The Tool Desk
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ARC or PLC: Make the 2026 election by December 11
USDA’s Farm Service Agency opened 2026 Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) election and enrollment on September 16, 2026. Producers must sign an annual contract by December 11, 2026. They may change their election and enroll in ARC-County (ARC-CO), ARC-Individual (ARC-IC), or PLC.
Missing the deadline does not automatically erase the prior election: the 2025 election remains in place. But the farm is ineligible for payments for the 2026 program year. USDA also announced that more than 30 million new base acres were included in the programs—the first expansion in 20 years. Because eligible acres exceeded the 30-million-acre cap, USDA applied a 3.69% across-the-board proration to the newly allocated acres.
How the three options differ
| Program | Unit of protection | What to weigh |
|---|---|---|
| ARC-CO | Crop by crop, at the county level | Compare the operation’s crop exposure with county-level revenue risk. |
| PLC | Crop by crop | Consider the operation’s crop and price exposure. |
| ARC-IC | The farm as a whole | Consider the operation’s combined crop and revenue exposure rather than an individual crop in isolation. |
The program descriptions and election rules do not establish a universal best choice. USDA says some land-grant universities offer web-based tools using data specific to a farming operation. Producers should compare operation-specific estimates and check current FSA instructions before signing.
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Check crop-insurance interactions
Under the new law, choosing ARC or PLC no longer bars access to the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) or Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO). A separate restriction applies to upland cotton: a farm enrolling seed cotton base in ARC or PLC cannot use the Stacked Income Protection Plan (STAX) on planted cotton acres for that farm. Confirm the effect on a particular operation with its crop-insurance provider as well as FSA.
Keep the 2027 window separate
USDA set a different 2027 enrollment period: November 2, 2026, through March 15, 2027. A producer who opts out of a new multi-year contract for 2026 can enroll for 2027 during that later window. It does not extend the December 11 deadline for the 2026 election.
What aid was announced before fall 2026?
In December 2025, USDA announced $12 billion in one-time bridge payments in response to farm economic pressure. The announcement designated up to $11 billion for Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) covering specified row crops, with the remaining $1 billion reserved for other commodities, including specialty crops and sugar. This was an earlier aid announcement, not a new fall 2026 election.
USDA described FBA as using a uniform formula intended to cover part of modeled 2025 crop-year losses. Its stated national loss average drew on FSA planted-acre reports, Economic Research Service production-cost estimates, WASDE yields and prices, and economic modeling. The agency said eligible farmers should have accurate 2025 acreage reports and anticipated releasing payments by February 28, 2026. That was the announced schedule; the available program information here does not establish current payment status or updates to the reserved $1 billion. Producers should check current FSA notices for payment and eligibility details.
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The same USDA announcement listed trade arrangements and market-access commitments with multiple countries. Those were administration statements in a program announcement, not independently measured export results.
What MAHA changes for agriculture
Two 2026 actions connect the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda to agriculture, but neither establishes that a practice has produced a particular health or yield result.
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Executive direction
Executive Order 14414, dated June 25, 2026, directed federal policy to promote precision agriculture, increase federal investment in regenerative agriculture practices and research, and encourage private-sector farm modernization. It also directed reviews and research related to crop-protection substances and cumulative exposure. These are policy directions in an executive order, not proof of resulting health or farm-production effects.
FY2027 regenerative assistance
On September 29, USDA announced that financial assistance under its FY2027 Regenerative Pilot Program would increase from $700 million to $1 billion: $650 million through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and $350 million through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). The announcement described a whole-farm application pathway and locally tailored practices. For CSP, it lowered the resource-concern threshold from 100% to 75%.
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Did Congress pass a new Farm Bill?
The relevant authorities have different timelines, so saying simply that “the Farm Bill expires” or that a new Farm Bill passed can obscure what applies to a particular program. The 2018 Farm Bill’s remaining authorities were extended at existing funding levels through September 30, 2026. Separately, the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act changed and funded selected programs. USDA’s Economic Research Service says ARC, PLC, and other major programs were extended through 2031 by the 2025 act, while remaining mandatory programs were extended only through September 30, 2026.
That is a layered set of extensions and changes, not one new comprehensive Farm Bill replacing the 2018 law. In the ordinary legislative process, the House and Senate pass versions that must be reconciled before a bill goes to the President; agencies then develop implementing rules. The program descriptions cited here do not resolve the status of every remaining authority after September 30, 2026, so farmers should check the administering agency’s current guidance for the specific program they use.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the fall beef quota change does—and does not do
An August 26, 2026 presidential proclamation raised the 2026 in-quota quantity for specified lean beef trimmings by 300,000 metric tons, divided into three 100,000-ton tranches. The measure is a targeted tariff-rate quota change for specified tariff classifications, not evidence of a broad change to agricultural tariffs.
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The proclamation allocated the added quantity to “other countries or areas” on a first-come, first-served basis. The second 100,000-ton tranche opened October 1. The third is scheduled to open October 31 and close when filled or on November 30, whichever comes first. The proclamation also instructed agencies to monitor supply and whether imported product was sold at least 25% below the market price. That is a monitoring provision, not confirmation that such a discount occurred.
Separately, a September 4 executive order on livestock markets directed heightened enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act, coordination with the Department of Justice, reviews of enforcement policy, and expanded state participation in inspection and cooperative interstate shipment programs. It also called for technical assistance and training for small processors. These directives require implementation; they are not themselves evidence that competition or processing conditions have already changed.
What farmers can reasonably infer about tariffs
The verified fall-window measure described here concerns a narrow beef quota. It does not establish the full range of 2026 agricultural tariffs or quantify their effects on farm exports, input costs, or particular sectors. Farmers should distinguish a specific tariff-rate quota or a government-announced market-access commitment from a broad tariff-policy change, and avoid treating either as a measured farm-income effect without sector-specific evidence.
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