Crop Insurance Agent Says Base Acre Changes Could Increase Farm Program Payments This Fall
Brownfield
A crop insurance agent says base acre changes for the 2026 crop year could help strengthen the farm safety net.
Jason Williamson with Ohio-based Williamson Crop Insurance says some farmers will have expanded access to federal risk management programs.
“When the ARC or PLC payment comes out, it doesn’t matter which one you’d signed up for,” he says. “Whichever one is going to make a higher payment, that’s the one you’re going to be paid on. I think that’s wonderful news for potential cash flows this fall.”
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law in July 2025, allocated 30 million new commodity base acres through the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs.
Williamson tells Brownfield, “The ARC county trigger yield was also increased from 86 percent up to 90 percent,” he says. “But, ARC and PLC do not pay based on your reality acres of what you planted. It pays based on your base acres at the FSA.”
Eligible landowners now have from June 1st until August 31st to consider base acre increases on farms enrolled in ARC and PLC.