[20190403]IF11161_2018年农业法案入门：ARC和PLC支持程序.pdf

https:/crsreports.congress.gov April 3, 20192018 Farm Bill Primer: ARC and PLC Support ProgramsBackground The Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) programs provide income support to covered commodities at levels above the price protection offered by the marketing assistance loan (MAL) programs loan rates. Participation is free for both ARC and PLC. However, a producer must sign up and elect ARC or PLC for the farms historical base acres (described below). Program Origins ARC and PLC were first authorized under the 2014 farm bill (P.L. 113-79). The 2018 farm bill (Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, P.L. 115-334) extended both programs with several modifications intended to increase producer flexibility in their use. See CRS Report R45525, The 2018 Farm Bill (P.L. 115-334): Summary and Side-by-Side Comparison. Producer Election Producers choose between PLC and ARC based on their preference for protection against a decline in either (a) crop prices (Figure 1) or (b) crop revenue (Figure 2), respectively. Furthermore, producers can elect ARC at either the county (ARC-CO) or individual farm (ARC-IC) level. PLC and ARC-CO choices can vary across “covered” cr