Farm program · lentils

Lentils: ARC or PLC for 2026 and 2027

By Sigurd Lindquist, a Certified Crop Adviser (CCA).

Find your county’s short answer

Quick answer. The 2026 PLC effective reference price for lentils is $0.2731/lb (FSA). PLC pays when the national season-average price ends below that; the loan rate, $0.1430/lb, is as low as the price counts. ARC-CO pays when county revenue falls below 90% of benchmark revenue, figured at the 2026 benchmark price of $0.3530/lb.

At FSA’s projected 2026/27 season-average price (FSA table of Sep 11, 2026), $0.1700/lb, PLC would pay a 2026 rate of $0.1031/lb. The real rate comes from the final price after the marketing year ends (July 2026 to June 2027).

2027 (est.): ERP $0.2731, benchmark price $0.3530.

Typical-farm verdicts, 2026: Leans PLC 47, Leans ARC-CO 1.

Prices in dollars per pound, FSA’s unit for lentils.

Run lentils in the calculator

How the lentils prices are figured

The effective reference price is the lesser of 115% of the statutory price, or the greater of the statutory price and 88% of the Olympic average season-average price for the five most recent crop years (2020 to 2024 for 2026; 2021 to 2025 for 2027). The ARC-CO benchmark price uses the same five years, each raised to at least the effective reference price.

2026 effective reference price. Season-average prices 2020: $0.1820 · 2021: $0.3560 · 2022: $0.3440 · 2023: $0.4040 · 2024: $0.3590 (struck: the high and low year). Average of the middle three: $0.3530. 88% of that is $0.3106, above the $0.2731 cap (115%), so the cap holds: $0.2731.

2026 ARC-CO benchmark price. 2020: $0.2731 (raised from $0.1820) · 2021: $0.3560 · 2022: $0.3440 · 2023: $0.4040 · 2024: $0.3590. Drop the high ($0.4040) and low ($0.2731); the middle three average $0.3530.

2027 effective reference price. Season-average prices 2021: $0.3560 · 2022: $0.3440 · 2023: $0.4040 · 2024: $0.3590 · 2025: $0.2200 (struck: the high and low year). Average of the middle three: $0.3530. 88% of that is $0.3106, above the $0.2731 cap (115%), so the cap holds: $0.2731.

2027 ARC-CO benchmark price. 2021: $0.3560 · 2022: $0.3440 · 2023: $0.4040 · 2024: $0.3590 · 2025: $0.2731 (raised from $0.2200). Drop the high ($0.4040) and low ($0.2731); the middle three average $0.3530.

2026 figures are FSA’s and match our math from FSA’s own price column. 2027 is our math (est.); FSA publishes the official figures.

Lentils ARC-CO benchmarks by county

FSA’s official 2026 county file has a lentils benchmark yield for 88 counties in 7 states. Each county page shows the benchmark, the five yields behind it, the yield where ARC-CO starts to pay and the PLC vs ARC-CO break-even.

Arizona (3 counties)

La Paz · Maricopa · Yavapai

Arizona: every crop by county

Idaho (7 counties)

Benewah · Clearwater · Idaho · Kootenai · Latah · Lewis · Nez Perce

Idaho: every crop by county

Montana (33 counties)

Big Horn · Blaine · Carter · Cascade · Chouteau · Daniels · Dawson · Fallon · Fergus · Flathead · Garfield · Glacier · Golden Valley · Hill · Judith Basin · Liberty · McCone · Meagher · Park · Phillips · Pondera · Prairie · Richland · Roosevelt · Rosebud · Sheridan · Stillwater · Teton · Toole · Valley · Wheatland · Wibaux · Yellowstone

Montana: every crop by county

North Dakota (35 counties)

Adams · Benson · Bottineau · Bowman · Burke · Burleigh · Cavalier · Divide · Dunn · Emmons · Foster · Golden Valley · Grand Forks · Grant · Hettinger · Kidder · McHenry · McIntosh · McKenzie · McLean · Mercer · Morton · Mountrail · Oliver · Pembina · Pierce · Ransom · Renville · Sheridan · Slope · Stark · Stutsman · Walsh · Ward · Williams

North Dakota: every crop by county

Oregon (1 county)

Umatilla

Oregon: every crop by county

South Dakota (5 counties)

Harding · Perkins · Potter · Sully · Walworth

South Dakota: every crop by county

Washington (4 counties)

Columbia · Spokane · Walla Walla · Whitman

Washington: every crop by county

Questions about lentils

What is the 2026 effective reference price for lentils?

$0.2731 per pound, from FSA's 2026 table. The statutory reference price is $0.2375; 88% of the 2020 to 2024 Olympic average season-average price is $0.3106, and the cap is $0.2731. The 2026 ARC-CO benchmark price is $0.3530 and the loan rate is $0.1430.

What is the 2027 effective reference price for lentils?

$0.2731 per pound by our math from FSA's final prices (est.); the 2027 ARC-CO benchmark price is $0.3530. FSA publishes the official 2027 figures.

Will PLC pay on lentils for 2026?

At FSA table of Sep 11, 2026's projected 2026/27 price of $0.1700/lb, PLC would pay a 2026 rate of $0.1031/lb. FSA's own table of Sep 11, 2026 shows $0.1031/lb at $0.1700. The real rate is set by the final season-average price, published after the marketing year (July 2026 to June 2027) ends.

Should I pick ARC or PLC for lentils?

We do not give a pick for lentils yet. The county pages show FSA's official benchmark, where each program pays more by price, and the calculator runs your own PLC yield and price.

Where do I find my county's lentils ARC-CO benchmark yield?

FSA's 2026 county file lists lentils benchmarks for 88 counties; each one has a page here. A county FSA does not list has no lentils benchmark; ask the county FSA office.

This is an estimate, not a USDA determination. FSA ARC/PLC · FSA program data · Find your county office. Dollars are before the 5.7% sequestration cut.

Sources

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