Farmers can begin enrolling in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently updated to include more than 30 million new base acres. This expansion, the first in 20 years, was included in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act.

Farmers can make elections and enroll for the 2026 crop year through Dec. 11.

For the 2027 crop year, farmers can make elections and enroll from Nov. 2, 2026 through March 15, 2027.

“In addition to expanded base acres, farmers now also have the opportunity to change their program election to best support the economic viability of their operations,” Richard Fordyce, USDA undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation, said.

Base allocation notifications
The opportunity for landowners to review their base allocation summaries and take necessary action ended Aug. 31, 2026. This included correcting inaccurate information, designating subsequent acres or opting out of adding base acres. Landowners did not lose base acres through the base allocation process.

If landowners did not notify USDA’s Farm Service Agency of changes, the base allocation summary is considered accurate and complete. However, an across-the-board factor will apply. FSA determined the base allocation percentage reduction using all acreage reported as eligible, and new base acres will automatically be allocated to farms after applying the 3.69% reduction.

Base allocation notifications will be available beginning Sept. 16.

Landowners can access notifications online at fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc using a Login.gov account. Landowners who do not currently have a Login.gov account can contact their FSA county office to obtain their base allocation notification beginning Sept. 16.

Enrollment period
Farmers can now change their 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.

Although election changes for 2026 are optional, farmers must enroll through a signed contract each year. Existing multi-year contracts ended in 2025, but farmers have the option to sign a new multi-year contract for 2026 through 2031. Farmers who opt out of a multi-year contract can enroll for the 2027 crop year starting Nov. 2, 2026, through March 15, 2027.

If farmers 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. Landowners cannot enroll in either program unless they have a share interest in the farm.

Covered commodities include barley, canola, large and small chickpeas, corn, crambe, flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, dry peas, rapeseed, long grain rice, medium and short grain rice, safflower seed, seed cotton, sesame, soybeans, sunflower seed and wheat.

Some land grant universities offer web-based decision tools to help farmers make informed election decisions using crop data specific to their respective farming operations.

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.

Crop insurance considerations
Farmers are reminded that ARC and PLC election and enrollment can impact eligibility for some crop insurance products.

Farmers can now add SCO coverage or the Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO) regardless of their ARC or PLC election. Previously, farmers who elected ARC-CO or ARC-IC were ineligible to purchase the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) through their Approved Insurance Provider for the same acres, but The Working Families Tax Cuts Act removed this restriction.

Upland cotton farmers who choose to enroll seed cotton base acres in ARC or PLC are ineligible for the Stacked Income Protection Plan (STAX) on their planted cotton acres for that farm.

Crop insurance information is available through USDA’s Risk Management Agency.

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