Agricultural producers can soon begin enrolling in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently updated to include more than 30 million new base acres. This expansion, the first in 20 years, was made possible by the Working Families Tax Cuts Act and is part of USDA’s efforts to put Farmers First.
Now that the base allocation process is complete, producers can make elections and enroll for the 2026 crop year from Sept. 16 through Dec. 11, 2026, and for the 2027 crop year from Nov. 2, 2026, through March 15, 2027. Because eligible acres exceeded the nationwide 30-million-acre cap, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is applying an across-the-board, prorated reduction of 3.69% to all newly allocated base acres.
“President Trump and Secretary Rollins are putting Farmers First by providing increased access to the farm safety net,” said Under Secretary Richard Fordyce. “In addition to expanded base acres, farmers now also have the opportunity to change their program election to best support the economic viability of their operations.”
Base Allocation Notifications
The opportunity for landowners to review their base allocation summaries and take necessary action ended Aug. 31, 2026. This included correcting inaccurate information, designating subsequent acres or opting out of adding base acres. Landowners did not lose base acres through the base allocation process.
Source : usda.gov