Maple syrup producers across a large swath of the province were affected by the derecho/tornado event on May 21. Reports have been rolling in of widespread damage to mature sugar bushes. Remember to stay extra safe and vigilant if you’re attempting clean-up yourself. There are reports of trees with their tops snapped off, but still suspended from the trunk. Every safety precaution should be taken if you will be entering an affected sugarbush.

I am currently collecting information about damage this event caused. If you or someone you know were affected, feel free to get in touch at jenny.liu2@ontario.ca with any information you have on # of trees damaged, infrastructure damaged, cleanup costs and effort, how this impacts future plans etc.

In the meantime, see below for some available financial supports. Please note the deadlines for application this year!

Business Risk Management Programs

The programs below are administered by Agricorp. More information can be found on their website or by contacting Agricorp directly.

AgriStability

• AgriStability provides whole-farm coverage to protect producers from large declines in their farming income caused by production loss, increased costs or market conditions.
• The federal and provincial governments have extended the deadline for 2022 AgriStability applications and fee payment to June 30, 2022.
• In addition, two key enhancements to AgriStability were made last year to improve support for farmers. Both updates are effective as of the 2020 program year.
  • Ontario compensation rate increased – The provincial portion of the compensation rate for AgriStability has been increased from 70% to 80%. This is being paid as a top‑up, which will be paid separately from any initial AgriStability payments.
  • Coverage increased for farmers with removal of reference margin limit – With the removal of the reference margin limit, which was based on a farm’s average expenses, the reference margin is once again based on a customer’s recent average net income, potentially leading to a higher reference margin. This means less of a margin decline is needed for a payment to be triggered.
• Producers should contact Agricorp to enrol. https://www.agricorp.com/en-ca/News/2022/Pages/AgriStability-Farmers-now-have-until-June-30-to-secure-coverage.aspx

Self Directed Risk Management Program

• Maple producers also have access to the Self Directed Risk Management Program (SDRM).
• Producers deposit funds into self-directed risk management (SDRM) accounts and the deposit is matched by the government to help mitigate risk associated with farm business.
• https://www.agricorp.com/en-ca/Programs/RMP/EdibleHorticulture/Pages/Overview.aspx