspection types, the Insured is required to leave Inspection Strips or set up appropriate exclosures, or AFSC will deem the Appraised Potential Production to be zero, and the Uninsured Causes of Loss to be equal to Coverage on the acres Put to Another Use.
a. Inspection Strips are representative standing strips or swaths of the Insured Crop in such measurements as required by AFSC to determine the crop’s production potential. Inspection Strips are to be left in from the edges of the field, a distance of about one-third of the width of the field, for the length of the field and a minimum of
ten feet in width, for inspection by AFSC.
i. On fields less than 100 acres, two strips are required.
ii. On fields of 100 acres or more, an additional strip must be left in the middle of the field.
iii. On fields of 100 acres or more that span multiple quarter sections, treat each quarter section as a separate field; for fields less than 100 acres, two strips are required; for fields greater than 100 acres, three strips are required.
b. Exclosures are representative sites of the crop that are fenced off and are used when the crop is being pastured as the Insured is unable to leave representative Inspection Strips.
i. A minimum of two sites are required for fields up to 40 acres,
ii. A minimum of one additional site is required for every additional 40 acres in that item.
| Information on Inspection Strips is available on afsc.ca Contact AFSC directly for information regarding Exclosures. |
a. The procedures set out in AFSC’s adjusting procedure manuals shall be used in the assessment of production and insurable loss of an Insured Crop.
| AFSC recommends the Insured or Authorized Representative accompany adjusters during on-farm inspections. |
a. When Uninsured Causes of Loss are determined, claims may be reduced or denied, reflecting the amount of production due to the uninsured causes. The acres remain insured and full Premium remains payable. Common examples where Uninsured Causes of Loss may be applied include, but are not limited to:
i. unapproved, untimely or improperly applied products or methods for the:
1) control of weeds,
2) control of insects,
3) control of plant diseases,
4) enhancement of plant development;
ii. inadequate machinery, labour or failure to complete repairs to equipment on a timely basis;
iii. machinery and equipment failure due to mechanical defects or improper operations;
iv. damage to an Insured Crop from fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, soil or crop additives or any other product where the damage was caused by drift, residue, improper direct application or improper use of product;
v. untimely harvest practices for the area and the crop;
vi. improper harvest management;
vii. damage by domestic animals or poultry;
viii. neglect or theft of the Insured Crop;
ix. negligent or wrongful acts of a third party (e.g. spray drift or stray animals);
x. damage after an inspection by AFSC or while in storage, including heating;
xi. grade reduction before an inspection by AFSC if stored production is not weather protected; or
xii. any Designated Peril deemed avoidable by AFSC.
b. If AFSC pays no Indemnity because of an Uninsured Cause of Loss, AFSC will not refund any portion of the Premium and the Insured is not relieved from paying any outstanding Premium.
a. Service of the Inspection Report or a Statement of Loss may be effected on the Insured by:
i. personal service;
ii. ordinary mail or registered mail, in which case service is deemed to have been effected;
1) seven days from the date of mailing if the document is mailed in Alberta to an address in Alberta, or
2) 14 days from the date of mailing if the document is mailed to an address located outside of Alberta; or
iii. by facsimile, email or other electronic means in accordance with AFSC’s most recent records for the Insured.
b. Where there is more than one Insured in respect of the crop loss for which an inspection has been made, service of the Inspection Report or Statement of Loss on one of the Insured is deemed to be service on all the Insureds.
a. To facilitate tax planning, Insureds can choose in advance to defer Indemnities to the following tax year. There will be no recourse to defer payment once a payment has been issued. Deferred Indemnities will not be applied to outstanding Premiums/balances until the deferred date and interest will continue to accrue.
a. Carryover seed, including purchased inventory and uninsured production, stored on or off the farm must be declared to AFSC on the Report of Grain in Storage Prior to Harvest form prior to commencing harvest and not later than August 15, even though the intent may be to sell or feed it before harvest.
b. The Insured may be required to provide sales receipts to identify carryover, purchased inventory and uninsured production.
c. AFSC may count Carryover Inventory and uninsured production as part of the Harvested Production if the Insured fails to report, store separately and/or identify previous year’s production, or seed purchases.
| It is important to report Carryover Inventory as it may affect eligibility for an advance or claim if in a loss situation. |
a. An HPR must be submitted online or to an AFSC branch office when harvest is complete, and no later than November 15.
b. A late filing fee will be applied for HPRs submitted after the November 15 deadline.
c. The Insured is required to provide:
i. Changes to Carryover Inventory from what was reported on the Report of Grain in Storage Prior to Harvest form;
ii. Uninsured production;
iii. Field documentation information including preharvest or abandoned acres:
1) Abandoned acres require a reason, land location, number or acres and yield estimate.
iv. Insured production by field;
v. Gross stored and fed production including bushel weight, dockage and grade;
vi. Net delivered or sold production and grade;
vii. Date harvest was completed;
viii. Volunteer Production.
| For information on measuring stored production, refer to Determining Production in Storage on afsc.ca. |
d. Notification of an insurance claim and any required loss adjustment procedures are based on the information provided by the Insured on the HPR.
