Texas farmers have until Dec. 11 to choose between two farm safety net programs—Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) for the 2026 crop year.

A free online tool from the Texas A&M Agricultural and Food Policy Center can help farmers decide which coverage will work best for them.

“Growers will have much more knowledge about the 2026 crop year when making the decision between ARC and PLC because some crops like wheat have already been harvested while the spring-planted crops either have been or soon will be harvested,” said Dr. Bart Fischer, Agricultural and Food Policy Center co-director.  “They can use the information relevant to their operations and our tool to help decide between the programs.”

Both programs base payments on marketing year average prices calculated over the 12 months following harvest, meaning the price side of the equation is still an estimate.

To help farmers sort through the decision, the center has updated its free online decision aid to reflect the new provisions under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. The tool compares expected payments under PLC and ARC-County, ARC-CO, using a farm’s base acres, PLC yields and irrigation percentages.

Farmers can plug in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) forecasted prices or enter their own estimates, and the tool returns expected payments, including statistics and probability charts for each option.

 

The Agricultural and Food Policy Center also offers a separate Excel-based tool for farmers weighing ARC-Individual, ARC-IC, which consolidates a farmer’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) forms and calculates benchmark revenue and potential payment rates.

Farmers should have their base acre and program yield figures—found on the FSA-156EZ form from their local USDA FSA office—on hand before using either tool.

Both decision aids are available at afpc.tamu.edu/tools.

Farmers with questions can reach Agricultural and Food Policy Center staff at 979-845-5913 or 1-888-890-5663.

Farmers can make program elections and enroll either online at fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc using a Login.gov account or by making an appointment at their local FSA office.

For more information on ARC and PLC, visit the ARC and PLC webpage or contact your local FSA County Office.