Mixed year for hail claims across Prairies: CCHA

The 2025 crop year was an average year for hail across the Canadian Prairies, with overall claim numbers down slightly compared to last year, reported the Canadian Crop Hail Association (CCHA).

Why it matters: Storms caused extensive damage where they hit

“What began as a season marked by drought-like conditions and expectations of an early harvest took an unexpected turn,” said CCHA president Tyson Ryhorchuk in a news release, adding “significant rainfall arrived just in time for many regions, regenerating crops and resulting in yields that exceeded initial forecasts.”

However, several severe storms across the Prairies led to significant cumulative losses, resulting in insurance payouts totaling millions of dollars.

“A mid-June storm rolled through the south portion of (Saskatchewan) where the area of Mankota saw crops reduced to stubble,” said Brian Bernauer, Rain and Hail Insurance Services.

An intense storm that hit Western Canada on July 3 brought large hailstones, strong winds and heavy rain that resulted in substantial crop losses for CCHA members. Some farmers reported hail stones up to golf ball size.

Lower commodity prices led to a decrease in total insured acres and reduced indemnity levels per acre, said the CCHA. Late season claims were particularly abundant, but CCHA member companies worked diligently to address these losses promptly, minimizing disruption to harvest operations for farmers.

“Our customers filed more claims than last year,” said Bruce Lowe, of AG Direct Hail Insurance. “But despite the increase in claims, our adjusting team continued to meet and exceed our internal targets to close claims quickly and issue loss awards to our customers.” The CCHA is a member-driven organization that represents the interests of the Canadian Crop Hail Agencies and insurance companies. These private and government organizations provide a risk management tool to the farmers across Canada. Members are Municipal Hail Insurance, AG Direct Hail Insurance Ltd, Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (Alberta), Canadian Hail Agencies, Co-operative Hail Insurance Company, Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation, Rain and Hail Insurance Service Ltd., and Palliser Insurance Company Ltd.