Sask. farmers calling for crop insurance change

Extensive flooding this summer is still causing a ripple of problems throughout southeastern Saskatchewan.

Yields for crops in this year's harvest were lower than average due to the moisture in the soil.

Now, some farmers want to see changes made in the way the province covers flood damage to crops and fields, and they wantsoutheastern Saskatchewan declared a "disaster area", in order to free up money.

A group of farmers met in Raymore on Sunday to form a petition to forward to the provincial government.

"It's not just a number on a ledger. This is the real thing," said Matt Gehl, a board member for the National Farmer's Union (NFU).

"This could mean the difference between losing more family farms in this province, which we just can't afford to do."

The NFU and the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan saythe program as it stands now is not working.

"The current crop program was designed in a time of drought and doesn't handle floods all that well, maybe it's time totake a long look at how cropinsurance is handled," Gehl said.

The group is also attempting to send the petition to the House of Commons in Ottawa.