Insurance is available to any producer who meets SCIC eligibility requirements. Crop Insurance regulations require contract holders to demonstrate legal, operational and financial independence from all other producers in order to be eligible.

All new applicants are required to fill out an application to demonstrate legal, operational and financial independence. Legal independence is defined as legal access to the land (owned or leased) on which insured crops will be grown. Operational independence means you are responsible for farming decisions and have access to machinery and crop storage. Financial independence means you bear the financial risk of any crop loss.

To apply for a contract, visit your local customer service office or call 1-888-935-0000 to make an appointment by March 31, 2013. Local toll-free numbers are listed here. You must apply for a contract of insurance in person. Non-residents of Canada applying for a contract must have verification of approval or compliance from the Saskatchewan Farm Land Security Board.

SCIC may review existing contracts to ensure they meet eligibility requirements. Where concerns are identified, the contract holder will be advised of the requirements in order to maintain their contract.

Land must be certified by an approved certification body in the current year to be eligible for organic coverage. Proof of certification must be supplied to SCIC when requested. Transitional acres will be insured as conventional until full organic certification is achieved. With proof of transition status, SCIC will accept organic management practices.

If an insured parcel of land loses or fails to attain certification, the insured price will revert to the conventional price but the organic premium and yield will remain unchanged. Conventional (commercial) prices can be found here. SCIC allows certified organic crops to be insured as either organic or commercial.

All Crop Insurance customers are required to complete an application for insurance. Crop Insurance regulations require eligible producers to demonstrate legal, financial and operational independence from all other producers.

Legal independence is legal access to the acres on which insured crops will be grown (Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment licensed acres or declared band acres). Financial independence means you bear the financial risk of any crop loss. You have operational independence if you are responsible for crop production decisions and have access to equipment.

To obtain a contract of insurance, contact the customer service office in Prince Albert and make an appointment to complete an application for insurance before March 31.

You will be asked to provide:

• your contact information (mailing address, phone numbers, etc.)
• information on the partners/shareholders if you are part of a partnership, company, etc.
• approval for SCIC to review your licence information collected by Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment and/or the appropriate band office

SCIC administers this program based on your Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment licensed acres or your declared band acres. If you do not agree to share this information, SCIC will be unable to provide you with insurance.

Once the application is completed, staff will tell you if you are eligible for insurance. If you are not eligible, they will explain the reasons why.

SCIC reserves the right to review any contract to ensure compliance with eligibility requirements. Where concerns are identified, the contract holder will be advised of these requirements in order to maintain their contract in future years.