Kansas farmers may have more time than they think to decide which federal farm program will provide their best fit for the 2026 crop, and a Kansas State University agricultural economist is encouraging producers to use that extra time.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency announced Sept. 15 that election and enrollment for the 2026 crop year will run from Sept. 16 through Dec. 11. The election and enrollment period for the 2027 crop year will run from Nov. 2 through March 15, 2027.
K-State Extension farm economist Robin Reid said the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs provide income protection based on revenue or commodity prices. Producers can choose ARC-County or PLC on a crop-by-crop basis, and make different decisions on different FSA farm numbers.
According to Reid, the delayed 2026 decision deadline gives farmers an unusual opportunity to have more information about their crop before making their election.
“There is a real advantage this year by harvesting this crop before we are required to make the ARC/PLC decision,” Reid said. “Especially on wheat base, the marketing year has already started and we have a couple of prices already published from USDA.”
Other crops have just begun their marketing years, Reid said, but price estimates are available.
The timing of the decision could make this year's harvest particularly useful in evaluating ARC and PLC. If relatively high grain prices persist through the marketing year, Reid said, the choice could depend largely on county yields.
“If there were dry conditions during the growing season and lower yields across the county, ARC might be the way to go because it will pay even at higher prices since it is a revenue-based program,” Reid said.
Conversely, if county yields are above average, ARC would require a lower price to generate a payment, potentially making PLC more relevant, Reid said. Farmers should use their own individual farm information when comparing the programs, however.
“Farmers need to run the numbers for their individual farm,” Reid said. “As each farm has its’ own established program yield with FSA, that will determine how large PLC payments would be in relation to potential ARC payments”
K-State has developed an online spreadsheet to help producers evaluate potential ARC and PLC payments. The tool compares payment levels under different marketing-year average prices and is designed to help farmers examine the tradeoffs between the programs. A tutorial video and highlights from the video also are available through AgManager.info, a website maintained by the K-State Department of Agricultural Economics.
Reid said farmers should begin considering their options but do not need to immediately visit their local FSA office.
Tradeoff Between 2026/2027 ARC and PLC