2027 ARC and PLC sign-up opens today: A 6-step checklist before the Dec. 11 and March 15 deadlines

The second farm program sign-up of the fall opens today. Starting Monday, Nov. 2, producers can make their 2027 elections and enroll base acres in Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC), the Farm Service Agency said when it set the dates in September. The 2027 window runs through March 15, 2027.

The new window overlaps the 2026 sign-up, which is still open until Dec. 11. With two crop years, a new multi-year contract option and newly added base acres all in play, it is easy to miss a step. Here is a practical checklist.

Step 1: Finish 2026 first

The Dec. 11 deadline carries the bigger penalty. If a 2026 election is not submitted by then, FSA said the farm keeps its 2025 election for each crop and is ineligible for 2026 payments. Changing your program choice for 2026 is optional, but signing a 2026 contract is not: FSA requires a signed contract every year.

Farm accountant Paul Neiffer, in a column quoted by DTN, summed up the risk: “So, the election survives and the payment does not.”

Step 2: Decide whether you need the 2027 window at all

The old multi-year contracts expired with the 2025 crop. FSA is offering a new multi-year contract that runs from 2026 through 2031. According to FSA, producers who decline the multi-year option can enroll for the 2027 crop during the Nov. 2 to March 15 window.

In practice, that gives you two paths:

• Sign the 2026-2031 multi-year contract during 2026 enrollment if you are comfortable with your program choice for several years and want less paperwork. Ask your county office how election changes work under the multi-year contract before you sign.
• Enroll one year at a time if you want to revisit ARC versus PLC each year as prices and county yields change. In that case, the 2027 window that opens today is yours, and you have until March 15.

Step 3: Check your base acres before you choose

This is the first base acre expansion in 20 years, FSA said. The Working Families Tax Cuts Act added more than 30 million base acres nationwide. Because eligible acres exceeded the cap, FSA cut every newly allocated base acre by 3.69% across the board.

Landowners can view their base allocation notification at fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc with a Login.gov account or get it from the county office. Make sure the base acres on your farm number match what you expect before you elect a program for them. FSA noted that landowners without a share of the crop cannot enroll.

Step 4: Pick a program for each crop, or for the whole farm

• PLC pays when a crop’s effective price falls below its effective reference price.
• ARC-County (ARC-CO) pays when county revenue for a crop drops below its guarantee. Like PLC, it is chosen crop by crop.
• ARC-Individual (ARC-IC) covers revenue for the farm as a whole.

Covered commodities include corn, soybeans, wheat, grain sorghum, barley, oats, seed cotton, peanuts, rice, canola, sunflower seed, dry peas, lentils, chickpeas and several minor oilseeds, according to FSA. Many land-grant universities offer free online decision tools; see our earlier analysis of ARC-CO versus PLC for 2026 for how the trigger prices compare.

Step 5: Line up your crop insurance

Your program choice now affects insurance less than it used to. Under the new law, producers can add the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) or Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO) no matter which of the two programs they pick, FSA said. Before, ARC acres were not eligible for SCO.

One exception remains: if an upland cotton grower puts seed cotton base into either program, STAX (the Stacked Income Protection Plan) is off the table for that farm’s planted cotton. Talk with your crop insurance agent before the spring sales closing date.

Step 6: Enroll

Enrollment can be done online through fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc after signing in with Login.gov, or in person by appointment at the county FSA office, the agency said. Bring your farm number, your share arrangements and any landlord or tenant signatures needed for the contract.

Setting up and linking a Login.gov account helps in other ways too. USDA has said producers with a linked account will get a pre-filled application for the new Harvest Fuel Relief program.

This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm the details for your farm with your county FSA office or a qualified adviser. More guides are in our Farm Management section.

Frequently asked questions

When is the 2027 ARC/PLC sign-up?

It opens Nov. 2, 2026, and closes March 15, 2027, according to USDA’s Farm Service Agency.

What happens if I miss the Dec. 11, 2026, deadline for 2026?

Your 2025 election carries over for each crop, but the farm is ineligible for 2026 ARC or PLC payments, FSA said.

Do I have to enroll again for 2027?

Not if you signed the new 2026-2031 multi-year contract. Producers who opted out of that contract can enroll for 2027 during the Nov. 2 to March 15 window.

Can I buy SCO if I choose ARC?

Yes. The Working Families Tax Cuts Act removed the old restriction, so SCO and ECO are available whichever program you choose.