Purpose
- Pasture Days Insurance provides insurance coverage for livestock producers for losses due to weather-related grazing shortfalls during the summer pasture period.
Eligibility
Pasture Days Insurance is available to all producers in Manitoba that:
- have an active AgriInsurance contract, but do not have Pasture selected for insurance in combination with Forage Insurance; and
- have a minimum total of 'Animal Units' (AU) of eligible livestock types on pasture; and
- apply for or renew Pasture Days Insurance by March 31.
An 'Animal Unit' (AU) is the number of livestock equivalent to a mature cow.
| 1 Mature cow (open cow) |
= 1.0 A.U. |
1 Bull, bred cow
or cow/calf pair |
= 1.3 A.U. |
| 1 yearling calf, steer or heifer |
= 0.6 A.U. |
Sheep, Goats, Bison, Horses, Donkeys, Mules, Elk, Deer, Llamas, and Alpacas are also considered eligible livestock. Please contact MASC for exact AU values for each eligible animal type.
Coverage
- Coverage for Pasture Days Insurance is based on historic grazing period data obtained from Manitoba Community Pastures. New participants receive the historic grazing period (in it is days) as their coverage, which is adjusted based on their actual experience for subsequent years.
- The grazing period includes the time livestock spent on actual pasture and does not include grazing hay fields or stubble fields. An individual -year average will be developed for future years coverage based on each producer’s individual annual grazing period and animal units on pasture.
- Coverage begins when your cattle are put on pasture, but in any event, no sooner than May 1.
Coverage (cont'd)
- The coverage level for Pasture Days Insurance is set at per cent of normal AU Days, meaning a claim is paid if the actual grazing period is less than per cent of the insured’s calculated AU Days.
- Dollar coverage is set at $ per Animal Unit for each AU Day.
Coverage Example
A producer intends to pasture livestock totalling Animal Units on 800 acres of pasture. With no individual -year average, the provincial average of days is used.
| Animal Unit Days |
= AU x days
= AU Days |
| Pasture Guarantee |
= x per cent
= AU Days |
| Dollar Coverage |
= AU Days x $
= $ |
In this example, the producer has coverage for days ( per cent of days). If the livestock are put on pasture May 15, coverage would last until September 14.
- The livestock numbers, pasture acres, and the date livestock were placed on pasture must be reported on a Pasture Days Spring Declaration by June 30.
- A producer must inform MASC immediately of any changes to pasture acres or livestock numbers that occur throughout the year, or if supplemental feed is provided to livestock on pasture. The livestock winter feeding date and date the livestock are removed from pasture must be reported on a Pasture Days Fall Declaration by November 30.
Note: Reports received and accepted by MASC after the deadlines provided will be assessed a $500 late fee. If MASC determines a Pasture Days Insurance indemnity is payable, the insured will be charged an additional late claim fee of 25 per cent of the indemnity (maximum $1000).
Claims
- If a producer provides supplemental feed or removes livestock before the end of the coverage period due to lack of pasture available for grazing, he or she must advise their MASC immediately. Claims will be paid after November 30 when the pasture coverage ends.
- An indemnity is issued on a producer’s claim when the actual grazing period is less than per cent of the derived Animal Unit Days ( in example). The producer will be paid $ per Animal Unit for every shortfall day.
Claim Example
Using information from the Coverage example, if the producer informs MASC that livestock were removed from pasture after days due to a shortage of pasture. The indemnity calculation would be as follows:
| Actual Animal Unit Days |
= AU x days
= AU Days |
| Pasture Shortfall |
= -
= AU Days |
| Indemnity |
= AU Days x $
= $ |
