Enroll today

Corn Silage came out at a record pace in an attempt to stay ahead of dry matter percentages. The crop is drying down faster than producers can harvest it. Soybeans are dropping leaves quickly. It will be a race to harvest at optimal moisture percentages. I have seen some snaplage/earlage coming out. Everything is ahead of the typical average harvest date. Fields are fit. This is an opportunity. Take it, if you can.

USDA announces 2026 and 2027 enrollment for key price and Revenue Safety Net Programs, completes first base acre increase in two decades

Agricultural producers can soon begin enrolling in the Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently updated to include more than 30 million new base acres. This expansion, the first in 20 years, was made possible by the Working Families Tax Cuts Act and is part of USDA’s efforts to put Farmers First.

Now that the base allocation process is complete, producers can make elections and enroll for the 2026 crop year from Sept. 16 through Dec. 11, 2026, and for the 2027 crop year from Nov. 2, 2026, through March 15, 2027. Because eligible acres exceeded the nationwide 30-million-acre cap, USDA’s Farm Service Agency is applying an across-the-board, prorated reduction of 3.69% to all newly allocated base acres.

“President Trump and Secretary Rollins are putting Farmers First by providing increased access to the farm safety net,” said Under Secretary Richard Fordyce. “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.”

Base allocation notifications

The opportunity for landowners to review their base allocation summaries and take necessary action ended Aug. 31. 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 FSA 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, 2026.

Enrollment period

Producers can now change their election and enroll in ARC-County or PLC, which both provide crop-by-crop protection, or ARC-Individual, which protects the entire farm. Although election changes for 2026 are optional, producers must enroll through a signed contract each year. Existing multi-year contracts ended in 2025, but producers have the option to sign a new multi-year contract for 2026 through 2031. Producers who opt out of a multi-year contract can enroll for the 2027 crop year, starting Nov. 2 through March 15, 2027.

If producers do not submit their 2026 election by Dec. 11, 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 producers make informed election decisions using crop data specific to their respective farming operations.

Producers 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

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

Producers can now add Supplemental Coverage Option coverage or the Enhanced Coverage Option regardless of their ARC or PLC election. Previously, producers who elected ARC-CO or ARC-IC were ineligible to purchase SCO through their approved insurance provider for the same acres, but the Working Families Tax Cuts Act removed this restriction.

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.

Disaster assistance for 2026 livestock forage losses

Producers in several Minnesota counties are eligible to apply for 2026 Livestock Forage Disaster Program benefits on eligible grazing acres.

LFP provides compensation if you suffer grazing losses for covered livestock due to drought on privately owned or cash leased land or fire on federally managed land.

County committees can only accept LFP applications after notification is received by the national office of qualifying drought or if a federal agency prohibits producers from grazing normal permitted livestock on federally managed lands due to qualifying fire.

The Working Families Tax Cut lowered the threshold for producers to qualify for a 1-month payment, with payments now triggering after four consecutive weeks of qualifying severe drought (D2 on the U.S. Drought Monitor) conditions instead of eight weeks. Also, producers may receive a 2-month payment if D2 drought conditions continue for seven out of eight consecutive weeks during the normal grazing period. The change is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2026.

You must complete a CCC-853 and the required supporting documentation no later than March 1, 2027, for 2026 losses. Contact your local service center to see if your county triggered for this program or visit fsa.usda.gov. The National Drought Monitor is used to determine eligibility. This is updated every Thursday morning and can be viewed with a simple online search.

Farm stress

We know there is a lot of stress in the ag community right now. If you recognize this stress in your family members or friends, do not hesitate to seek appropriate help. The Minnesota Farm and Rural Helpline is a free, confidential service that provides support for people struggling with stress, anxiety, depression or suicidal thoughts related to farm and rural life. The helpline is available 24/7 and can be reached by calling (833) 600-2670, texting FARMSTRESS to (898) 211, or emailing farmstress@state.mn.us.

Most importantly, make safety your number one priority this fall. Be proud of what you have accomplished this year. We certainly are proud of you.

Farm Service Agency is an equal opportunity lender. Complaints about discrimination should be sent to: Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C., 20250. Visit www.fsa.usda.gov for application forms and updates on USDA programs.