Manitoba asparagus and strawberry farmers are reporting heavy losses this season after a string of extreme weather events, and they say current crop-insurance programs leave them exposed.
Weather hits harvest windows
Growers across the southern part of the province have contended with an unusually volatile spring and summer: a late start to the season, a damaging frost in May, intense rainfall in June and recently high temperatures in July. Producers say the combination has cut yields and raised costs at a time when many small operations can least afford setbacks.
Michelle Baril, co-owner of Red River's Edge Farms in Aubigny, about 50 kilometres south of Winnipeg, said the frost destroyed the early asparagus growth and wiped out roughly a week of what is normally a six-week harvest window. She estimated the damage at between $7,000 and $10,000.
"The crop was completely ruined, so we had to cut everything and start over,"
Baril said asparagus is not an eligible commodity under the crop-insurance programs that cover many grain and pulse crops in the province. That means any loss due to flooding, frost or heat has to be absorbed by the farm.
Strawberry producers also feeling the strain
Strawberry growers report similar damage. Angie Cormier, who farms at Cormier's Berry Patch in La Salle, about 25 kilometres south of Winnipeg, said heavy rains produced excessive humidity in the fields and led to spoilage of fruit. She is also executive director of the Prairie Fruit Growers Association.
Members of her association and other small-fruit growers have been pursuing an insurance program for Manitoba fruit farmers; she says work on a tailored program has been ongoing for three years.
- Primary weather problems this season: late spring, May frost, June heavy rainfall, July heat.
- Farms mentioned: Red River's Edge Farms (Aubigny), Cormier's Berry Patch (La Salle).
- Estimated crop loss: Baril estimated between $7,000 and $10,000 for her asparagus.
Insurance gap and local impact
Growers say the exclusion of some fruits and vegetables from available insurance programs places disproportionate financial risk on small-scale producers. Unlike larger grain operations that qualify for established crop insurance, asparagus and certain berry producers rely on personal investment in inputs such as fertiliser and weed control, and face recovering costs out of pocket when crops fail.
Farmers and grower associations are already engaged in discussions about insurance options specifically designed for fruit and specialty-vegetable producers. Those conversations have taken place alongside growing concerns about how increasingly erratic weather will affect planting windows, pest and disease pressure, and post-harvest quality.
| Crop | Insurance status (as reported) |
|---|---|
| Wheat, canola, lentils, beans | Eligible for crop insurance |
| Asparagus, some strawberries | Not included / limited access |
Producers say lack of coverage increases vulnerability to a single bad season and can threaten the viability of small farms that operate on narrow margins. The issue also raises questions for policymakers about how to adapt farm-support programs to a changing climate and a more diversified provincial agriculture sector.
Further details about the status of proposed insurance programs for fruit growers or any official response from provincial agencies were not provided in the reporting that produced this story.
