Crops > Costs & Returns > Government Programs
February 2023
Crop producers need to act on farm bill decisions by March 15
Resources available to help producers make the best choices for their farm
Crop producers must make some important and timely decisions if they want to participate in the Farm Bill programs for 2023. The deadline to make an election and enroll with the USDA Farm Service Agency is March 15.
For program year 2023, producers have three options: Agriculture Risk Coverage-County (ARC-CO), Price Loss Coverage (PLC) or Agriculture Risk Coverage-Individual Coverage (ARC-IC). Even if producers have enrolled in the past and want to keep the same program, they still need to enroll this year, by March 15. Enrollment is an annual decision.
To be eligible for payment, producers must complete the enrollment contract for each of their farms. Every situation is unique, so we need to make the best decisions for individual farm operations and take the opportunity to make changes if necessary.
For this month’s Ag Decision Maker, Johanns created two YouTube videos, that explain the options and what producers need to consider in making the best option for their farm. In the first video, Kevin McClure, chief agriculture program specialist with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency, explains the programs and enrollment process.
In the second video, Alejandro Plastina, associate professor in economics and extension economist at Iowa State, discusses the tools producers can use to determine which program is best for their own situation. The tools include payment estimators for each program, and historical payment data by Iowa county.
We are updating these tools as new price projections and yield data are made available. While these programs have been available for several years, there will be producers making this decision for the first time. Updated tools are available, along with archived materials covering the programs more in-depth. Our farm management specialists are also available for specific questions, before producers commit to a program.
Alejandro Plastina, extension economist, 515-294-6160, plastina@iastate.edu
Ann M. Johanns, extension program specialist, 515-337-2766, aholste@iastate.edu
