ARC/PLC Program

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The Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs were authorized by the 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills.

The Agriculture Risk (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs provide financial protections to farmers from substantial drops in crop prices or revenues and are vital economic safety nets for most American farms.

2023 Crop Year Election/Enrollment

The election and enrollment period opened on Oct. 17, 2022 and runs through March 15, 2023. Producers can now make or change elections and enroll for 2023 ARC or PLC, providing future protections against market fluctuations.

Program at a Glance

Under the 2018 Farm Bill, farmers and landowners can choose between three commodity title alternatives: ARC-CO (payment based on county revenue), ARC-IC (payment based on individual farm revenue), and PLC (payment based on market year average). Program details for each are outlined below.

Agriculture Risk Coverage

The ARC-CO program provides income support tied to historical base acres, not current production, of covered commodities. ARC-CO payments are issued when the actual county crop revenue of a covered commodity is less than the ARC-CO guarantee for the covered commodity.

Individual Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC-IC) program payments are issued when the actual individual crop revenue for all covered commodities planted on the ARC-IC farm is less than the ARC-IC guarantee for those covered commodities. ARC-IC uses producer’s certified yields, rather than county level yields.

Price Loss Coverage (PLC)

PLC program payments are issued when the effective price of a covered commodity is less than the respective reference price for that commodity. The effective price equals the higher of the market year average price (MYA) or the national average loan rate for the covered commodity.

ARC/PLC Fact Sheet

Resources

Program Definitions

Frequently Asked Questions

Yield Update Calculator (2020 Crop Year) and CCC-867 Generator

Web Tools

2018 Farm Bill Decision Aid: This tool was created by the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University, in conjunction with the Food and Agricultural Policy Institute at the University of Missouri.
ARC/PLC Calculator: This tool was created by the National Coalition for Producer Education, led by the University of Illinois.

How to Apply

Eligible producers can apply for ARCPLC by working directly with the Farm Service Agency (FSA) office at their local USDA Service Center. Applications will be accepted via mail, fax, hand delivery, or electronic means.

Alternatively, producers with an eAuthentication account may apply for ARCPLC online. Applications will be completed, electronically signed, and submitted directly to your local USDA Service Center through this online system.

To login to ARCPLC or any other program, an eAuthentication account is required. Producers interested in creating an eAuthentication account for online access should visit farmers.gov/sign-in to learn more.

FAQs

What commodities are covered?

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

What are base acres?

A farm’s base acreage and program yield are historical averages of crop production and are used to calculate certain government payments, including ARC and PLC.

Can PLC yields be updated?

Owners had a one-time opportunity in 2020 (for the life of the 2018 Farm Bill) to update PLC yields of covered commodity base crops on their farm, regardless of program election.

How are reference prices calculated?

Under the 2018 Farm Bill amendments, effective reference prices will be calculated to allow upward fluctuation of reference prices in times when historic price averages are higher than the established reference price for the covered commodity.

FSA publishes reference prices for all covered commodities with their ARC/PLC Program Data.

What are the crop insurance considerations?

Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO)

Producers who elect and enroll in PLC also have the option of purchasing coverage through the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA). Producers on farms with covered commodities that elect ARC are ineligible for SCO on their planted acres.

Learn more about the Supplemental Coverage Option for Federal Crop Insurance.

Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO)

ECO is unaffected by participating in ARC for the same crop, on the same acres. Producers may elect ECO regardless of your farm program selection.

Learn more about the Enhanced Coverage Option.

Stacked Income Protection (STAX)

Producers of upland cotton who choose to enroll seed cotton base acres in ARC or PLC are ineligible for the STAX on their planted cotton acres. To be eligible for STAX coverage, producers must not enroll their seed cotton base acres into the ARC/PLC program. Because enrollment is now completed on a commodity-by-commodity basis, producers can choose to enroll all base acres, except for cotton, if they wish to purchase STAX coverage. Those producers who do enroll in ARC or PLC for seed cotton will have their STAX eligibility determined based on enrollment.

Learn more about the Stacked Income Protection Plan (STAX) for Upland Cotton.

What is the ARC/PLC payment schedule?

If triggered, ARC-CO, ARC-IC, and PLC payments will issue:

2020 – after Oct. 1, 2021
2021 – after Oct. 1, 2022
2022 – after Oct. 1, 2023
2023 – after Oct. 1, 2024

ARC/PLC Program

About the Program