USDA Launches ‘One Farmer, One File’ to Simplify Farmer Records
USDA unveils One Farmer, One File to streamline records, cut paperwork and improve service for American farmers.
At the Commodity Classic Convention in San Antonio, Texas, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the USDA’s new “One Farmer, One File” initiative, aimed at streamlining recordkeeping for farmers. The program creates a single file that follows a farmer across all USDA programs, eliminating duplicate paperwork and reducing administrative burdens.
Key Goals of One Farmer, One File:
- Streamline USDA processes across the Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Risk Management Agency (RMA).
- Reduce duplication of tasks for farmers, including farm number creation, acreage reporting, capital access and disaster recovery.
- Improve efficiency for USDA staff and lower costs by retiring legacy IT systems and removing agency silos.
- Increase time in the field for farmers by minimizing administrative work.
“Every single day at USDA, our focus is on making life easier, more profitable and more rewarding for the American farmer,” said Secretary Rollins. “Our government for the people by the people should be modern, efficient, and respect taxpayer dollars. This modernization of old, duplicative, wasteful systems has one goal in mind, improve our customer service so the people we serve are able to farm and feed America and the world. ‘One Farmer, One File’ prevents our farmers from duplicating tasks while increases their productivity and time in the field.”
Timeline and Implementation:
- Work on the unified system began in 2025.
- USDA expects the system to be fully operational by 2028.
- The initiative is part of broader modernization efforts, including using Login.gov for faster Farmer Bridge Assistance payments and simplified conservation program applications.
Additional Actions Under USDA Modernization:
- Secretary Rollins visited Texas Farm Bureau President Russell Boenig’s farm to launch the Deregulatory Agenda for American Agriculture and Consumers.
- In the past year, President Trump’s administration reported 129 regulations cut for every new one, saving $211.8 billion in net costs.
The initiative is expected to reduce paperwork, save time, and allow farmers to focus on production, giving them more control over their USDA interactions and improving overall efficiency in farm operations.
