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Improved Agriculture Risk Coverage & Price Loss Coverage Authorized in Working Families Tax Cuts Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today highlighted the start of an estimated $423 million in farm safety net improvements being made available to Mississippi agricultural producers as the Farm Service Agency begins implementing aspects of the Working Families Tax Cuts Act enacted last year.
The improved Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) payments for Mississippi are part of the $13.8 billion approved by Congress to update the farm safety net by significantly increasing reference prices and crop insurance enhancements. These improvements more accurately recognize the increased costs and changing economic conditions for farming since passage of the 2018 Farm Bill.
“American farmers and ranchers pour their hearts and souls into producing the food and fiber that we all need. The farm safety net is supposed to help them survive global competition, economic uncertainty, and market volatility, and that’s what we’ve successfully strengthened. As such, producers across Mississippi and this great nation will finally get the first meaningful investment in farm safety net programs that they deserve,” Hyde-Smith said.
The Working Families Tax Cuts Act, which became law in July 2025 without a single Democratic vote in support, enhanced risk management tools for producers of row crops, livestock, specialty crops, honeybees, and aquaculture.
As a result, USDA is also implementing additional programs that support the farm safety net to expand access to and eligibility for standing disaster programs including the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) and Livestock Forage Program (LFP), in addition to making crop insurance more affordable.
While these much-needed improvements are welcomed but long overdue, Hyde-Smith continued to call on the Senate and House to complete their responsibilities to American agriculture by passing a new farm bill. The Senate Agriculture Committee in early September approved the
Agricultural Act of 2026, making it available for consideration by the full Senate. The bill includes the priorities secured by Hyde-Smith to benefit Mississippi producers and rural communities.
“The safety net investments now available are great, but our work is not done. We need to double down to fully update the wide breadth of programs included in a farm bill that can do so much more to improve life in rural America. I’m committed to getting that done no matter how packed the agenda may be when we get back to Washington in November,” Hyde-Smith said.
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