When Will Increased Base Acres be Implemented
OBBBA allows for another 30 million base acres
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act in Section 10302 will increase base acres for all eligible farmers by up to 30 million acres effective for the 2026 crop year. This means there is no increase in base acres for the 2025 crop that will be paid starting in October 2026.
Base acres are used to make payments under ARC and PLC. The 2026 ARC and PLC payments will not be made until October 2027 at the earliest. Therefore, an assumption is FSA has plenty of time to implement this increase.
However, the 2026 ARC and PLC election will likely be due by March 15, 2026, therefore, USDA likely needs to implement this increase in base acres soon.
How will the increase be calculated:
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