Nebraska Extension and the USDA Farm Service Agency in Nebraska will host a series of farm bill education meetings over the next two months to assist producers as they begin to make farm bill-related program decisions.

The 2018 Farm Bill, signed into law last December, reauthorized the existing Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage safety net programs that were in the 2014 Farm Bill. However, producers will need to make new program enrollment decisions over the coming months.

While the ARC and PLC programs under the new farm bill remain similar to the previous farm bill, a few program changes coupled with changes in market conditions and outlook could significantly affect producer decisions.

"These meetings will help producers understand the programs and recent changes, as well as the decisions to be made at sign-up now and in the coming years," says Nancy Johner, state executive director for the USDA Farm Service Agency in Nebraska. "There are some changes, such as an optional PLC program yield update, and other tweaks to the ARC and PLC programs that producers should consider as they make their selections."

"Producers face a familiar choice between ARC and PLC, but under very different circumstances now as compared to 2014," says Brad Lubben, Nebraska Extension policy specialist. "Understanding the program mechanics, analysis and available decision tools will help producers make sound enrollment decisions with FSA."

The joint Nebraska Extension and Nebraska Farm Service Agency producer education meetings are scheduled at 28 locations across the state from late November to mid-December in advance of the ARC-PLC enrollment deadlines in March.

The meetings are free and open to the public. Advance registration is encouraged for planning purposes for materials and facilities. Attendees can register for any of the meetings at farmbill.unl.edu, or by calling or visiting their county FSA or Extension office.

The educational programs are each set to run three hours, featuring information and insight from FSA specialists and Extension experts, as well as other relevant information from local agencies.

The meetings are available statewide with several locations in each region of the state. The tentative schedule is as follows:

Panhandle/North Central

Ainsworth. 2 to 5 p.m. Dec. 16 at Ainsworth Lutheran Church

Bridgeport. 2 to 5 p.m. Nov. 22 at Prairie Winds Community Center

Chadron. 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 17 at Chadron State College

Ogallala. 1 to 4 p.m. Dec. 12 at Keith County Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall

Valentine. 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 16 at Mid-Plains Community College

Southwest/Central

Broken Bow. 1 to 4 p.m. Dec. 16 at Custer County Fairgrounds

Imperial. 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 26 at Chase County Fairgrounds 4-H Building

Kearney. 1 to 4 p.m. Dec. 17 at Buffalo County Fairgrounds Antelope Meeting Room

Lexington. 1 to 4 p.m. Dec. 2 at Dawson County Fairgrounds Extension Meeting Room.

McCook. 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 3 at Red Willow County Fairgrounds Community Building

North Platte. 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 18 at UNL West Central Research and Extension Center

Ord. 1 to 4 p.m. Dec. 4 at Valley County Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall

Northeast

Bloomfield. 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 2 at Community Center

Columbus. 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 4 at Ag Park

O'Neill. 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 3 at Community Center

Norfolk. 1 to 4 p.m. Dec. 18 at Northeast Community College Lifelong Learning Center

Wayne. 1 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 16 at Wayne Fire Hall

West Point. 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 9 at Nielsen Center

East Central

Grand Island. 1 to 4 p.m. Dec. 5 at College Park Fonner Park Room

Mead. 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 3 at UNL Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center

Scribner. 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 11 at Dodge County Fairgrounds Mohr Auditorium

York. 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 6 at York County Fairgrounds Cornerstone Building

Southeast

Beatrice. 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 17 at Gage County Fairgrounds 4-H Building

Bruning. 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 5 at Bruning Opera House

Humboldt. 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 12 at Ag Building

*Lincoln. 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 16 at Lancaster County Extension Center

Red Cloud. 1 to 4 p.m. Nov. 25 at Community Center

Weeping Water. 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 3 at Cass County Fairgrounds

Check farmbill.unl.edu for updates on locations, dates and times. All times are local with registration beginning 30 minutes ahead of the start. Several additional meetings also are being planned locally across the state in various locations.

Keep alert to additional opportunities and details as they are developed by checking farmbill.unl.edu for information or by contacting your county Extension or FSA office.

There also are resources available online that can educate producers in their ARC-PLC decision-making process. Links to these resources are available from FSA at fsa.usda.gov/ne under the Spotlights section or from Extension at farmbill.unl.edu.

*Editor's note: Please note the date for the Lincoln meeting at the Lancaster County Extension Center is Dec. 16. The Dec. 2 date, which previously had been published, is not correct.

Sources: Nebraska Extension and Nebraska FSA, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.