By Darrin Pack
Purdue Extension and the Indiana Farm Service Agency are teaming up to offer a series of free informational programs throughout central Indiana in January to help farmers learn more about their coverage options under the new farm bill.
Discussion will focus on the Agricultural Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs authorized by the bill. Crop producers must select one of the new safety net programs, which replace the direct payment programs of previous years.
There are two plans available through the Agricultural Risk Coverage program, better known as ARC. The ARC-County option estimates individual crop revenue based countywide projections. Under the ARC-Individual option, farmers receive payments based on their own past revenues on a whole-farm basis.
Under the Price Loss Coverage program, or PLC, payments are made on a crop-by-crop basis if the national price of that commodity falls below the reference price established in the farm bill legislation.
Program participants will have an opportunity to speak directly with Extension and FSA experts during each of the two-hour sessions. The schedule is:
- Jan. 6, 9-11 a.m.: Oakley Auditorium at Ivy Tech; 8000 S. Education Drive, Terre Haute.
- Jan. 13, 6:30-8:30 p.m.: Sullivan County Fairgrounds; 1301 E. County Road 75 N, Sullivan.
- Jan. 14, 9-11 a.m.: Parke County Fairgrounds; 1472 N. U.S. 41, Rockville.
- Jan. 20, 9:30-11:30 a.m.: Putnam County Fairgrounds; 191 N. U.S. 231, Greencastle.
- Jan. 28, 2-4 p.m.: Monroe County Fairgrounds; 5700 W. Airport Road, Bloomington.
Source:purdue.edu