Editor's note: Bobby Coats is a professor, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture

Grain Sorghum

Significant interest exists in planting grain sorghum and the ARC/PLC program participation decision. The presentation at the following link provides some perspective on the grain sorghum ARC/PLC participation issue.

Grain Sorghum - a simple comparison of expected PLC (SCO Not Included) and ARC-CO payments

This article builds on our previous two articles where we looked at a simple comparison of expected PLC and ARC-CO payments for long- and medium-grain rice, soybeans, corn, and wheat. The accompanying tables to the presentation below provide real perspective on possible PLC (SCO – not included) and ARC payments by county and years 2014-2018. Note the probabilities.

• Farm bill update: simple comparison of expected PLC and ARC-CO payments

• Farm bill update: Medium grain rice and peanuts

Updated master - A Simple Comparison of Expected, PLC (SCO Not Included) and ARC-CO Payments, Select Arkansas Counties 2014-2018, Long and Medium Grain Rice, Soybeans, Wheat, Corn and Grain Sorghum

New webinar

Bobby Coats, Professor, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture; Tony Franco - Chief, Farm Programs Division, Arkansas State FSA Office and Anita Wilson - Agricultural Program Specialists, Farm Programs Division, Arkansas State FSA Office continue their series of Farm Bill webinars.

Individuals wishing to participate in the webinars must register for each session separately. The webinars are conducted through a software program called Zoom. Upon registration, users will receive an email confirmation with the link to join the webinar and the system requirements for Zoom.

March 12, 2015

• Cotton: Farm Bill Considerations and Outlook

Registration link: https://uaex.zoom.us/webinar/register/08248cfe7de320374ac87b605f06faf5

Don Shurley, Professor Emeritus, Cotton Economics, Department of Agricultural & Applied Economics, University of Georgia

Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP)

Arkansas: March 15 Sales Closing Date for Noninsurable Crops

NAP provides financial assistance to producers of noninsurable crops when low yields/grazing loss, loss of inventory or prevented planting occur due to natural disasters including drought, freeze, hail, excessive moisture, excessive wind or hurricanes.

In order to meet eligibility requirements for NAP, crops must be noninsurable, commercially-produced agricultural commodity crops for which the catastrophic risk protection level of crop insurance is not available.

The Agricultural Act of 2014 (the 2014 Farm Bill) allows producers to choose higher levels of NAP coverage. Previously, the program offered coverage at 55 percent of the average market price for crop losses that exceed 50 percent of expected production. Producers can now choose higher levels of coverage, up to 65 percent of their expected production at 100 percent of the average market price. It is important to note that the higher coverage is not available on grazing crops.

The following crops in Arkansas have a NAP application closing date of March 15, 2015:

Green Beans (Fresh and Processed)

Sweet Corn, (Fresh)

Tomatoes, Spring and Fall Plantings (Fresh)

Tomatillos, (Fresh)

Sesame, (Seed)

Warm Season Grasses (Forage and Grazing)

Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) with Tony Franco, FSA Arkansas Chief of Farm Programs

Presentation Video and Power Point PDF

3 Key Farm Bill Outlook and Decision Aid Webinars

• Decision Aid Training

2014 Farm Bill Decision Aid Training with Professor James Richardson, Agricultural and Food Policy Center (AFPC) - Texas A&M University

Webinar Video and Power Point PDF

• The Crop Market Outlook & Farm Bill Choices

Professor Pat Westoff, Director of the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) at the University of Missouri-Columbia

Presentation Video and Power Point PDF

• Peanut: 2014 Farm Bill and Outlook Webinar

Dr. Nathan Smith, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Georgia

Presentation Video and Power Point PDF

Additional Farm Bill Webinars Available for Viewing

• ARC/PLC Overview with Anita Wilson Arkansas FSA, Agricultural Program Specialist

Webinar Video and Power Point PDF

• ARC/PLC Yield Updates with Anita Wilson Arkansas FSA, Agricultural Program Specialist

Webinar Video and Power Point PDF

• ARC/PLC Base Reallocations with Anita Wilson Arkansas FSA, Agricultural Program Specialist

ARC/PCL Presentation Webinar Video and Power Point PDF

• Web-Based Decision Aid with Professor Brad Watkins University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture

Farm Bill Decision Aid Webinar Video and Power Point PDF

• Price Loss Coverage (PLC) with Anita Wilson Arkansas FSA, Agricultural Program Specialist

Webinar Video and Power Point PDF

• ARC - County Level with Anita Wilson Arkansas FSA, Agricultural Program Specialist

Webinar Video and Power Point PDF

• ARC - Individual Level with Anita Wilson Arkansas FSA, Agricultural Program Specialist

Webinar Video and Power Point PDF

• 2014 Farm Bill Decision Aid Training with Professor James Richardson, Agricultural and Food Policy Center (AFPC) - Texas A&M University

Webinar Video and Power Point PDF

• The Crop Market Outlook & Farm Bill Choices

Professor Pat Westoff, Director of the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) at the University of Missouri-Columbia

Presentation Video and Power Point PDF

• Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) with Tony Franco, FSA Arkansas Chief of Farm Programs

Presentation Video and Power Point PDF

The online tools, available at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc and http://www.uaex.edu/farmbill, allow producers to explore projections on how ARC or PLC coverage will affect their operation under possible future scenarios.