The Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs, administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA), offer financial assistance to agricultural producers. The ARC program provides payments when the actual revenue for a farm is less than a guarantee set based on historical data and market conditions. The PLC program provides payments when the effective price for a covered commodity falls below its effective reference price. These programs aim to protect farmers from significant income losses due to fluctuations in crop prices or revenue shortfalls.
Eligible participants include agricultural producers who have an interest in a commodity grown on a farm with base acres.
Base Allocation Notifications
On July 4, 2025, the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed providing an additional 30 million base acres to be added to farms nationwide. The base acre allocation process was in preparation for enrollment in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for 2026 and future years.
Because eligible acres exceeded the nationwide 30-million-acre cap, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) applied an across-the-board, prorated reduction of 3.69% to all newly allocated base acres.
Landowners who have a Login.gov account can access their Base Allocation Notification online using the link below. Landowners who do not have a Login.gov account can contact their local Farm Service Agency office for information on how to receive their notification.
Review Base Allocation Notification
Important Dates
- 2026 Election and Enrollment - Sept. 16 through Dec. 11, 2026
- 2027 Election and Enrollment - Nov. 2, 2026, through March 15, 2027
ARC and PLC Election and Enrollment
Producers can now make their 2026 election and enroll in ARC-County (ARC-CO) or PLC, which both provide crop-by-crop protection, or ARC-Individual (ARC-IC), which protects the entire farm.
If producers do not submit their 2026 election by Dec. 11, 2026, their election remains the same as their 2025 election for crops on the farm, and the farm is ineligible for payments for the 2026 program year.
Producers must enroll through a signed contract each year. Previous multi-year contracts ended in 2025, but producers have the option to sign a new multi-year contract for 2026 through 2031. Landowners cannot enroll in either program unless they have a share interest in the crops on the farm.
How To Apply
Producers can make program elections and enroll either online using a Login.gov account or by making an appointment at their local FSA office.
Program Features
Covered Commodities
- 22 covered commodities including wheat, oats, barley, corn, grain sorghum, long grain rice, medium/short grain rice, temperate japonica rice, seed cotton, dry peas, lentils, large and small chickpeas soybeans, peanuts, sunflower seed, canola, flaxseed, mustard seed, rapeseed, safflower, crambe, and sesame seed.
- Program-specific reference prices and revenue guarantees.
Payment Triggers
- ARC payments are triggered when actual revenue falls below the guaranteed level.
- PLC payments are triggered when market year average prices fall below the effective reference price.
Benefits
- Provides financial support during periods of low prices or revenue shortfalls.
- Helps stabilize income for farmers and ranchers.
- Offers a safety net against market volatility.
Additional Benefits
- Financial Stability: Offers a safety net to manage price and revenue risks.
- Income Support: Helps maintain farm income stability during economic downturns.
- Flexibility: Producers can choose between ARC and PLC based on their individual needs and commodity markets.