By Jonathan LaPorte
Recent legislation under the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) has included updates to several Farm Bill Commodity Programs. In particular, the Agricultural Risk Coverage program had several changes made to improve support benefits. ARC-CO, which provides protection based on county losses, has historically struggled to trigger payments for corn and soybean growers. That begs the question, do the ARC-CO updates mean producers will see actual payments more often?
Historically, corn and soybean producers have not received a lot of support from the ARC-CO program. The lack of support was notable during the 2018 Farm Bill period or 2019-2024 production seasons. In particular, from 2022 through 2024, the corn price dropped $2.00 per bushel, and soybeans dropped over $4.00 per bushel. The loss of value has significantly impacted short and long-term financial stability for many farms. During this period, ARC-CO offered limited support to producers in most counties. The fundamental lack of support led to calls for program reforms, many of which focused on the need for aid during these types of market conditions.