About ARC/PLC Enrollment Deadline (USDA)
Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage are the two USDA safety-net programmes American row-crop farms choose between each year, and the election has to be made and the contract signed at the local FSA office before the deadline. The countdown above tracks the next one. For the 2026 crop year that date is December 11, 2026; enrollment for the 2027 crop year runs from November 2, 2026 to March 15, 2027.
The election is made commodity by commodity on each farm: ARC-County pays when county revenue for a crop falls below a benchmark, ARC-Individual works on the whole farm's revenue, and PLC pays when the national average price drops below the crop's effective reference price. Which one pays more depends on whether a bad year arrives as a price collapse or as a local yield failure.
Missing the date does not remove the farm from the programme, but it is expensive: the previous year's election carries over and the farm becomes ineligible for payments for that program year. Every covered commodity needs the contract signed, every year, even when nothing about the election has changed.
Upcoming dates
| 2026 | Friday, December 11, 2026next |
| 2027 | Monday, March 15, 2027 |
FAQ
When is the ARC/PLC enrollment deadline?
ARC/PLC Enrollment Deadline (USDA) is on Friday, December 11, 2026. That is 64 days from today. December 11, 2026 for the 2026 crop year. Enrollment for the 2027 crop year opened on November 2, 2026 and runs to March 15, 2027.
What happens if I miss it?
The farm keeps the previous year's election but becomes ineligible for ARC or PLC payments for that program year — the contract has to be signed each year even when nothing changes.
What is the difference between ARC and PLC?
ARC pays when revenue falls below a benchmark — by county, or for the whole farm under ARC-Individual — while PLC pays when the national average price falls below the crop's effective reference price.
Where do I enrol?
At your local USDA Farm Service Agency office. Landowners can review base acre notifications online through fsa.usda.gov with a Login.gov account.