A total of 246,601,268 base acres were enrolled in the U.S. in 2021 across 23 covered commodities (Outlaw, Raulston, 2021). The enrolled base acres for the Farm Bill support programs, Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC-CO) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC), total 244,109,500 for the 2021 program year. The remaining 2,496,768 base acres are enrolled in Agricultural Risk Coverage Individual Coverage (ARC-IC). Price Loss Coverage has the highest share of enrolled base acres at 56.7% followed by ARC-CO at 42.3% and ARC-IC at 1%. The Southern Region (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia) account for 50,459,856 acres, or 20.6%, of the U.S. total acreage enrolled in PLC, ARC-CO and ARC-IC programs. The share of base acres enrolled by program for the 2021 crop year is 56.7% PLC, 42.3% ARC-CO, and 1.0% ARC-IC.
The share of base acres enrolled in 2021 between ARC-CO and PLC is shown in Table 1. The crop with highest percentage of base acres enrolled in ARC-CO for the U.S. is soybeans at 87.2%. The next closest crop in terms of share is corn at 48.4%. The crops with the highest percentage enrolled in PLC is long grain rice at 99.8% followed by peanuts at 99.7%, seed cotton at 91.2%, and grain sorghum at 73.75%.
Table 1. Share of Enrolled Base Acres by Crop for the 2021 Program Year.
2021 ARC-CO vs. PLC
| 13 Southern States ARC-CO % | U.S. ARC-CO % | 13 Southern States PLC % | U.S. PLC % | |
| Corn | 50.4% | 48.4% | 49.6% | 51.6% |
| Grain Sorghum | 24.1% | 26.4% | 75.9% | 73.8% |
| Peanuts | 0.17% | 0.26% | 99.8% | 99.7% |
| Rice (Long Grain) | 0.05% | 0.16% | 99.9% | 99.8% |
| Seed Cotton | 09.2% | 08.8% | 90.8% | 91.2% |
| Soybeans | 86.8% | 87.2% | 13.2% | 12.8% |
| Wheat | 14.3% | 16.85% | 85.7% | 83.3% |
The seven major program crops shown in Table 1 account for 98.7% of total base acres enrolled in the South according to Outlaw and Raulston. The three southern crops of long grain rice, peanuts, and seed cotton range from 90% to 99% enrolled in PLC and drive the U.S. total. Comparing the South to the U.S. for the other four crops shows the South trends with the U.S. in the share of ARC-CO and PLC enrolled base acres. The biggest differences are two percentage points higher in the South for corn ARC-CO, grain sorghum PLC, and wheat PLC. The 2018 Farm Bill allows farm operators to make program election changes in crop years 2021, 2022, and 2023 for ARC-CO and PLC.
Citations:
Outlaw, Joe, and J. Marc Raulston. “Southern States Share of Major Crop Bases.” Southern Ag Today 1(45.4). November 4, 2021. Permalink
Smith, Nathan, and Trey Bucklew. “Enrolled Base Acres Share of ARC-CO and PLC Program by Crop.” Southern Ag Today 1(47.4). November 18, 2021. Permalink
