Farm Bill Decisions for 2026

Oct 02, 2026

By Ann Johanns

Election and enrollment dates were recently announced by the USDA Farm Service Agency for safety net programs Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) & Price Loss Coverage (PLC).

Important Dates

2026 Election and Enrollment – Sept. 16 through Dec. 11, 2026
2027 Election and Enrollment – Nov. 2, 2026, through March 15, 2027
2025 program sign-up was completed in spring 2025, any payments received for ARC or PLC occur in October 2026, following the end of the 2025 crop marketing year.

Comparing Options for 2026

The Ag Decision Maker Decision Tool has been updated with benchmark price and yield data to aid in decisions on the 2026 sign-up.

To estimate payments, the user chooses their county, enters a projection on county level yields, their farm’s base acres, and PLC yields. The Marketing Year Average (MYA) price projections shown in the tool are updated monthly using data from USDA FSA. With this information entered, the tool shows the ARC-CO net revenue guarantee, trigger yields where payments would occur under the current price, and potential payments, if any. If the projected price is lower than the effective reference price, PLC payments are estimated based on the base acres and farm PLC yields.

Source : iastate.edu

Video: What If Everything You Knew About Feed Inventory Was Wrong?

AI, Agriculture & the Future of Smart Farming with BinSentry CEO Ben Allen. Every day, livestock producers make thousands of dollars' worth of decisions based on one simple question: How much feed is actually left in the bin? For decades, the answer has often been an estimate.

In this episode of AgTech with Andrew, I sit down with Ben Allen, CEO of BinSentry, to explore how artificial intelligence, machine vision and real-time data are transforming one of agriculture's most overlooked challenges—feed and grain inventory management.
We discuss why some of the biggest inefficiencies in livestock production aren't happening in the barn, but throughout the feed supply chain. Ben shares insights from his career leading agricultural technology companies, explains why AI must solve real business problems to earn producer trust, and offers his vision for the connected farm of the future.

In this interview, you'll discover:
Why feed inventory has remained one of agriculture's biggest blind spots
How AI is reducing costly feed outages, waste and unnecessary deliveries
The hidden safety risks of traditional bin inspections
What separates successful ag technologies from those that never gain adoption
How connected farms are changing decision-making for producers, feed mills and integrators
Why real-time inventory may become as important as precision planting and autonomous equipment

Whether you're a livestock producer, grain farmer, feed manufacturer, ag retailer, nutritionist or simply passionate about the future of agriculture, this conversation offers valuable insights into where the industry is headed.