Nebraska Extension and the USDA Farm Service Agency in Nebraska will host a series of Farm Bill education meetings over the next two months to assist producers as they begin to make farm-bill related program decisions. The 2018 Farm Bill, signed into law last December, reauthorized the existing Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) safety net programs that were in the 2014 Farm Bill, however producers will need to make new program enrollment decisions over the coming months.

While the ARC and PLC programs under the new farm bill remain very similar to the previous farm bill, a few program changes coupled with changes in market conditions and outlook could significantly impact producer decisions.

“These meetings will help producers understand the programs and recent changes, as well as the decisions to be made at sign-up now and in the coming years,” said Nancy Johner, State Executive Director for the USDA Farm Service Agency in Nebraska. “There are some changes, such as an optional PLC program yield update, and other tweaks to the ARC and PLC programs that producers should consider as they make their selections.”

“Producers face a familiar choice between ARC and PLC, but under very different circumstances now as compared to 2014,” said Brad Lubben, Policy Specialist with Nebraska Extension. “Understanding the program mechanics, analysis and available decision tools will help producers make sound enrollment decisions with FSA.”

The joint Nebraska Extension and Nebraska Farm Service Agency producer education meetings are scheduled at 28 locations across the state from late November to mid-December in advance of the coming ARC/PLC enrollment deadlines in early 2020.

The meetings are all free and open to the public. Advance registration is encouraged for planning purposes for materials and facilities. Attendees can register for any of the meetings conveniently on the web at go.unl.edu/farmbill or by calling or visiting their county FSA or Extension office. The educational programs are each set to run three hours in length, featuring information and insight from FSA specialists and Extension experts, as well as other relevant information from local agencies.

The meetings are available statewide with several locations in each region of the state. The tentative schedule is as follows:

 Panhandle/North Central

• Ainsworth – Ainsworth Lutheran Church - December 16, 2-5 PM
• Bridgeport - Prairie Winds Community Center - November 22, 2-5 PM
• Chadron - Chadron State College – December 17, 1:30-4:30 PM
• Ogallala - Keith County Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall - December 12, 1-4 PM
• Valentine - Mid Plains Community College - December 16, 9 AM-12 NOON

 Southwest/Central

• Broken Bow - Custer County Fairgrounds - December 16, 1-4 PM
• Imperial - Chase County Fairgrounds 4-H Building - November 26, 1:30-4:30 PM
• Kearney - Buffalo County Fairgrounds Antelope Meeting Room - December 17, 1-4 PM
• Lexington - Dawson County Fairgrounds Extension Meeting Room - December 2, 1-4 PM
• McCook - Red Willow County Fairgrounds Community Building - December 3, 1:30-4:30 PM
• North Platte - UNL West Central Research and Extension Center - December 18, 1:30-4:30 PM
• Ord - Valley County Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall - December 4, 1-4 PM

Northeast

• Bloomfield - Community Center - December 2, 1:30-4:30 PM
• Columbus - Ag Park - December 4, 9 AM-12 NOON
• O'Neill - Community Center - December 3, 9 AM-12 NOON
• Norfolk - Northeast Community College Lifelong Learning Center - December 18, 1-4 PM
• Wayne - Wayne Fire Hall - December 16, (2 meetings) 1-4 PM or 6-9 PM
• West Point - Nielsen Center - December 9, 9 AM-12 NOON

East Central

• Grand Island - College Park Fonner Park Room - December 5, 1-4 PM
• Mead – UNL Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center - December 3, 9 AM-12 NOON
• Scribner - Dodge County Fairgrounds Mohr Auditorium - December 11, 9 AM-12 NOON
• York - York County Fairgrounds Cornerstone Building - December 6, 9 AM-12 NOON

 Southeast

• Beatrice - Gage County Fairgrounds 4-H Building – December 17, 9 AM-12 NOON
• Bruning - Bruning Opera House - December 5, 1:30-4:30 PM
• Humboldt - Ag Building – December 12, 9 AM-12 NOON
• Lincoln - Lancaster County Extension Center - December 16, 9 AM-12 NOON
• Red Cloud - Community Center - November 25, 1-4 PM
• Weeping Water - Cass County Fairgrounds - December 3, 9 AM-12 NOON

Please check the website for updates on locations, dates and times. All times are local with registration beginning 30 minutes ahead of start. Several additional meetings also are being planned locally across the state in various locations. Keep alert to additional opportunities and details as they are developed by checking the website for information or by contacting your county Extension or FSA office.

There also are resources available online that can educate producers in their ARC/PLC decision-making process. Links to these resources are available from FSA at www.fsa.usda.gov/ne under the Spotlights section or from Extension at farmbill.unl.edu.