U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins on Thursday announced a modernization effort, “One Farmer, One File,” that will hopefully streamline how producers interact with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The initiative was announced at the Commodity Classic convention in San Antonio, Texas, and will create a single, unified record for each farmer that follows them across multiple USDA agencies. Its intended goal is to reduce paperwork and administrative burdens on producers while improving customer service. The effort will integrate systems already in place at the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and Risk Management Agency. The project will also retire legacy technology systems, eliminate duplication, and reduce long-term information technology costs. Work on the modernization began in 2025, with more customer-facing adjustments planned for this year. Rollins says, “Every single day at USDA, our focus is on making life easier, more profitable, and more rewarding for the American farmer. 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.” USDA anticipates the implementation to be completed in 2028.
