Three policy updates.
Your next farm decisions.
Enrollment has opened. Conservation deadlines are approaching. A water rule is still taking shape. Here is what each means—and a checklist to take into your next conversation.
Reviewed against official sources on September 17, 2026. This is a dated brief; check the linked agency guidance for later changes.
Check your acres. Confirm your enrollment.
For producers of covered commodities, including corn, soybeans, wheat, and others.
ARC and PLC are farm income safety nets: ARC responds to qualifying revenue shortfalls; PLC responds to covered commodity prices falling below its program threshold.
USDA opened 2026 Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) enrollment on September 16. The deadline is December 11, 2026.
Final base-acre notifications are available. The 3.69% proration applies to newly allocated base acres, not existing base acres. Previous multiyear contracts ended in 2025; an unchanged election does not replace a signed enrollment contract.
ARC participants can now purchase Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) insurance. Ask your agent about the options and applicable insurance deadlines.
“Year-round applications” still have funding cutoffs.
For farmers, ranchers, and eligible landowners planning conservation work.
NRCS accepts applications throughout the year, but considers them in funding rounds. A missed cutoff can mean waiting for a later round. These are two verified examples for FY2027 funding consideration, not a national deadline:
- South DakotaSeptember 29, 2026
- EQIP, CSP, and ACEP statewide. RCPP is limited to the projects named in the announcement. State guidance (opens in a new tab)
- IdahoSeptember 30, 2026
- EQIP applications for FY2027 assistance. State guidance (opens in a new tab)
In another state? Ask your local office for the program and funding-round cutoff that applies to your farm. An application is not a funding award.
Before starting work: Idaho’s EQIP guidance says a practice begun before written contract approval is ineligible unless an approved waiver applies.
A chance to weigh in on the water rule.
Especially relevant to landowners with stream, drainage, or wetland questions.
EPA and the Army published a supplemental Waters of the United States (WOTUS) proposal on September 9. Public comments close October 9, 2026.
The additional alternatives concern perennial water, relatively permanent water, and connections between wetlands and other waters. Those definitions help determine the reach of federal Clean Water Act regulation.
This is a proposal. It does not itself change the rules for your project. Use the comment process to describe practical concerns; check current requirements separately before making changes on the ground.
Read the proposal and find the comment form (opens in a new tab)