It is time to consider if you need to make any changes to your ARC/PLC selections for 2022. Chris Zoller, Extension Educator, ANR, Tuscarawas County. provided a nice reminder recently in the latest Ohio Ag Manager found online at https://u.osu.edu/ohioagmanager/ .
Zoller reminds us that the 2018 Farm Bill reauthorized the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) safety net programs that were in the 2014 Farm Bill. Producers must enroll in ARC/PLC for the 2022 crop year through their local Farm Service Agency office.
The signup period for the 2022 crop year is open now, and the deadline to enroll and make amendments to program elections is March 15, 2022.
If changes are not made by March 15, 2022 deadline, the election defaults to the programs selected for the 2021 crop year with no penalty.
Program options
Producers again have the option to enroll covered commodities in either ARC-County, ARC-Individual, or PLC. Program elections are made on a crop-by-crop basis unless selecting ARC-Individual where all crops under that FSA Farm Number fall under that program.
ARC program payments are made when crop revenue falls below a guaranteed level, while PLC payments are made when a crops specific effective price is lower than its reference price.
Reference prices
While the 2018 Farm Bill does allow for reference prices to change, indications are that we will not see any changes in 2022. The established reference prices are: corn $3.70; soybeans $8.40; and wheat $5.50.
Unless we experience significant reductions in yield and/or price, it is unlikely any ARC/PLC payments will be made this year.
Decision tool
OSU Extension has a newly updated software program to assist producers with evaluating ARC/PLC scenarios and options. This tool is available by contacting your local Extension Educator or by accessing it on-line at: https://farmoffice.osu.edu/farm-management-tools/decision-aids .
If you would like more information regarding the Farm Bill program elections along with crop insurance information, you might want to consider participating in an upcoming webinar.
Chris Bruynis, Associate Professor and Extension Educator, Ohio State University Extension is inviting any farmers interested in learning how the different programs/products work to join a free luncheon webinar at 11:45 a.m. Wednesday February 2, lasting for approximately one hour.
Each year farmers across Ohio need to make decisions concerning their level of risk they want to accept when it comes to raising corn and soybeans. With current input costs elevated, the amount of money needed to plant the 2022 crop is up significantly from last year.
The risk-mitigating tools that are available are the USDA Farm Bill programs of ARC and PLC as well as crop insurance.
Speakers include Chris Bruynis, and Wyatt Schroder, Crop Insurance Specialist, FedCrop Insurance Services, LLC. The 2022 Farm Bill election decision, the crop insurance products, and the interaction between the Farm Bill election and crop insurance will be discussed.
To join the Zoom Meeting go to https://go.osu.edu/farmbill2022 and use the password 767767 to log into the program. If you have any issue logging into the meeting, contact Marianne Guthrie at 740-702-3200.
Tony Nye is the state coordinator for the Ohio State University Extension Small Farm Program and has been an OSU Extension Educator for agriculture and natural resources for over 30 years, currently serving Clinton County and the Miami Valley EERA.
