Corn depends on timely heat units. The Corn Heat Unit Program is a weather-based program that insures against a lack of corn heat units over the growing season.

This program provides a risk management option to feed and grain corn producers.

The Corn Heat Unit Program is not an individual production program; corn heat units determined for the selected weather station are the only means of determining a claim. Indemnities are not tied to individual yields or the corn heat units recorded on individual parcels of land.

The insurable area for this program includes data from

12 weather stations. To determine your eligibility, please see the map section or contact a customer service office.

Corn acres insured under the Corn Heat Unit Program are not eligible for coverage under the Diversification Option or the Forage Diversification Option.

Corn acres not eligible for coverage under this program are eligible for insurance under the Diversification Option or the Forage Diversification Option.

Experience discounts and surcharges do not apply. Premium rates are calculated for participating weather stations based on historical heat unit data.

The corn heat unit calculation is a standard North American formula modified for the specific area measuring the maturity of corn. In the designated area, the normal value for the 2011 crop year is 2,100 corn heat units. Annual corn heat units accumulate from May 15 until the daily minimum temperature first reaches -2°C or less after July 1.

You are limited to selecting one weather station per insured parcel of land within 120 kilometres. Producers may select insured values of $100, $200 or $300 per acre. You may insure any number of acres, but you do not need to insure all your corn acres. All acres on that contract must be insured at the same level of coverage. At the time of enrolment, you must declare all acres selected for coverage.

If you seed fewer acres than were declared, your premium will be adjusted accordingly. If you seed more acres, the declared acres will be used for premium calculations. These acres must be seeded to corn.

For corn heat units below 2,100, liability will be paid according to the following table. Payments begin when the cumulative corn heat units recorded is below 2,100. There is a deductible of 20 per cent of dollar coverage, meaning that for $100 insured value, the maximum payout is 80 per cent or $80.

Maximum liability will be paid when the corn heat units fall to 1,639.

Indemnity Payment Schedule

Claims do not have to be filed but are automatically calculated in November based strictly upon weather station data. Quality control measures include verification of all weather data by a third party (independent of SCIC) using procedures approved by an accredited meteorologist. Only verified data will be used in claim calculations.