Program payment

If the participation year margin drops by more than 15% in relation to the reference margin, the margin decline is offset in part by a payment from the AgriStability program. The participation year is the one in which the farming operation's fiscal period ends. The maximum amount that can be paid to a participating operation is $3 million.

The current year's margin corresponds to the production margin in the participation year, which corresponds to the difference between the operation's farming income and the variable expenses it incurs during its fiscal period. As for the reference margin, it corresponds to the average production margins of the past five years, with the highest margin and the lowest margin removed.

Depending on the value of the participation year margin in relation to the reference margin, the AgriStability program will intervene as follows:

The above table shows that program intervention increases based on the depth of the margin decline.

Under certain conditions, it is possible for a participating operation to request an interim payment for the 2012 participation year. An interim payment makes it possible to receive program payments more quickly, without having to wait for the end of the fiscal period.