Enrollment for 2025 USDA crop, dairy safety net programs opens soonEnrollment for 2025 USDA crop, dairy safety net programs opens soon

Producers can enroll in Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage beginning Jan. 21 and Dairy Margin Coverage beginning Jan. 29.

USDA

January 13, 2025

3 Min Read
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the 2025 enrollment periods for key safety net programs: Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC), Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC). Agricultural producers can submit applications to USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) from Jan. 21 to April 15 for ARC and PLC for the 2025 crop year and from Jan. 29 to March 31 for DMC for the 2025 coverage 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. Meanwhile, DMC provides producers with price support to help offset milk and feed price differences.  

“Our safety net programs provide critical financial protections against commodity market volatilities for many American farmers, so don’t delay enrollment,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “If you’re getting coverage through the Agriculture Risk Coverage or Price Loss Coverage programs, avoid the rush and contact your local FSA office for an appointment. Even if you are not changing your program election for 2025, you still need to sign a contract to enroll.” 

Ducheneaux added that at 15 cents/cwt. for $9.50 coverage, risk protection through DMC “is a relatively inexpensive investment in a true sense of security and peace of mind.”

Related:U.S. corn exports are on the upswing

The American Relief Act, 2025 extended many farm bill-authorized programs for another year, including ARC, PLC and DMC.

ARC and PLC

Producers can elect coverage and enroll in ARC-County (ARC-CO) or PLC, which provide crop-by-crop protection, or ARC-Individual (ARC-IC), which protects the entire farm. Although election changes for 2025 are optional, producers must enroll through a signed contract each year. If a producer has a multi-year contract on the farm, it will continue for 2025 unless an election change is made.

If producers do not submit their election revision by the April 15 deadline, their election remains the same as their 2024 election for commodities on the farm from the prior year. Farm owners cannot enroll in either program unless they have a share interest in the cropland.

Covered commodities include barley, canola, large and small chickpeas, corn, crambe, flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, dry peas, rapeseed, long-grain and medium-grain rice, safflower seed, seed cotton, sesame, soybeans, sunflower seed and wheat.

USDA noted that ARC and PLC elections and enrollments can impact eligibility for some crop insurance products, including Supplemental Coverage Option, Enhanced Coverage Option and, for cotton producers, the Stacked Income Protection Plan (or STAX).

Related:Demand bulls push corn prices higher

DMC 

DMC is a voluntary risk management program that offers protection to dairy producers when the difference between the all-milk price and the average feed price (the margin) falls below a certain dollar amount selected by the producer.  

DMC offers different levels of coverage, even an option that is free to producers, minus a $100 administrative fee. The administrative fee is waived for dairy producers who are considered limited resource, beginning, socially disadvantaged or a military veteran. 

DMC payments are calculated using updated feed and 100% premium alfalfa hay costs, making the program more reflective of actual dairy producer expenses.

Producers can apply for ARC, PLC and DMC through FSA at their local USDA Service Center.

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