{"id":109036,"date":"2019-09-11T10:08:19","date_gmt":"2019-09-11T14:08:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=109036"},"modified":"2019-09-11T10:08:19","modified_gmt":"2019-09-11T14:08:19","slug":"usda-opens-2019-enrollment-for-agriculture-risk-coverage-and-price-loss-coverage-programs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=109036","title":{"rendered":"USDA opens 2019 enrollment for Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage Programs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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2020 enrollment\nperiod to open in October<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agricultural producers can now enroll in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC)\nprograms<\/a>, two popular safety net\nprograms, for the 2019 crop year. Interested producers must sign up for either\nprogram by March 15, 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2018 Farm\nBill reauthorized and made updates to these two USDA Farm Service Agency\nprograms. ARC provides income support payments on historical\nbase acres when actual crop revenue declines below a specified guarantee\nlevel. PLC program provides income support payments on historical base\nacres when the price for a covered commodity falls below its effective\nreference price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe ARC and PLC\nprograms, in combination with crop insurance, are the bedrock of the farm\nsafety net for crop farmers and something I hear about frequently on the road,\u201d\nsaid U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. \u201cThis exciting opportunity for\nenrollment in these programs marks the first time folks will have the\nopportunity to switch their elections since the 2014 Farm Bill was implemented.\nI am pleased to add that today\u2019s announcement means our staff met yet another\nmajor Farm Bill implementation goal and they are continuing to move full speed\nahead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Covered\ncommodities include barley, canola, large and small chickpeas, corn, crambe,\nflaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, dry peas,\nrapeseed, long grain rice, medium grain rice (which includes short grain rice),\nsafflower seed, seed cotton, sesame, soybeans, sunflower seed and wheat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elections and\nEnrollment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Updated\nprovisions in the 2018 Farm Bill allow producers with an interest in a farm to\nenroll and elect coverage in crop-by-crop ARC-County or PLC, or ARC-Individual\nfor the entire farm, for program year 2019. The election applies to both the\n2019 and 2020 crop years. If a 2019 election is not submitted by the deadline\nof March 15, 2020, the election defaults to the current elections of the crops\non the farm established under the 2014 Farm Bill. No payments will be earned in\n2019 if the election defaults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For crop years\n2021 through 2023, producers will have an opportunity to make new elections.\nFarm owners cannot enroll in either program unless they have a share interest\nin the farm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the 2019\nelection and enrollment are completed, producers on the farm for 2020 can\ncomplete an enrollment contract for the 2020 crop year beginning Oct. 7, 2019\nand ending June 30, 2020. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although 2019\nenrollment begins Sept. 3, 2019 and must occur first, a producer waiting until\nOct. 7, 2019 to enroll is afforded the opportunity to enroll in either program\nfor both 2019 and 2020 during the same office visit. During this time,\nfarm owners have a one-time opportunity to update PLC payment yields that takes\neffect beginning with crop year 2020. If the owner accompanies the producer to\nthe office, the yield update may be completed during the same office visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Web-Based\nDecision Tools<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In partnership\nwith USDA, the University of Illinois and Texas A&M University are offering\nweb-based decision tools to assist producers in making informed, educated\ndecisions using crop data specific to their respective farming operations.\nTools include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n