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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteThe One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed July 4, 2025, raised key support levels for corn, soybean, and wheat producers and changed how some farms can combine federal programs. For the 2025 crop year, USDA compares ARC and PLC payment rates for each covered commodity and provides the higher rate, regardless of the farm’s election. The law also expanded eligibility for base acres starting in 2026 and removed a restriction on pairing ARC with Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) insurance. These changes alter potential support—not a farm’s guaranteed payment. USDA may also refer to OBBBA as the Working Families Tax Cuts Act (WFTCA).
Which reference prices changed for Midwestern crops?
OBBBA raised statutory reference prices for covered commodities and changed the formula for calculating the effective reference price. USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) lists these statutory reference prices for common Midwestern crops:
| Crop | Previous statutory reference price | OBBBA statutory reference price |
|---|---|---|
| Corn | $3.70 per bushel | $4.10 per bushel |
| Soybeans | $8.40 per bushel | $10.00 per bushel |
| Wheat | $5.50 per bushel | $6.35 per bushel |
These are statutory program reference prices reported by USDA ERS in 2026; they are not forecasts of market prices or promises that a farm will receive a payment. The effective reference price is the greater of the statutory reference price or 88% of the five-year Olympic average of market-year average prices, with the highest and lowest years excluded. It cannot exceed 115% of the statutory reference price.
How do the revised ARC and PLC rules work?
PLC responds to national price comparisons
Price Loss Coverage (PLC) payments can be triggered when the effective price for a covered commodity falls below its effective reference price. A farm’s payment also depends on its eligible historical base acres and PLC payment yield. PLC is tied to those program records, not to whether the farm plants that particular covered commodity in the current year.
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ARC-CO responds to county revenue
Agriculture Risk Coverage at the county level (ARC-CO) compares actual county crop revenue with a benchmark-based guarantee. OBBBA raised the guarantee from 86% to 90% of benchmark revenue. For the 2025–2031 crop years, it also raised the ARC payment cap from 10% to 12% of benchmark revenue.
ARC-IC responds to farm revenue
Agriculture Risk Coverage at the individual level (ARC-IC) uses farm-level revenue rather than county revenue. Its payment acreage limit differs from the other ARC and PLC options: ARC-IC payments are limited to 65% of historical base acres. PLC and ARC-CO generally pay on 85% of base acres.
In practical terms, PLC is more directly sensitive to national price comparisons; ARC-CO depends on county revenue, and ARC-IC depends on the farm’s revenue. Which program fits a farm depends on its base acres and payment yields, county yield history, farm results, current crop mix, and insurance coverage.
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What did the 2025 payment rule change?
For the 2025 crop year only, USDA calculates ARC and PLC payment rates and provides the higher rate for each covered commodity, regardless of which program the producer had elected. The comparison is commodity by commodity, not one winner chosen for the entire farm. USDA says 16 crops triggered a PLC payment for 2025; ARC-CO triggers vary by county.
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A higher calculated rate does not by itself establish a farm’s final payment. The amount depends on applicable program acreage and yields, eligibility, and payment limits. FSA’s October 7, 2026 estimate was approximately $13.8 billion in gross 2025 ARC/PLC payments nationally. FSA says that estimate does not account for payment-limit reductions or the statutory 5.7% sequestration rate; it is neither a Midwest-only total nor a per-farm estimate.
Who may receive new base acres, and when do they count?
Eligible farms could receive additional base acres based on covered-commodity planted or prevented-planted acreage during 2019–2023, if their average qualifying acreage exceeded existing base. Allocation is subject to total cropland and other statutory rules; current corn or soybean planting alone does not determine a farm’s base.
Congress set a nationwide cap of 30 million new base acres. USDA FSA reported that eligible acreage requests exceeded the cap, so it applied a 3.69% pro-rata reduction to newly allocated acres. The allocation is complete. These new acres affect ARC/PLC eligibility beginning with the 2026 crop year, not 2025 payments.
How did payment limits and crop insurance change?
ARC/PLC payment limit
The combined ARC/PLC payment limit rose from $125,000 to $155,000 beginning with the 2025 crop year, with annual inflation adjustments specified in the law. FSA states that the adjusted limit for 2025 is $160,000. This is a program limit, not a payment amount or an estimate of what any particular operation will collect.
SCO and ECO alongside ARC
OBBBA removed the prior restriction that blocked SCO for a crop on a farm when its base acres were enrolled in ARC. FSA says eligible producers may now add SCO or Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO) regardless of their ARC/PLC election. For producers using area-based insurance, this makes the interaction between program choice and crop-insurance coverage worth reviewing with an insurance agent and the FSA county office. The existing incompatibility involving upland cotton seed-cotton base and the Stacked Income Protection Plan (STAX) remains relevant to cotton operations.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should a Midwestern producer do for 2026 enrollment?
As of October 8, 2026, FSA says producers can change their 2026 election and enroll through December 11, 2026. The available choices are ARC-CO, ARC-IC, and PLC. FSA requires a signed enrollment contract; a producer who misses the 2026 election deadline keeps the 2025 election but cannot receive 2026 program-year payments.
- Review farm records: Confirm base acres, payment yields, and any newly allocated base with the FSA county office.
- Compare the relevant risks: Use county revenue information for ARC-CO, farm revenue information for ARC-IC, and national price comparisons plus farm payment yields for PLC.
- Include insurance in the comparison: Check how the farm’s existing coverage works with its potential ARC/PLC election and whether SCO or ECO is appropriate.
- Complete the contract by the deadline: Contact the FSA county office or use FSA’s ARC/PLC services to confirm the farm-specific election and enrollment status.
For 2027, FSA lists an enrollment window of November 2, 2026 through March 15, 2027 for producers not using a multi-year contract. Confirm applicable dates and contract status with FSA.
What these changes do—and do not—tell Midwestern farms
The federal rules raise potential support parameters and change program flexibility, but they do not establish one average benefit for Midwestern farms. ARC-CO depends on county yields and program-year prices; PLC depends on national price comparisons, historical base acres, and payment yields; new-base eligibility rests on each farm’s acreage records. A farm’s outcome therefore cannot be inferred from its current crop acreage or the statewide and national headlines alone.
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