Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) announced Friday afternoon the federal, provincial, and territorial governments agreed to extend the application deadline for AgriStability.

Farmers now have until July 31st to enroll into the program, without penalty; the original deadline was this Wednesday (April 30).

The change comes amid “pressures and uncertainties facing the agriculture sector”, according to an AAFC news release. They also said the additional time will allow producers to “consider their needs and manage the impact of challenges”, such as “production loss, increased costs and changing market conditions.”

In a separate news release, Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Daryl Harrison says the uncertainty “reinforces the importance of our business risk management programs.”

The provincial government notes in the last six program years, farmers in the province received over $565 million in benefit payments.

This isn’t the first time AgriStability was modified. Back in late March, the compensation rate was increased to 90 per cent and the maximum payment was bumped up to $6 million for the 2025 program year.

AAFC said at the time the changes would support farmers from the Chinese tariffs on peas, canola oil and canola meal, and from the U.S. tariffs.