Minnesota USDA Farm Service Agency to Hold Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage Election Webinar on Feb. 14

SAINT PAUL, MN, January 9, 2024 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Minnesota is holding a public Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) webinar with the University of Minnesota Extension on February 14, 2024. Farmers and others involved in agriculture will have an opportunity to learn more about the ARC/PLC programs and factors to consider when making elections for the 2024 crop year.

The ARC and PLC programs provide financial protections to farmers from substantial drops in crop prices or revenues and are vital economic safety nets for most American farms. Producers can elect coverage and enroll in crop-by-crop ARC-County or PLC, or ARC-Individual for the entire farm, for the 2024 crop year. Although election changes for 2024 are optional, enrollment (signed contract) is required for each year of the program. If a producer has a multi-year contract on the farm and makes an election change for 2024, it will be necessary to sign a new contract. The webinar will highlight program information and review coverage options.

You can join the Minnesota FSA and University of Minnesota Extension ARC/PLC webinar through the following link:

Participants can register in advance at this link and can also register at the time of the webinar. Additionally, the webinar will be recorded and posted for future viewing. Persons with disabilities who require accommodations to participate in this meeting should contact Ellyn Oelfke at 651-602-7732 by February 12 or dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunication relay services.

FSA is currently accepting applications for ARC/PLC enrollment through March 15, 2024. To learn more about ARC/PLC visit farmers.gov/arc-plc or contact your local USDA Service Center.

In partnership with USDA, the University of Illinois and Texas A&M University offer web-based decision tools to assist producers in making informed, educated decisions using crop data specific to their respective farming operations. Tools include:

• Gardner-farmdoc Payment Calculator, the University of Illinois tool that offers farmers the ability to run payment estimate modeling for their farms and counties for ARC-County and PLC.
• ARC and PLC Decision Tool, the Texas A&M tool allows producers to analyze payment yield updates and expected payments for 2024. Producers who have used the tool in the past should see their username and much of their farm data already available in the system.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy, and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit usda.gov.