There are three actions producers will need to take to meet the approaching FSA Enrollment Deadlines:
- Program Election for 2019 & 2020 – Deadline: March 15, 2020
- 2019 Crop Year Enrollment – Deadline: March 15, 2020
- 2020 Crop Year Enrollment – Deadline: June 30, 2020
What is Needed for Eligibility
Producers need to contact their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office to schedule a time to make the election and enroll for 2019. It should be noted that “election” is NOT enrollment. Producers will make ONE election, the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs, for 2019 and 2020 crop years, but they MUST enroll for each year.
It’s very important that producers understand that failure to make an election will result in defaulting to the 2014 election and ineligibility for the 2019 year. Failure to enroll by each year’s deadline will result in ineligibility for the corresponding year. There are no appeal rights if the deadline is missed.
Special Notice Regarding Operational Changes and Farm Numbers
For those producers that are currently undergoing or contemplating a 2020 operational change, or have picked up any new farm number(s), please be aware there could be additional complexities to the election and enrollments.
- The operator on a farm number in 2019 is who will make the ARC/PLC election, even if they do not have that ground anymore.
- The operator on a farm number in 2019 will enroll for 2020, if different, the operator in 2020 will enroll for 2020.
- If there is a new operator for 2020, the FSA will need to have them in their system before the 2020 enrollment.
- If the 2019 election is made after the 2020 enrollment, the 2020 enrollment will be invalid.
If an operator has already completed enrollment for 2020, they will be able to change the enrollment to a new entity or operator as long as they do so before the June 30, 2020 deadline.
Other important areas of note:
PLC Yield Update: Landowners (not the producers) should ask their local office is they are eligible for a PLC Yield update. Yield update info can be submitted through September 30, 2020.
Crop Insurance Impact: Choosing ARC on a farm makes it ineligible for the crop insurance product Supplemental Coverage Option.
Additional Help and Resources
For additional information, we suggest using these helpful resources:
- Farm Doc: https://fd-tools.ncsa.illinois.edu/#/
- Farm Bill Decision Aid Tool: https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/solutions/farm-bill-decision-aid-tool/
- Farm Bill Workshops: Many state university extension services are doing farm bill workshops as well. For those interested, we recommend producers check with their local extension office.
Contact an advisor on K·Coe Isom’s Farm Program Services team for questions and guidance.
