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