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REFERENCE PRICES ARE RISING, BUT IS THE SAFETY NET KEEPING UP?

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The increases restore part of the safety net’s value but do not fully keep pace with inflation. Arkansas data highlights how these policy benchmarks compare to actual farm economics. Enterprise budgets from the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture show production costs continue to rise across major row crops. When converted to breakeven prices, those costs exceed both old and updated reference prices (figure 2). This gap reflects a core feature of modern farm programs. PLC payments help reduce losses but are not designed to ensure profitability. Even with higher reference prices, support levels remain below the cost of production for many Arkansas farms.

PLC payments occur when the marketing year average price falls below the effective reference price. The payment rate equals the difference between those values and is multiplied by 90% of the farm’s yield and 85% of base acres.

Read the full Ag Insider here.

MORE THAN FOOD: AGRICULTURE’S ECONOMIC FOOTPRINT

Each year, the Feeding the Economy report provides one of the most comprehensive looks at the full economic footprint of U.S. food and agriculture. While often discussed in terms of farm receipts or commodity production, the report highlights a much broader reality: agriculture is not just a sector, it is a foundational driver of economic activity that supports millions of jobs, trillions in output and significant tax revenue across every state.

The 2026 Feeding the Economy report estimates $10.4 trillion in economic output tied to food and agriculture, accounting for roughly one-fifth of all U.S. economic activity, while supporting nearly 49 million jobs across the economy. At the center of that system are farmers and ranchers, whose production underpins economic stability by supplying the raw goods that feed families, sustain industries, support jobs, keep supply chains functioning and help ensure the economic value tied to food production remains in the U.S. Read the full report online

SIX INDUCTEES ADDED TO THE ARKANSAS AGRICULTURE HALL OF FAME

Six new inductees joined the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame March 27. Since the Hall of Fame’s first class in 1987, a total of 198 men and women have been inducted for their significant contributions to Arkansas’s largest industry.

The inductees include Jim Carroll III of Moro, Joe Fox of Fayetteville, Allen B. Helms Jr. of Clarkedale, Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Washington D.C., John Paul Pendergrass of Charleston, and the late Rep. Benny Petrus of Stuttgart.

Congratulations to the Ag Hall of Fame Class XXXVIII!

See more photos from the event here

Jim Carroll III of Moro served on local and national boards, including chair of the United States Soybean Board, to help expand global markets, research innovation and strengthen sustainable production.

Allen B. Helms Jr. of Clarkedale partnered with his dad in 1971 to form Allen Helms & Son and has managed multiple farms, warehouses, gins and companies over the years. He remains a partner today in Helms Family Farms.

John Paul Pendergrass of Charleston has been a co-owner of Pendergrass Cattle Co. since 1979, Pendergrass has sustained and expanded the outfit into one of Arkansas’s leading stocker and feeder operations.

Joe Fox of Fayetteville enjoyed a 50-year career in forestry and wood products, highlighted by uniting forestry businesses, non-profits and state agencies to establish Arkansas’s largest conservation easement.

The Honorable Blanche Lincoln of Washington D.C. contributed to the agriculture industry in rural Arkansas and across the nation, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

The late Benny Petrus of Stuttgart was an agriculture entrepreneur and served in the Arkansas House of Representatives. Rep. Petrus’ wife, Tammy, and their sons, Justin and Jonathan, accepted his award.