Fall deadlines for Prairie grain farms, 2026
Crop insurance production reports, the two clocks that start with every delivery, and the Grain Commission's free Harvest Sample Program. Pick your province for a countdown.
Pick your province to see the dates in order, counted from today.
Crop insurance: the harvested production report
If you have crop insurance, you report what you harvested, by crop, every fall. It sets your yield history, and with it your coverage in years to come.
| Province | Report | Due | If it's missed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saskatchewan | Crop Production Declaration, Saskatchewan Crop Insurance | November 15 | Your annual yield is set at zero, reducing future coverage by 10% for each year not reported. |
| Alberta | Harvested Production Report, AFSC (annual crops) | November 15, accepted late until December 31 with a late filing fee | Not filed by December 31: the yield is recorded as zero and no indemnity is calculated. |
| Manitoba | Harvested Production Report, MASC | November 30 | MASC's page doesn't say. Ask your MASC office. |
Where the numbers come from. The report wants what you harvested, by crop. Delivered tonnes from your settlements plus what's in the bins is the usual starting point; keep the tickets and bin measurements that back it up.
Two clocks that start with every delivery
To question the grade
At a licensed primary elevator, ask within 7 calendar days of delivery for your sample to go to the Canadian Grain Commission for a Final Quality Determination. A sample sent to the company's own head office isn't the same thing. Your rights at the elevator
Payment protection
For a licensed buyer: 30 days from the day a cheque or cash purchase ticket is issued, but never past 90 days from delivery. Swap a receipt for a cheque before the 90 days run out. Check a delivery's dates
The Harvest Sample Program
The Canadian Grain Commission grades a sample of your grain for free and sends you an unofficial grade with dockage and protein or oil. Samples received by December 31 are analyzed as part of the program, and results stay online until April 1. It's a second opinion to hold against the grade your settlements paid.
Questions
When is the crop insurance harvested production report due?
For the 2026 crop: Saskatchewan Crop Insurance's Crop Production Declaration by November 15; AFSC's Harvested Production Report for annual crops by November 15, accepted late until December 31 with a late filing fee; MASC's Harvested Production Report by November 30.
What happens if I don't file my production report?
In Saskatchewan, your annual yield is set at zero, reducing future coverage by 10% for each year you don't report. In Alberta, if it isn't in by December 31, the yield is recorded as zero and no indemnity is calculated. MASC's page doesn't say what happens; ask your MASC office.
How long do I have to question a grade at the elevator?
At a licensed primary elevator, 7 calendar days from delivery to ask the operator to send your sample to the Canadian Grain Commission for a Final Quality Determination. It isn't available at process elevators or grain dealers.
When do I have to send Harvest Sample Program samples?
Samples received by December 31 are analyzed as part of the program. It's free, and results stay online until April 1.
These dates, with your own numbers
GrainPosition puts them on your dashboard under Coming up: your province's production report with the tonnes you harvested and have in the bins, the 7-day window on each settlement graded below its contract, and when payment protection ends on each one not yet paid. A Monday email lists what's due in the next two weeks. Free during early access.
Have a lookSources
- Saskatchewan Crop Insurance, Harvest production declaration: November 15, and the zero yield and 10% a year if not reported.
- AFSC, Harvested Production Report: November 15 for annual crops, late filing to December 31, zero yield and no indemnity after that.
- MASC, AgriInsurance: the Harvested Production Report by November 30.
- Canadian Grain Commission, Final Quality Determination: 7 calendar days at licensed primary elevators.
- Canadian Grain Commission, Payment protection: 30 days from a cheque or cash purchase ticket, 90 days from delivery at most.
- Canadian Grain Commission, Harvest Sample Program: samples by December 31, results online until April 1.
Checked 10 October 2026, for the 2026 crop. Your own policy, contract or the agency's office has the final word; this is not legal or insurance advice.
Were you paid right on your last grain settlement?
Send me a photo of the settlement, and the contract if you have it. Within a day I’ll email you back what each line is, what’s worth asking the buyer about, and any grade or payment deadline that’s still open. Free, no account.
Ruslan Glick, Winnipeg. Not a farmer, so I check against your contract and the Canadian Grain Commission’s rules, not opinions. Top Crop Manager wrote about GrainPosition.