Pastureland production depends upon timely precipitation. The Forage Rainfall Insurance Program (FRIP) is available on native and tame grazing acres, protecting pastureland in the event that seasonal precipitation is below the long-term average. This is the only insurance program available for native forage. Provincial and federal grazing pastures are excluded.

FRIP is not an individual production program; precipitation determined for the selected weather station is the only means of determining a claim. Claims are not tied to individual yields or the amount of precipitation on individual parcels of land.

There is no limit to the number of acres you may insure, but a minimum of 10 acres per legal land description is required. The deadline to apply for, reinstate, cancel or make changes to your FRIP endorsement is March 31, 2012. Your contract is continuous and unless you make changes to your endorsement by March 31, your insurance remains the same from year to year.

FRIP premiums are cost-shared. Producers will pay 40 per cent while governments pay 60 per cent. Experience discounts and surcharges do not apply. Premium rates are calculated using weather station historical precipitation data, the weighting option and precipitation cap that you select.

For each land location you wish to insure you must select the following:

• Weather station
• Weighting
• Precipitation cap

The weather station you select must be within 100 kilometres of your land location.

Coverage levels follow three soil zones along township boundaries. Your land location, not the weather station you select, determines your coverage per acre.

View soil zone map and the weather station map

You must also select the weighting option for each land location insured. This allows you to weight the April to July precipitation to best suit the growing season of your specific forage variety and your management plans for grazing your pasture.

Finally, select a precipitation cap of either 125 or 150 per cent of normal for each land location you insure; any precipitation more than this selected cap in any month will not be included in the claim calculation.

A claim is triggered when the precipitation at your selected weather station is below 80 per cent of normal. For each percentage point below that 80 per cent, 2.5 per cent of liability will be paid.

The indemnity calculation is based on your selected monthly precipitation weighting and your selected precipitation cap.

Quality control measures include verification of all weather station data by a third party (independent of SCIC) using procedures approved by an accredited meteorologist. Precipitation includes all rainfall and snowfall amounts. Only verified data is used in claim calculations.

Claims do not have to be filed; they are automatically calculated in August based strictly upon weather station data. Verified monthly precipitation amounts will be available on this site and your customer service office.

View a claim calculation example