Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC)

Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) & Price Loss Coverage (PLC)

This program may have additional incentives or benefits for those who are underserved. Learn more about our terminology.

The ARC and PLC Program provides financial protections from substantial drops in commodity prices or revenues.

Managing USDA Agency	Type of Assistance	Who Should Apply	Learn More
Farm Service Agency (FSA)	Income support payments	Farmers and landowners with an interest in covered commodity base acres	Visit

Landowners and farmers can choose between three options:

ARC-CO provides payments based on averages of prices and county yields
ARC-IC provides payments based on averages of market year prices and individual farm yields
PLC provides payments based on effective prices and effective reference prices

Eligible producers:

A producer is not eligible to receive ARC/PLC payments if the sum of base acres on ALL farms in which the producer has an interest is 10 acres or less.
To be eligible for payments, producers must annually enroll their respective share interest of covered commodity base acres. For 2019 and subsequent years, enrollment will occur on a covered commodity-by-covered commodity base acre crop basis.
Note: This 10-acre rule will not apply to a socially disadvantaged, beginning, veteran, or limited resource farmer or rancher.

Eligible crops:

There are 22 covered commodities: wheat, oats, barley, corn, grain sorghum, long grain rice, medium/short grain rice, temperate japonica rice, seed cotton, dry peas, lentils, large and small chickpeas soybeans, peanuts, sunflower seed, canola, flaxseed, mustard seed, rapeseed, safflower, crambe, and sesame seed.
PLC and ARC-CO payments are not dependent upon the planting of a covered commodity.
Base acres on farms where all cropland acres have been planted entirely to grass or pasture; including cropland that was idle or fallow, from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2017 will be maintained but no ARC or PLC payments will be issued from 2019-2024.
Unassigned base acres resulting from 2018 allocation of generic base acres are ineligible for payment
Enrolling less than 100% of a covered commodity’s base acres on a farm is not allowed.

ARC-CO and PLC pay on 85% of a producers’ total base acres
For ARC-IC, payment acres are 65% of the farm’s total base acres
ARC and PLC elections and enrollments can impact eligibility for some crop insurance products
Decision tools created by University of Illinois and Texas A&M can help producers choose between PLC and ARC
Payments trigged for program year 2024 will be paid after October 1, 2025

Work with your local FSA Service Center, or apply online via eAuth

One central entry point for you to access information and help from USDA.

Page last updated: January 29, 2024