COVER CROP PROGRAM APPICATION DEADLINE APPROACHING

YORKTON – Garry Breitkreuz, Member of Parliament for Yorkton-Melville, would like to remind all producers affected by the excessive moisture over the past few months, that the Cover Crop Protection Program (CCPP) application deadline is approaching.

The CCPP is a Government of Canada initiative, administered by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), to provide financial assistance to Canadian farmers unable to seed commercial crops in spring 2005 and/or 2006 as a result of flooding. The application deadline to submit 2005 and 2006 claims is August 31, 2006.

Through the CCPP, applicants can apply for a one-time payment of $15/acre, to help offset the costs of improving and protecting flood-damaged soil until the land is restored and another commercial crop can be planted. In total, $50 million will be available in the 2006/07 fiscal year for the 2005 and/or 2006 crop years.

Coverage is available for applicants for 2005 and 2006 in affected areas, regardless of whether they had production insurance. Flood-damaged land will be verified through a validation process using production insurance information, satellite imagery and other available sources. The minimum eligible acreage per claim is 10 acres.

While CCPP funding is currently specific to the 2005 and 2006 crop years, there is an expectation that it will be made permanent starting in 2007, and that it will become part of the Production Insurance Program. This would imply that only insured producers will qualify for payments for 2007 and beyond.

Program applications will be mailed directly to production insurance clients that submitted claims for field flooding in 2005 and/or 2006. Farmers who did not submit a claim can obtain an application by contacting AAFC at 1-800-667-8567. Mail-in instructions will be provided with the application form. When completing the application form, applicants must declare that land normally intended for seeding commercial crops was not seeded in 2005 and/or 2006 due to excessive moisture and/or flooding.

Additional information on the Cover Crop Protection Program can be obtained by calling
1-800-667-8567, or by visiting the AAFC Web site at: www.agr.gc.ca.

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