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USDA launches One Farmer, One File initiative to reduce administrative burdens for farmers

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins says the USDA is working to make USDA more efficient. “I have no idea how these farmers have been dealing with this all these years,” she says. 

The Secretary announced the One Farmer, One File initiative during the 2026 Commodity Classic in San Antonio, Texas.  She says it will streamline digital services at the department. “Hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money have gone into an antiquated and broken system that included over 1,000 contractors across hundreds of different platforms,” she says. 

Kansas farmer Clay Schemm says this can make a huge difference. “We’ve all gone through it, where you get to the FSA office, they don’t necessarily have all the files read,” he says. “They’ve got most of them, but there was a system that was down and they weren’t able to get it, so you need to come into the office on another day. And depending on how far you live out of town, it’s just not hardly practical.” 

AUDIO: Clay Schemm, Kansas farmer

Indiana farmer Chris Cherry says it may not be a flashy topic, but it’s one that matters. Especially for individuals who are managing different entities. “I created an account last week on farmer.gov, and on Tuesday of this week I went in and logged in with my password and all of the information for the four entities that I have to file for right there,” he says. “I clicked on each one of them and I hit submit and it was done.”

AUDIO: Indiana farmer Chris Cherry

The One Farmer, One File initiative is part of a broad modernization effort to streamline operations in the USDA’s Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Services, and Risk Management Agency systems.  Work to remove agency silos began in 2025 and the efforts will continue through 2026.  The project is expected to be completed in 2028.