By Valley Ag Voice Staff
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that agricultural producers can now enroll in the Farm Service Agency’s Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage Programs for the 2024 crop year.
Both programs were authorized under the 2014 and 2018 federal Farm Bill. Under the one-year extension of the current Farm Bill, producers can make or change elections and enroll in the ARC or PLC programs to maintain future protections against market fluctuations.
The enrollment deadline is March 15, 2024, and those who miss it will maintain the same election as 2023 for farm commodities. In a press release, FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneauz explained that the programs will not be changed from previous years under the Farm Bill extension.
“These programs provide critical financial protections against commodity market volatilities for many American farmers so don’t delay enrollment. Avoid the rush and contact your local FSA office for an appointment because even if you are not changing your program election for 2024, you still need to sign a contract to enroll,” Ducheneauz said.
Producers can choose to enroll in ARC-County or PLC for crop-by-crop protection or ARC-Individual to protect the entire farm. While election changes are optional, ag producers are required to enroll through a signed contract each year — producers with multi-year contracts will continue for 2024 if no election change is made.
