Early indications point to strong payout year for Agriculture Risk Coverage County (ARC-CO), according to a new analysis from University of Illinois farmdoc daily researchers Nick Paulson, Carl Zulauf, Henrique Monaco and Gary Schnitkey. The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) has now finalized 2025 county yields for approximately 70% of corn counties and 71% of soybean counties. Among those, close to half are projected to receive a payment, with a large share landing at the top of the payment scale. Wheat is furthest along in the process, with over 80% of finalized counties qualifying for a payment, and more than half of those hitting the maximum payment level.

This year’s stronger payout can, in part, be attributed to the farm bill changes made under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which raised the yield threshold that triggers an ARC-CO payment and expanded the payment range starting with the 2025 crop year.

For county-by-county detail and the full set of payment maps, read the full analysis from farmdoc daily.

Source: Paulson, N., C. Zulauf, H. Monaco and G. Schnitkey. “Initial 2025 FSA Yields and ARC-CO for Corn, Soybeans, and Wheat.” farmdoc daily (26):123, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, July 14, 2026.