Extension of ARC and PLC Election Deadlines
March 27, 2015
The USDA announced today that farmers will have one more week to elect Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC), the safety-net programs established by the 2014 Farm Bill. April 7, 2015 will also be the final day to update yield history or reallocate base acres.
Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, said, “This is an important decision for producers because these programs help farmers and ranchers protect their operations from unexpected changes in the marketplace. Nearly 98 percent of owners have already updated yield and base acres, and 90 percent of producers have enrolled in ARC or PLC. These numbers are strong, and continue to rise. This additional week will give producers a little more time to have those final conversations, review their data, visit their local Farm Service Agency offices, and make their decisions.”If no changes are made to yield history or base acres by the deadline, the farm’s current yield and base acres will be used. If a program choice of ARC or PLC is not made, there will be no 2014 crop year payments for the farm and the farm will default to PLC coverage for the 2015 through 2018 crop years. Producers who have an appointment at their local FSA offices scheduled by April 7 will be able to make an election between ARC and PLC, even if their actual appointment is after April 7.
Online tools are available at www.fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc, which allow producers to explore how ARC or PLC coverage will affect their operation. To learn more, farmers can also contact their local Farm Service Agency county office found at http://offices.usda.gov.