Hail continues to batter Saskatchewan crops

Saskatchewan continues to see an increase in crop hail claims, swelling from 5,500 two weeks ago to 7,900, reported the Canadian Crop Hail Associaiton (CCHA).The CCHA attributes the uptick to Aug. 6 storm activity, with areas in a line from Southey through Regina to Weyburn being hit, as well as areas in the northwest, it says in its bi-weekly report.Claims totals have not been tallied for an Aug. 15 event, “but reports indicate that some areas were hard hit,” the report says.Alberta was also hit by the Aug. 6 activity. “Many areas of the province have seen hail activity and the total claims to date have topped 2,200. This is about normal for this time of year,” the CCHA reported. Two weeks ago, the number of Alberta claims was less than 1,700.This claim total represents straight hail claims only and does not include claims filed under crop insurance endorsements. “Hail activity in Manitoba has remained low with claims running well below average. He claim total is now approaching 900, up about 300 claims since the report two weeks ago.”