Farmers will pay more more money for better crop insurance coverage this year.

The average coverage level is $173 an acre---up 42 dollars from 2010. That is based on a 70 per cent coverage level on an average of all crops.

The averarge premium is $8.45 an acre . . . compared to $6.98 last year.

Here are some of the insured base prices per crop with 2010 levels in brackets.

Canola $10.89 a bushel  ($9.07)

No. 2 CWRS wheat  $6.04 a bushel ($4.27)

Red lentils are 24 cents a pound (27 cents)

You can check out the entire list by going to 
http://www.saskcropinsurance.com/Default.aspx?DN=6519d5e8-abfc-42f8-b101-67d32896296e

Another highlight is a boost to the Unseeded Acreage Benefit.

It will increase to $70 an acre--up from the $50 last year. The 5 per cent deductible will remain. 

Agriculture Minister Bob Bjornerud says this puts us on par with Alberta and Manitoba.

"Producers in the very worst (flooded) areas were saying $50 an acre wasn't adequate with rising input costs. So, we're hoping the 70 dollar coverage helps cover that to some degree. Having said that, we know that many producers put far more than that in (input costs), but at least it gives you that base coverage," says Bjornerud.

NDP Leader and Agriculture critic Dwaine Lingenfelter supports the higher unseeded acreage benefit, but says it should be retroactive to cover the 8 million plus acres of land that were too wet to seed last year.

"That would stimulate the economy in areas that were flooded to really help families get their crops seeded when spring comes,"says Lingenfelter.

A number of other changes were made to crop insurance affecting young farmers and forage producers.

More information is available at  
http://gov.sk.ca/adx/aspx/adxGetMedia.aspx?mediaId=1358&PN=Shared