The provincial government is opening two new Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) service centres in the western part of the province to better meet the needs of farmers.
The two new service centres will be located in Shoal Lake and Virden, and will provide farmers with better access to Agrinsurance, hail insurance, wildlife damage compensation, agricultural loans, pathfinding services for programs offered by Manitoba Agriculture and other programs administered by MASC, said a government release.
Each new location will be staffed with four full-time employees and one casual employee.
“We heard from producers loud and clear that they wanted the in-person service they used to enjoy,” Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn said in announcing the new centres Tuesday. “These new service centres will also help MASC staff to further build relationships with producers, allowing them to better anticipate and respond to their individual needs.”
The province said in a statement that a number of agricultural organizations had been asking the province to open new MASC service centres after 21 Manitoba Agriculture and MASC offices were previously closed across the province.
The additional service centres are anticipated to open by the end of summer, added Kostyshyn. Precise opening dates and accompanying details will be communicated to clients in the coming months.
Approximately 1,600 MASC clients will benefit from the addition of two new service centres and roughly 94% of MASC clients will now be within a 60-minute drive to a MASC service centre, an increase from 83%, the minister said.
