From the guide · The ARC/PLC Enrollment Checklist
AD-1026: The Conservation Form You Need Before ARC/PLC Pays
AD-1026 certifies your conservation compliance — and FSA needs it current before ARC or PLC pays a dollar. What the form covers, when to update it, and the tiling mistake that can cost you.
Signing your ARC/PLC contract is not the same as getting paid. Before FSA releases a payment, every producer needs eligibility paperwork on file — and AD-1026, the conservation compliance certification, is the form farmers most often forget to update.
What AD-1026 actually certifies
AD-1026 certifies that you follow federal conservation rules on highly erodible land and wetlands. It is one of three eligibility forms FSA checks, alongside the CCC-902 farm operating plan and the CCC-941 income certification. If anything on your operation changed this year — new ground, a new entity, a new member — all three may need a refresh.
Update it before you tile, drain or clear
The expensive mistake is moving dirt first and filing second. Update AD-1026 for any new ground, and before any planned tiling, drainage or clearing — not after. A new lease is the right time to check: new ground with highly erodible fields or wetlands is exactly where compliance trips people up.
Your lease may have its own say here. Many leases include rules on tiling, clearing, fence rows and waterways. Read those clauses before you plan work, and keep the signed form where you can find it when FSA asks.
Key takeaways
- AD-1026 certifies conservation compliance — FSA needs it current before ARC/PLC pays.
- Update it for new ground, and before tiling, drainage or clearing — never after.
- Pair it with a current CCC-902 and CCC-941; FSA checks all three.
- A new lease is the right time to check highly erodible fields and wetlands.
Want the full guide?
This article is a short read drawn from The ARC/PLC Enrollment Checklist — 7 lease details to have ready before the Dec 11 sign-up deadline, plus a farm-by-farm worksheet and an eight-week game plan.
Read the full free guide →Source: adapted from The ARC/PLC Enrollment Checklist (Oaken, free ebook). Educational only — not legal, tax or financial advice.
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FSA Form 578: Why Your Acreage Report Sets Your ARC/PLC Payment Shares
Your acreage report sets your ARC/PLC payment shares. How FSA Form 578 works and what to fix before sign-up.
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Base Acres, Explained: How They Set Your ARC/PLC Payment
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FSA Farm Numbers and Tract Numbers: Match Your Lease to the Right Farm
FSA enrolls by farm number — your lease doesn’t. How to match leases to farm and tract numbers.
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ARC vs. PLC in 2026: Which Program Fits Your Farm?
ARC-CO, PLC or ARC-IC for 2026? The plain-language difference and how your lease shapes the choice.
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Get the full guide, free.
Get The ARC/PLC Enrollment Checklist, the complete guide behind this article:
- The full free guide this article came from
- The 7 lease details FSA asks about, one by one
- Farm-by-farm worksheet and eight-week game plan
Questions, answered.
Where does “AD-1026: The Conservation Form You Need Before ARC/PLC Pays” come from?
This article is a short, plain-language read drawn from The ARC/PLC Enrollment Checklist, a free guide from Oaken. The full guide goes deeper, with the seven lease details, a farm-by-farm worksheet and an eight-week game plan. It is linked on this page.
Is this article legal or tax advice?
No. This article is educational and explains the records and forms FSA asks for. Program rules can change, and your county FSA office makes the final call on your farm.
What should I read next?
Start with the other articles from The ARC/PLC Enrollment Checklist — each one covers one piece of sign-up, from acreage reports to base acres to the ARC vs. PLC choice. Then bring the checklist to your FSA appointment.
See every lease, payment and landowner in one place.
Book a 15-minute conversation and bring a sample lease or your lease list — we’ll show you how the seven details on this checklist line up for your farms.