Farm program · rapeseed

Rapeseed: 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 rapeseed is $0.2375/lb (FSA). PLC pays when the national season-average price ends below that; the loan rate, $0.1110/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 $0.2375/lb.

At FSA’s projected 2026/27 season-average price (FSA table of Sep 11, 2026), $0.3050/lb, PLC would pay nothing for 2026. The real rate comes from the final price after the marketing year ends (July 2026 to June 2027).

2027 (est.): ERP $0.2375, benchmark price $0.2473.

Typical-farm verdicts, 2026: Neither expected to pay 23.

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

Run rapeseed in the calculator

How the rapeseed 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: $0.2260 · 2021: $0.1880 · 2022: $0.2160 · 2023: $0.2000 · 2024: $0.3280 (struck: the high and low year). Average of the middle three: $0.2140. 88% of that is $0.1883, below the $0.2375 statutory price, so the statutory price holds: $0.2375.

2026 ARC-CO benchmark price. 2020: $0.2375 (raised from $0.2260) · 2021: $0.2375 (raised from $0.1880) · 2022: $0.2375 (raised from $0.2160) · 2023: $0.2375 (raised from $0.2000) · 2024: $0.3280. Drop the high ($0.3280) and low ($0.2375); the middle three average $0.2375.

2027 effective reference price. Season-average prices 2021: $0.1880 · 2022: $0.2160 · 2023: $0.2000 · 2024: $0.3280 · 2025: $0.2670 (struck: the high and low year). Average of the middle three: $0.2277. 88% of that is $0.2003, below the $0.2375 statutory price, so the statutory price holds: $0.2375.

2027 ARC-CO benchmark price. 2021: $0.2375 (raised from $0.1880) · 2022: $0.2375 (raised from $0.2160) · 2023: $0.2375 (raised from $0.2000) · 2024: $0.3280 · 2025: $0.2670. Drop the high ($0.3280) and low ($0.2375); the middle three average $0.2473.

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.

Rapeseed ARC-CO benchmarks by county

FSA’s official 2026 county file has a rapeseed benchmark yield for 31 counties in 10 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.

Idaho (4 counties)

Idaho · Latah · Lewis · Nez Perce

Idaho: every crop by county

Michigan (3 counties)

Cheboygan · Delta · Presque Isle

Michigan: every crop by county

Minnesota (1 county)

Carlton

Minnesota: every crop by county

North Carolina (8 counties)

Beaufort · Camden · Catawba · Iredell · Northampton · Robeson · Washington · Wayne

North Carolina: every crop by county

North Dakota (8 counties)

Burke · Golden Valley · Grand Forks · Kidder · McLean · Nelson · Ramsey · Walsh

North Dakota: every crop by county

Oregon (2 counties)

Morrow · Umatilla

Oregon: every crop by county

Pennsylvania (1 county)

Berks

Pennsylvania: every crop by county

South Carolina (1 county)

Georgetown

South Carolina: every crop by county

Washington (2 counties)

Asotin · Walla Walla

Washington: every crop by county

Wisconsin (1 county)

Marathon

Wisconsin: every crop by county

Questions about rapeseed

What is the 2026 effective reference price for rapeseed?

$0.2375 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 $0.1883, and the cap is $0.2731. The 2026 ARC-CO benchmark price is $0.2375 and the loan rate is $0.1110.

What is the 2027 effective reference price for rapeseed?

$0.2375 per pound by our math from FSA's final prices (est.); the 2027 ARC-CO benchmark price is $0.2473. FSA publishes the official 2027 figures.

Will PLC pay on rapeseed for 2026?

At FSA table of Sep 11, 2026's projected 2026/27 price of $0.3050/lb, PLC would pay nothing for 2026. FSA's own table of Sep 11, 2026 shows no payment at $0.3050. 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 rapeseed?

We do not give a pick for rapeseed 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 rapeseed ARC-CO benchmark yield?

FSA's 2026 county file lists rapeseed benchmarks for 31 counties; each one has a page here. A county FSA does not list has no rapeseed 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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