CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a new modernization initiative aimed at reducing administrative burdens on American farmers by consolidating their records into a single digital profile across USDA agencies.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins unveiled the "One Farmer, One File" program during remarks at the Commodity Classic Convention in San Antonio, Texas, on Feb. 26, 2026.
"Every single day at USDA, our focus is on making life easier, more profitable and more rewarding for the American farmer," Rollins said. "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 increasing their productivity and time in the field."
The initiative targets inefficiencies across three key USDA agencies: the Farm Service Agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Risk Management Agency. Those agencies handle a wide range of services, including assigning farm numbers, reporting planted acres, providing capital access, and assisting with disaster recovery. Farmers currently must navigate multiple systems and repeat information across programs, creating administrative burdens that take time away from farming.
By consolidating data into one streamlined farmer profile, the program aims to reduce paperwork, improve efficiency in program delivery, save time for USDA staff, and cut costs tied to maintaining separate, outdated IT systems.
The initiative is part of a broader USDA modernization effort to integrate the three agencies into a unified platform, phasing out legacy systems and breaking down agency silos. Work on the system began in 2025, with significant progress planned for 2026 and full completion targeted for 2028.
The announcement aligns with the Trump Administration's priorities to simplify regulations and programs for agricultural producers. Other recent efforts include adopting Login.gov to speed up payments under the Farmer Bridge Assistance program and streamlining conservation initiatives, allowing producers to more easily bundle and apply for needed practices on their farms.
Rollins has served as Secretary of Agriculture since February 2025.
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