March 15 Marks Deadline for USDA ARC and PLC Enrollment

Agricultural producers can now change election and enroll in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2023 crop year offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through March 15, 2023. Producers can elect coverage and enroll in ARC-County (ARC-CO) or PLC, which provide crop-by-crop protection, or ARC-Individual (ARC-IC), which protects the entire farm. Although election changes for 2023 are optional, producers must enroll by submitting a signed contract each year. 

In partnership with the USDA, the University of Illinois and Texas A&M University offer web-based decision tools to assist producers in making informed, educated decisions using crop data specific to their respective farming operations. 

The Gardner Payment Calculator available through the University of Illinois at https://farmdoc.illinois.edu/policy-toolbox allows producers to estimate payments for farms and counties for ACR-CO and PLC. A tool available through Texas A&M at https://www.afpc.tamu.edu allows producers to obtain basic information regarding the decision and factors that should be taken into consideration such as future commodity prices and historic yields to estimate payments.  

ARC and PLC are part of a broader safety net provided by USDA, which also includes crop insurance and marketing assistance loans. Producers are reminded that ARC and PLC elections and enrollments can impact eligibility for some crop insurance products. 

Producers on farms with a PLC election have the option of purchasing Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) through their approved insurance provider; however, producers on farms where ARC is the election are ineligible for SCO on their planted acres for that crop on that farm. Unlike SCO, the Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO) is unaffected by an ARC election.  Producers may add ECO regardless of the farm program election. Producers should contact their local crop insurance agent for information regarding possible crop insurance options. 

Additional information related to ARC and PLC programs can be accessed at http://www.fsa.usda.gov.