ARC/PLC price tracker
How close corn, soybean and wheat prices are to the farm program triggers for the 2026 crop, using USDA's latest season-average price projection and today's futures, plus the signup deadlines.
- Corn: USDA projects $4.70, $0.28 above the $4.42 reference price, so no PLC payment at that price.
- Soybeans: USDA projects $12.00, $1.29 above the $10.71 reference price, so no PLC payment at that price.
- Wheat: USDA projects a $6.30 season-average price, $0.05 under the $6.35 reference price, so PLC would pay about $0.05/bu on PLC yield (85% of base acres).
- ARC/PLC deadline for the 2026 crop (USDA FSA): Dec 11 (57 days).
| 2026 crop, $/bu | PLC reference price | USDA season-avg projection WASDE Friday, Oct 9 |
Est. PLC rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corn | $4.42 | $4.70 | $0 |
| Soybeans | $10.71 | $12.00 | $0 |
| Wheat | $6.35 | $6.30 | $0.05 |
PLC uses the national season-average price for the whole marketing year (Sept to Aug for corn and soybeans, June to May for wheat), not today's futures; the futures column is just a check on where the market is now. Estimated PLC rate = reference price minus the higher of USDA's projection and the loan rate (corn $2.42, soybeans $6.82, wheat $3.72). ARC-CO depends on your county's yield too: it pays when county revenue falls below 90% of the benchmark (benchmark yield × benchmark price), up to 12% of benchmark revenue. "90% of benchmark" is the price where ARC starts to pay if the county yield equals its benchmark yield.
Price Loss Coverage pays when the national season-average price ends below the reference price. Payment = the gap × your farm's PLC yield × 85% of base acres. It's paid the October after the marketing year ends.
Agriculture Risk Coverage (county) pays when your county's yield × the season-average price falls below 90% of the county's benchmark revenue. It helps when yields and prices are both off.
The 2025 farm law (One Big Beautiful Bill Act) raised reference prices, lifted the ARC guarantee from 86% to 90% and the cap from 10% to 12%, raised loan rates 10%, and added up to 30 million new base acres.
Sources: USDA WASDE (season-average price projections); USDA FSA enrollment dates; program levels from farmdoc daily and American Farm Bureau (2026 effective reference and benchmark prices are USDA estimates, unchanged from 2025). Estimates only, not your payment and not advice: your FSA office has your farm's numbers. Crop insurance price · WASDE · Report calendar