WASHINGTON, DC -- Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for 2014 and 2015 will officially be open for enrollment tomorrow, June 17, until September 30.
Eligible producers had until April 7 to elect whether they participated in the ARC or the PLC program until 2018 when the current farm bill is set to expire. Nationwide, PLC was the program of choice for rice producers - USDA announced that PLC was selected by 99 percent of long grain rice farms and 94 percent of medium grain rice farms.
John Owen, a rice farmer from Rayne, Louisiana, and chairman of the USA Rice Government Affairs Committee said, "USA Rice strongly advocated for a farm safety net program that allowed growers to select which programs worked best for their operation and we're grateful that adequate options were included in the final bill."
Owen continued, "Rice growers are experiencing tough times and the safety net provided by the farm bill will help some of us maintain our operations while commodity markets are depressed."
Producers are asked to visit their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office to formally sign a contract enrolling their operation in ARC or PLC by September 30, 2015, if they wish to participate.
For more information about the programs visit:
http://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/arcplc_program/index