USDA Releases 2024 ARC-County Payment Rates for Wheat

by Scott Stiles - July 18, 2025

USDA’s Farm Service Agency recently posted the 2024 ARC-County payment rates for wheat. Nine (9) counties in Arkansas are eligible for ARC-County wheat payments (shown in the table below).

Wheat: 2024 ARC-County Payment Rates Per Acre, Arkansas.

The Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) programs were first authorized under the 2014 Farm Bill. The 2018 Farm Bill (aka Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018) extended both programs. 

Landowners choose between PLC and ARC based on their preference for protection against a decline in either (a) crop prices or (b) crop revenue, respectively. Furthermore, producers can elect ARC at either the county (ARC-CO) or individual farm (ARC-IC) level.

Per USDA data, the majority of Arkansas’ wheat base acreage was enrolled in the PLC program for the 2024 crop year.  Approximately 61% of Arkansas’ wheat base (483,591 acres) was enrolled in PLC and 39% or 309,911 base acres were enrolled in ARC-County.

Arkansas had 793,502 wheat base acres enrolled in the 2024 ARC and PLC programs.

For 2024, there is no PLC payment available for wheat.  The 2024 marketing year average price of $5.52 per bushel for wheat marginally exceeded the $5.50 level needed to trigger a PLC payment.

The PLC payment rate is multiplied by a farm’s program yield.  This determines the per-acre payment rate. The PLC payment rate times 85% of base acres signed up for the respective covered commodity equals the total payment.  For 2024, combined ARC and PLC payments are subject to annual payment limits of $125,000 per person.

ARC-County, ARC-Individual, and PLC payments for the 2024 crop year will be issued after October 1, 2025.