The number of crop hail claims declined during the second half of July, but the early numbers were very substantial.
A significant percentage of crop hail claims this year were filed in a single week in early July, said Rodney Schoettler, CEO of Saskatchewan Municipal Hail Insurance.
Between July 3 and 10, claims on one million acres were submitted compared to the previous high of 250,000 acres in 2023, he added.
"That's half a year's work for us in seven days, July 3 to 10, so it was massive."
The number of claims eased since that period, adding 600,000 acres between July 11 to present day for a running total of 1.6 million acres.
Schoettler says adjusters are still working through the backlog of claims from early July.
"Most of our claims up till July 5th will probably be done in the next day or two and then any of the claimants with (July 8) and (July 10), which was another big day, they'll probably be another week towards probably the end of next week when everything should be caught up."
Schoettler thanked farmers for their patience as they catch up with the large volume of claims.
He is hoping for good weather during the month of August and the current trend of lower crop hail claims continues, as this time of the year is when crops are at their most vulnerable.
"This is when the crops are most vulnerable to hail. There's no recovery. The plants get hit, they get broken off, the seeds get popped out of the heads. It's just one for one. There's no question now. It's expensive at this time. of year." Schoettler stated.
(With files from Neil Billinger, CJWW)
