Editor’s note: Anita Wilson is an agricultural program specialist with the Arkansas FSA. Bobby Coats is a professor with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

2014 farm bill sign-up deadlines for the new safety net programs, known as Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC), are fast approaching. The final day to update yield history or reallocate base acres is Feb. 27. The final day for “all of the farms’ current producers” to choose ARC or PLC coverage is March 31.

Landowners have the opportunity to update yields or reallocate base. If no changes are made by Feb. 27, the farm’s current yield and base will remain in place for the life of the farm bill.

If by March 31 no program election occurs, then there will be no 2014 payments for the farm if payments are due and the farm will default to PLC coverage beginning with the 2015 crop year and remain under it through the life of the farm bill.

Covered commodities include barley, canola, large and small chickpeas, corn, crambe, flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, dry peas, rapeseed, long grain rice, medium grain rice (which includes short grain rice), safflower seed, sesame, soybeans, sunflower seed and wheat. Upland cotton is no longer a covered commodity.

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

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.