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There is hope that Alberta farmers, with a reprieve from Mother Nature, may escape the record-breaking crop damage of 2012.

Up until the start of this week, the number of insurance claims for crops damaged by severe weather was tracking just above those made four years ago, resulting in a $450-million payout to 6,898 insurance contracts.

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As of Aug. 1, 7,003 crop damage claims have been made by the province’s farmers, with 3,900 of those still being investigated by a team of 150 on-farm inspectors.

Some provincial crops have been decimated by hail. Farmers are well aware the closer to harvest that storms strike, the more costly they become.

“And the storms just keep on coming,” Agriculture Financial Services Corp. spokeswoman Nikki Booth said. “Mother Nature is your best friend or your worst enemy.”

Between 200 and 300 incidents are classified as pre-harvest claims (too much rain, crops too dry, insect infestation or wildlife incidents), plus a total of 6,435 hail claims, Booth said. The other claims fall under a miscellaneous category.

Southern Alberta has been the hardest hit, along with Lacombe, Ponoka and Red Deer, also referred to as Hail Alley.

“Some producers experienced tennis-ball-sized hail and there are several producers who have been hit by several storms, and that’s catastrophic,” she said. “Even pea-sized hail can do some pretty significant damage.”