ARC-CO Payments Dominate 2024 Support as Margins Tighten

ARC-CO delivers the bulk of 2024 support, offering key margin relief as producers manage tight operating conditions.

corn crop aerial_adobe stock.png

URBANA, Ill. (RFD-TV) — Payments from Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) are now being issued for the 2024 crop year, offering meaningful help as row-crop margins remain tight. New analysis from farmdoc daily (University of Illinois and Ohio State University) shows that ARC-CO provides the bulk of support, with payments triggered widely outside the core Corn Belt, where county yields fell below benchmark levels.

Total ARC-CO and PLC outlays are estimated at $2.6 billion, with 89 percent coming from ARC-CO. Corn base acres are expected to receive nearly $1.3 billion (about $18 per acre on average), while soybeans total $618 million. PLC payments are limited to peanuts and seed cotton — roughly $295 million combined — as market-year prices for most commodities stayed above PLC reference levels.

For producers, these payments provide critical cash-flow relief heading into another year of elevated costs and narrow margins, supplementing recent disaster and ad hoc assistance.

Farm-Level Takeaway: ARC-CO delivers the bulk of 2024 support, offering key margin relief as producers manage tight operating conditions.
Tony St. James, RFD-TV Markets Specialist

To learn more, visit: farmdocdaily.illinois.edu/2025/11/estimates-of-2024-arc-co-and-plc-payments.html.

Related Stories
The USDA’s September Cattle-on-Feed report shows inventories remain above year-ago levels, while both placements and marketings fell to record lows for the month.
NCGA President Jed Bower discusses the Farm Bill and why year-round E15, making it into the final bill, is critical for corn growers as input costs continue to eat away at margins.
Thirty-six percent of North American row-crop farmers expect to shift toward generics over the next two years.
Cotton prices are expected to improve, but higher production costs are limiting the recovery in producer margins.

Tony St. James joined the RFD-TV talent team in August 2024, bringing a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective to RFD-TV and Rural Radio Channel 147 Sirius XM. In addition to his role as Market Specialist (collaborating with Scott “The Cow Guy” Shellady to provide radio and TV audiences with the latest updates on ag commodity markets), he hosts “Rural America Live” and serves as talent for trade shows.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

New systems are moving beyond data analysis to make real-time decisions directly on farm equipment.
Ted Ogle of Superior Livestock says limited supplies still underpin the market despite a slight retreat in cattle prices, but expects volatility to persist into the fall.
Santa Teresa livestock port reopens September 24, restoring another cattle trade route from Mexico while maintaining new safeguards against New World screwworm.
Analysts expect USDA’s September Cattle on Feed report to show fewer August placements and marketings than a year ago, even as the total feedlot inventory remains higher.
A community survey found strong demand for fresh produce, meat and locally sourced products.
Research shows poultry taking a larger share of food spending among lower-income single-person households.