From the guide · The ARC/PLC Enrollment Checklist
FSA Farm Numbers and Tract Numbers: Match Your Lease to the Right Farm
FSA enrolls by farm number, but your lease describes the land by legal description. How to line the two up before ARC/PLC sign-up.
Your lease probably describes the ground by legal description, parcel ID or field name. FSA doesn’t enroll any of those — it enrolls by farm number. Before you can sign the right ARC/PLC contract, the two descriptions have to match.
Why the numbers have to match
For each lease, pull together the FSA farm number and tract numbers, the legal description or county parcel IDs, total and cropland acres per tract, and an aerial map or the FSA-156EZ farm record. Watch for the two classic mismatches: one lease that covers tracts on two different FSA farms, and a farm number that changed after a reconstitution.
When farms change: reconstitutions
Combining or splitting farms or tracts is a reconstitution, filed on form FSA-155 — and every owner of record and operator involved has to sign it. For ARC/PLC farms, the request has to be in by August 1 to count for that fiscal year. If anything moved after August 1, ask your FSA office how it affects your 2026 contract. A signed lease can help show FSA that the operator changed.
Key takeaways
- FSA enrolls by farm number — match every lease to its farm and tract numbers.
- Keep legal descriptions, parcel IDs, acres and the FSA-156EZ together.
- Farm changes go on FSA-155, signed by every owner and operator, by August 1.
- One lease across two FSA farms is the mismatch to watch for.
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.
More from this guide
AD-1026: The Conservation Form You Need Before ARC/PLC Pays
AD-1026 certifies your conservation compliance for ARC/PLC. What it covers, when to update it, and the tiling mistake to avoid.
Read article →
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.
Read article →
Base Acres, Explained: How They Set Your ARC/PLC Payment
ARC/PLC pay on base acres, not planted acres. What changed for 2026 and how to check your farm’s base.
Read article →
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.
Read article →Free guide
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 “FSA Farm Numbers and Tract Numbers: Match Your Lease to the Right Farm” 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 conservation forms 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.