Important USDA Dates for Producers

Ongoing Program Sign-up

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2026 Crop Year Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC)

Diciembre 11, 2026

Producers can make elections and enroll for the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2026 crop year from Sept. 16 through Dec. 11, 2026. Producers can now change their election and enroll in ARC-County (ARC-CO) or PLC, which both provide crop-by-crop protection, or ARC-Individual (ARC-IC), which protects the entire farm. Although election changes for 2026 are optional, producers must enroll through a signed contract each year. 

Learn More About ARC/PLC

Dairy Margin Coverage Enrollment

Diciembre 18, 2026

2027 Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) enrollment began Oct. 5, 2026, and runs through Dec. 18, 2026. DMC is a voluntary risk management program for dairy producers that provides financial protection when the difference between the national all-milk price and average feed cost falls below a producer-selected coverage level.

Learn more about DMC

2027 Crop Year Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC)

Marzo 15, 2027

Producers can make elections and enroll for the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2027 crop year from Nov. 2, 2026, through March 15, 2027. Producers can now change their election and enroll in ARC-County (ARC-CO) or PLC, which both provide crop-by-crop protection, or ARC-Individual (ARC-IC), which protects the entire farm. Producers must enroll through a signed contract each year. 

Learn More About ARC and PLC

Ongoing USDA Programs

The following federal USDA programs either do not have a deadline or have ongoing signup. Check with your local USDA Service Center to learn more about programs that have local or state level deadlines.

Crop Acreage Reporting

Crop acreage reports filed with USDA document the crops grown on your farm or ranch and their intended uses. You must file timely acreage reports to be eligible for many USDA programs.

Deadlines to file crop acreage reports vary by crop and by state and county. Farm Service Agency staff at your local USDA Service Center can help by providing you with maps and acreage reporting deadlines by crop for your county. Your crop insurance agent can assist you with reporting information necessary for crop insurance benefits.

July 15 is a major deadline for most crops.

Learn More About Crop Acreage Reporting

General Disaster Programs

USDA offers a variety of helpful programs with ongoing and localized deadlines to support agricultural producers including:

Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) which provides funding and technical assistance for farmers and ranchers to restore farmland damaged by natural disasters and for emergency water conservation measures in severe droughts.
FSA Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) which provides funding to restore privately owned forests damaged by natural disasters.
Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) which provides financial assistance to producers of non-insurable crops to protect against natural disasters that result in lower yields or crop losses, or prevents crop planting.
Tree Assistance Program (TAP) which provides financial cost-share assistance to qualifying orchardists and nursery tree growers to replant or, where applicable, rehabilitate eligible trees, bushes, and vines lost by natural disasters.

Learn More About USDA General Disaster Programs

Livestock Disaster Programs

USDA offers a variety of helpful programs with ongoing and localized deadlines to support livestock producers including:

Emergency Livestock Assistance Program (ELAP) which provides financial assistance to eligible producers of livestock, honeybees and farm-raised fish for losses due to disease, certain adverse weather events or loss conditions, including blizzards and wildfires, as determined by the Secretary.
Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) which provides benefits to livestock owners and some contract growers for livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality caused by eligible loss conditions, including eligible adverse weather, eligible disease and attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government or protected by federal law (including wolves and avian predators).
Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) provides payments to eligible livestock owners and contract growers who have covered livestock and produce grazed forage crop acreage that has suffered a loss of grazed forage due to a qualifying drought during the normal grazing period for the county.

Learn More About USDA Livestock Disaster Programs

Past Important Dates

The following list shows past important dates, including past federal USDA program enrollment dates. Check with your local USDA Service Center to learn about programs that are currently open or that have local or state level deadlines.

Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP)

Septiembre 30, 2026

The Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) provides assistance to producers for necessary expenses due to losses of revenue, quality or production of crops due to weather related events in 2023 and 2024. Producers with indemnified losses can apply during the first stage. Stage 1 will leverage Federal Crop Insurance or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) data as the basis for calculating payments. Producers with non-indemnified (including shallow losses), uncovered (uninsured), and quality losses can apply for Stage 2 assistance. The deadline to apply for Stage 1 and 2 is Sept. 30, 2026.

Learn More About SDRP

Review ARC/PLC Base Allocation Summary

Agosto 31, 2026

Eligible landowners have from June 1, 2026, until August 31, 2026, to review and consider base acre increases on farms enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs. These Base Allocation Summaries can be accessed online at fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc using a Login.gov account. Landowners who do not currently have a Login.gov account are encouraged to contact their local FSA county office to obtain their Base Allocation Summary beginning June 1, 2026.

Learn More About ARC/PLC

New Regenerative Biofuel Feedstock Rule 101

Agosto 18, 2026

This webinar will discuss how the new Regenerative Biofuel Feedstock Rule will help farmers voluntarily capture new value from regenerative agricultural practices through biofuel markets. The webinar will also cover how to use the calculator that estimates carbon intensity through the utilization of regenerative practices like no-till, cover crops, and nutrient management. It will be held from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern on Aug. 18, 2026.

USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Veterans Webinar Series - Day 2

Agosto 12, 2026

Join our free webinars for Native American military veterans and transitioning service members on August 11, 2:00-4:30 pm Eastern and August 12, 2:00-4:00 pm Eastern to learn how USDA can help veterans prepare for a career in production agriculture. This event will provide information about USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher programs and resources for the military community.

Agenda for Day 2 - August 12, 2:00-4:00 pm Eastern

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) with Braden Pitcher, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
Value-Added Producer Grants (VAPG) with Greg York, USDA Rural Development (RD)

Persons with disabilities who require accommodation to participate in this webinar should contact the FSA Outreach Office at fsaoutreach@usda.gov or dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunication relay services.

USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Veterans Webinar Series - Day 1

Agosto 11, 2026

Agenda for Day 1 - August 11, 2:00-4:30 pm Eastern

USDA Key Personnel Introduction and Overview
Farm Loans Programs with Jill Thomas, USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA)
Beginners Guide to Crop Insurance with Sean Patrick and Jeremy NotAfraid, USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA)

Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers (ASCF)

Agosto 07, 2026

USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is providing $1.625 billion through a one-time bridge payment for specialty crops not covered through the previously announced Farm Bridge Assistance (FBA) program. ASCF payments are based on reported 2025 planted acres. Online enrollment opens for producers who have a Login.gov account on June 1, 2026, and enrollment opens at FSA county offices on June 8, 2026. The application deadline for ASCF is August 7, 2026.

Learn More About ASCF

County Committee Election Nominations

Agosto 03, 2026

Nominations are now being accepted for farmers and ranchers to serve on local Farm Service Agency county committees. These committees make important decisions about how federal farm programs are administered locally. All nomination forms for the 2026 election must be postmarked or received in the local FSA office by August 3, 2026.

Learn More About County Committee Elections

Grassland Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)

Mayo 29, 2026

Agricultural producers and private landowners can sign up for the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) starting May 4, 2026, through May 29, 2026. Grassland CRP allows producers and landowners to continue grazing and haying practices while conserving grasslands and promoting plant and animal biodiversity as well as healthier soil.

Landowners and producers interested in CRP should contact their local USDA Service Center to learn more.

Learn More About Grassland CRP

Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP)

Mayo 29, 2026

The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) helps landowners, land trusts, and other entities protect, restore, and enhance wetlands; protect the agricultural viability and related conservation values of eligible land by limiting nonagricultural uses of that land that negatively affect the agriculture and conservation values; and protect grazing and related conservation values by restoring or conserving eligible land.

Learn More About ACEP