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ARC and PLC are USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) farm programs that protect against different risks: Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) responds to revenue shortfalls, while Price Loss Coverage (PLC) may pay when a covered commodity’s effective price falls below its effective reference price. Neither is best for every farm. Compare likely price and revenue scenarios for each covered commodity, using your farm’s records, before making an election.
What ARC and PLC protect against
The choice is based on the farm’s covered commodities and base-acre records—not simply on which crop is planted this year. USDA lists 22 covered commodities, including corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, barley, grain sorghum, rice, seed cotton, dry peas, lentils, chickpeas, peanuts and several oilseeds. Check the current list and your farm information on USDA FSA’s ARC/PLC program page.
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| Program option | Trigger | Protection scope |
|---|---|---|
| ARC-County (ARC-CO) | May pay when actual county crop revenue falls below its guarantee. | Crop-by-crop election. |
| PLC | May pay when a covered commodity’s effective price falls below its effective reference price. | Crop-by-crop election. |
| ARC-Individual (ARC-IC) | May pay when actual farm revenue falls below its guarantee. | Whole-farm protection. |
These are different triggers, not interchangeable versions of the same protection. A lower crop price can matter directly to PLC; ARC’s revenue trigger also depends on yields and the applicable county or farm revenue calculation. A payment is not guaranteed under either program.
How to make a practical comparison
- Confirm the farm’s records. Identify covered commodities, base acres and the farm’s applicable program information. USDA says eligible participants are agricultural producers with an interest in a covered commodity grown on a farm with base acres. Landowners cannot enroll unless they have a share interest in the crops on the farm.
- Separate the risks. Ask whether the key concern for each commodity is a price falling below its effective reference price, a revenue shortfall tied to price and yield, or a whole-farm revenue shortfall. Match that concern to PLC, ARC-CO or ARC-IC’s trigger and scope.
- Compare plausible scenarios. Test a range of reasonable prices and yields or revenues for each covered commodity rather than relying on a single forecast. Land-grant university analyses and calculators can help show how different assumptions change the comparison. No published outcome figure cited here establishes a universally superior program or predicts a particular farm’s payment.
- Use FSA for program and enrollment questions. Contact your local FSA office to understand the applicable records, election and enrollment process. FSA staff cannot tell producers which program or crop they should choose. Richard Fordyce, USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation, was quoted by Oklahoma Farm Report on September 22, 2026, saying, “We really can’t advise producers on what program, what crops should be enrolled in.” He recommended using land-grant university analysis and calculators to compare scenarios. Oklahoma producers can consult the Oklahoma State University resources described in that report; producers elsewhere should look to their own state’s land-grant extension program.
2026 election and enrollment: dates and requirements
USDA lists September 16 through December 11, 2026, as the 2026 election and enrollment period. A signed contract is required for potential 2026 payment eligibility. USDA says that if a farm does not submit a new election by December 11, it retains its 2025 election, but without enrollment it is ineligible for 2026 program-year payments. Confirm current instructions and any changes with FSA and your local office before acting.
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USDA also lists November 2, 2026, through March 15, 2027, as the 2027 election and enrollment period. Because program dates can change, check the official page close to the time you enroll.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the base-acre update means
USDA says the 2025 law provided an additional 30 million base acres for allocation. Eligible acres exceeded the cap, so FSA applied a 3.69% prorated reduction to newly allocated base acres. Those are national program figures, not a determination of any individual farm’s acres. Use your own FSA allocation notification and farm records to establish what applies to you.
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