e. If the HPR is not submitted by the Insured before December 31, the yield will be recorded as zero and no Indemnity will be calculated.
f. The Insured may request corrections or revisions to the existing HPR record for a Crop Year, up to August 15 of the next Crop Year for Annual Crops, by providing supporting documentation that is satisfactory to AFSC.
a. When Harvested Production fails germination standards for Alfalfa Seed, the Insured may be eligible for a claim.
b. Where, after the HPR is filed, Harvested Production is less than total Coverage after consideration of grade, weight, and dockage, AFSC will determine Adjusted Production.
c. The Adjusted Production of delivered or sold Harvested Production of an Insured Crop will be assessed based on the milling report from the seed cleaning plant.
d. If the Harvested Production contains Volunteer Production of other grains or seeds that exceeds six percent by weight of the sample and is separable, the other grains and seeds shall be calculated by AFSC to the equivalent value of the Insured Crop and shall be included as part of the Adjusted Production.
e. When irrigated acres are in a Production Loss, the Insured will be asked to provide an irrigation log showing dates of precipitation and approximate amounts of water applied.
a. Crops insured with the end use of pedigreed are not eligible for a Payment by Declaration.
a. If, based on the production reported on the HPR, an Insured Crop is in a Production Loss, the Insured may have the option of accepting an advance payment prior to AFSC completing an on-farm inspection.
i. Post Harvest Advance: The Insured can receive a 50 percent advance payment on the estimated Production Loss. Once the post harvest claim is finalized, the Insured will receive the remaining Indemnity.
ii. Preliminary Payment: if eligible, the Insured can receive a preliminary payment.
1) A preliminary payment takes the Insured’s reported production and adds 20 percent to it to mitigate the risk of overpayments.
2) AFSC then calculates the difference between the estimated production and Coverage, and pays the preliminary payment based on the estimated Production Loss.
3) Once the post harvest claim is finalized, AFSC recalculates the Production Loss based on the Harvested Production determined during the on-farm inspection, and the Insured will receive the remaining Indemnity.
b. If there is an overpayment due to differences between the Insured’s information reported on the HPR, and the Harvested Production determined during the post harvest inspection, repayment will be required within 30 days of notification. The advance Indemnity must exceed a minimum amount, can be deferred, and will be applied to amounts owing to AFSC and assignments.
a. Post harvest claims are triggered based on the information provided by the Insured on the HPR.
b. An AFSC adjuster is assigned to the claim and will make an appointment for an on-farm inspection. The adjuster will:
i. Verify and/or measure the number of acres insured;
ii. Identify acres harvested; and
iii. Determine the quantity and quality of the crop harvested by sampling storage facilities and reviewing production sales receipts.
a. To ensure program integrity, AFSC retains the right to complete production reviews. Some production reviews are selected based on an identified risk, while others are randomly generated.
a. AFSC may combine production or calculate production from the Insured’s crop in a manner determined by AFSC including but not limited to combining, combining and pro-rating, and pro-rating of production.
b. In the event that the Harvested Production is stored in such a manner that it is not possible to obtain an accurate production count (e.g. stored with production from uninsured crops) AFSC may assign Uninsured Causes of Loss up to Coverage or prorate production.
c. AFSC may prorate or combine the production if the Insured fails to retain:
i. insured production separate from production from uninsured crops;
ii. insured production separate from production of another producer;
iii. Harvested Production separate from Carryover Inventory;
iv. irrigated production separate from dryland production; or
v. stored production separately for each Policy where there are two or more of the same Policy type for one business.
a. An Indemnity shall be calculated for the period commencing with the Production Year and shall end at the earlier of:
i. when the Insured Crop is put to a use other than that for which it was originally intended;
ii. when the Insured Crop is harvested; or
iii. November 15 of the year in which the Insured Crop would normally have been harvested unless such times are extended by AFSC, in its discretion.
b. If the Insured harvests production of Alfalfa Seed after November 15, that production is to be reported and is included in the Insured’s Harvested Production for the year in which the crop would normally be harvested.
a. Stage 1 on or Before June 20
i. If the Insured has incurred a loss from Designated Perils on one or more parcels of seeded land:
1) an Appraised Potential Production of not less than 50 percent of Coverage shall be assessed, and any Indemnity shall not exceed 50 percent of Dollar Coverage.
2) In lieu of an Indemnity the Insured may select a Premium refund on damaged acres.
b. Stage 2 on or After June 21
i. If the Insured notifies AFSC of a loss from Designated Perils on or after June 21 and before November 15 in each year, an Indemnity shall be calculated as follows:
{(Coverage – Adjusted Production) x Insurance Price} – Wildlife Damage Compensation Program payments.
ii. Before AFSC pays a post harvest Indemnity, the Insured must file a Harvested Production Report.
iii. In no case, for an Insured Crop, shall the combined Indemnities under any Insuring Agreement, including the Hail Endorsement Insuring Agreement and Wildlife Damage Compensation exceed total Dollar Coverage for that crop under this Contract.
