Enroll now in USDA farm programs before deadline

Feb 29, 2024

By Farms.com

Agricultural producers are in the final stretch to enroll in the USDA's Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2024 crop year, with a looming deadline of March 15, 2024. These key safety net programs, overseen by the USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA), aim to provide indispensable income support to farmers confronting significant price or revenue downturns.

In New York, progress is evident, with 74% of the anticipated contracts already finalized, demonstrating the agricultural community's active participation. Jim Barber, FSA's State Executive Director in New York, emphasizes the programs' role in mitigating market uncertainties at no additional cost to the producer. He encourages farmers to make their program elections soon to avoid missing out on this critical support.

Farmers can elect coverage under ARC-County or PLC for specific crops, or ARC-Individual for comprehensive farm protection. While changing elections for 2024 is not mandatory, signing an annual contract is essential for receiving program benefits. Failure to enroll by the deadline disqualifies producers from receiving payments for the 2024 crop year.

The programs cover a broad array of commodities, from grains to oilseeds, ensuring a wide impact across the agricultural sector. Producers are also advised to consider how enrollment affects eligibility for various crop insurance options, with tools available to assist in making the best decision for their operations.

This initiative is part of the USDA's commitment, under the current administration, to fostering a more resilient and equitable agricultural sector, emphasizing local and regional food systems, fair markets, and climate-smart practices.

Video: Learning to Wrench From Dad the Hard Way

Harvest is a week out and the farm picked this week to fall apart. The truck needs a battery, the barn curtain's got a problem, and the corn and beans are telling us we're out of time to get it all fixed.

So it's a full day of wrenching. Tork supervises while I get the truck back running, then we're out at the hog barn where one rusted up part has the whole curtain system hung up. Ladder work, cable work, and a little dad-and-son disagreement about the right way to do it. We close it out walking the fields, shelling beans and checking corn, because whether everything's fixed or not, harvest starts when harvest starts.

Chapters: 00:00 Everything breaks the week before harvest 01:00 Tork supervises while I fix the truck 12:30 Out to the barn to find the curtain problem 14:30 One rusty part hung up the whole curtain 20:00 Running the curtain cable from the ladder 24:00 Walking the beans and corn before harvest 26:30 Wrapping up

We're a 6th generation family farm in southeast Iowa showing the real ups and downs of pig farming and row crop farming. No script, just the work. Subscribe and follow along.

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