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.
Tight cattle supplies continue to drive lower beef output despite heavier weights.
December 04, 2025 05:00 AM
·
Buzzard discusses her upcoming appearance on the Dirt Diaries podcast with host Kirbe Schnoor and the importance of sharing authentic stories about agriculture.
December 03, 2025 03:10 PM
·
While the agriculture industry hoped details on proposed “bridge” payments for farmers would be released this week, Ag Secretary Brook Rollins said the USDA is still working with the White House on the finer points.
December 03, 2025 01:36 PM
·
China’s renewed purchases signal improving sorghum demand at a time when export markets are otherwise uneven. Meanwhile, agriculture groups across the U.S, Canada, and Mexico want to protect close trade relations.
December 03, 2025 11:51 AM
·
Strong demand supports sweet potatoes, but grading challenges and rising costs weigh on returns for Southeastern growers.
December 02, 2025 06:17 AM
·
Pressure on grain storage capacity and stronger export positioning are pushing more grain onto railroads, highways, and river systems as logistics become a key bottleneck this fall.
December 01, 2025 05:09 PM
·
The Cotton-4 are pushing hard for new value chain investments. Still, many U.S. cotton producers face unsustainable losses, and weakened regional textile capacity threatens the survival of the Carolina “dirt-to-shirt” supply chain.
December 01, 2025 05:03 PM
·
Late harvest and tight supplies shape crop progress and agribusiness this week. Here is a regional snapshot of harvest pace, crop conditions, logistics, and livestock economics across U.S. agriculture for the week of Dec. 1, 2025.
December 01, 2025 04:22 PM
·
Cargill’s commitment to keep plants open helps preserve competition as Tyson removes capacity amid historically tight cattle supplies.
December 01, 2025 03:55 PM
·
