USDA News Release
Mission Critical! Please contact USDA Farm Service Agency now to enroll in our key Safety Net Program: ARC/PLC – Don’t miss the March 16 deadline.
By James Mago, Arizona State Executive Director, USDA Farm Service Agency
The clock is ticking… March 16 is the last day to make one of the most important business decisions regarding your farming operation this year.
If you have not already visited your local Farm Service Agency (FSA) county office to make your election for either the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program and to sign your annual enrollment contract, you should call and make your appointment now.
Many of you are gearing up to head to the field for spring planting, but I cannot stress enough the importance of not letting this deadline get lost in the hectic day-to-day obligations of farm life. If you fail to enroll for 2019 ARC or PLC by the deadline, you will be ineligible to receive a payment for the 2019 crop year.
ARC and PLC provide financial protections to farmers from substantial drops in crop prices or revenues and are vital economic safety nets for most American farms. These programs cover 20 commodities produced in the U.S.
FSA anticipates more than 1.7 million producers will enroll in ARC or PLC - that’s a lot of producers to assist in a short period of time. As of Feb. 24th, FSA records in Arizona show 677 farms out of an expected 1,526 farms have completed ARC or PLC enrollment for the 2019 crop year.
If you’re still unsure about the choice of ARC or PLC, we offer online decision tools to help you determine the best program election for your farming operation. To access these tools, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc.
Crop Insurance Agents: please make sure producers are aware that they have the ability to participate in either Stacked Income Protection Program (STAX) or ARC-PLC for seed cotton but not both. That being said, producers who participate in STAX for cotton are still eligible for participation in ARC-PLC for any other program commodities for which they may have base acres. FSA has no way of checking if a producer is utilizing STAX so please also inform your producers of the need to disclose this to the county offices when they go in to enroll for ARC-PLC.
Call FSA today for an appointment. To locate your local FSA office, visit farmers.gov/service-center-locator.