The 2025 Crop Year, in the eyes of the Canadian Crop Hail Association (CCHA), was average.
Saskatchewan had an average year for hail claims with 6,968 claims submitted, according to Tyson Ryhorchuk, President of the CCHA.
“In line with the average, absolutely, and the overall loss ratio that we were seeing blended across the province appeared to be pretty well on point year-over-year,” said Ryhorchuk, adding Alberta and Manitoba were right on par with Saskatchewan on the volume of claims.
A few notable weather events over the summer were the source of most of the claims, including a storm from mid-June in the Mankota area and an intense storm on July 3 that swept across the Prairies, including Saskatchewan’s northern grain belt.
“Without those two or three specific heavy hail events, the rest of the province had seen hail but nothing really as devastating as those had been. It was pretty well an even blend across the rest of the province – steady claims we had seen but they weren’t as devastating as those three.”
The size of hail reported across the Prairies ranged from peas up to a golf ball and in some areas the size of a tennis ball.
The CCHA said in a news release, “commodity prices continued to struggle nationwide, leading to a decrease in total insured acres and reduced indemnity levels per acre. Late season claims were particularly abundant, but CCHA member companies worked diligently to address these losses promptly, minimizing disruption to harvest operations for prairie farmers.”
Through conversations with others within the hail insurance industry, Rhyorchuk believes the majority of claims have been processed, though there may be a few that have yet to be finished.
